I recently decided to review the first feature length anime film “Momotaro: Sacred Sailors” which was originally released in 1945 and was funded by the Japanese Naval Ministry. The content of the film sought to portray Japanese imperialism as necessary in the face of Western nations and a good thing for the local populations under occupation (something which is easily disproven). Reviewing this film made me think of the use of other animation for propaganda purposes.
I should start off by defining what propaganda is. Propaganda is defined as “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause” and, while commonly associated with government, can refer to any group who wish to spread their own ideology or discredit their opponents. Designating certain films as “propaganda” can be controversial and I will be trying to stick with examples that are universally recognized as propaganda.
Animation is often viewed as possessing a unique ability among propaganda films to remain entertaining and yet stealthily push through their message. While many of these films contain content that might be upsetting and confusing to many people, the pleasant animation and characters allow many animated films to hold up better than other propaganda films.
I’ve recently been watching the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and, amongst a variety of political incorrectness, it is interesting to see the short films produced during WWII. While there is a wide variety of examples to choose from, I want to draw particular attention to “Scrap Happy Daffy”, a short film starring Daffy Duck defending a scrapyard from a Nazi goat. The film asks citizens to donate scrap metal for the war effort and even has a scene where Daffy is inspired by many of his American ancestors who are associated with George Washington, Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln etc. Whilst overwhelmingly nationalistic, I found myself enjoying Scrap Happy Daffy’s comedy and energy.
Another interesting propaganda animation to watch is “Der Fuehrer’s Face”. In this cartoon, Donald Duck is portrayed as a German factory worker who is served terrible food, forced to work at gunpoint and must perform the Nazi salute anytime he sees the Führer’s face. The cartoon is wildly over the top with one of my favourite examples being Donald Duck’s 48 hour daily work shift and I found myself quite entertained while watching the film.
Most of my examples have, thus far, come from World War II, due to the fact that many of them are unquestionably propaganda films. However, I would like to point out that Japan’s new religious movements (also known as Japanese new religions) have used anime as a way to push their teachings and there is perhaps no greater example than Happy Science, a religion founded in the 1980s that have produced a variety of anime films. The films are generally centered around El Cantare (the deity they worship) or the cosmology of their beliefs.
Propaganda remains a controversial topic and the use of animation for this purpose is quite fascinating. Let me know your thoughts on the topic and if you have seen any of these films.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk and amazon.com for all of your needs!