''Donald's Decision'' is a four-minute educational short

animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

made by the Walt Disney Studios, for the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

. The film was released theatrically on January 11, 1942 as part of a series of four films directed at the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

public to buy

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...

s during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. ''Donald's Decision'' was directed by

Ford Beebe Ford Ingalsbe Beebe (November 26, 1888 – November 26, 1978) was a screenwriter and Film director, director. He entered the film business as a writer around 1916 and over the next 60 years wrote and/or directed almost 200 films. He specialized ...

, and featured the voice talent of Clarence "Ducky" Nash as "

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

" and Thelma Boardman as the "Angel" (1942) as Donald wrestles with his conscience, to do the right thing. Although in production prior to the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, the film is an example of a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

. ''Donald's Decision'' re-uses animation from the Disney cartoon short '' Donald's Better Self'' (1938) and ''

Self Control Self-control is an aspect of inhibitory control, one of the core executive functions. Executive functions are cognitive processes that are necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals. Defined more independen ...

'' (1938), that also featured Donald's struggles between an angelic and demonic version of himself.

Plot

In 1942, as Donald is relaxing in a hammock, a radio program encourages purchasing war savings certificates but he merely yawns and says "Tomorrow". His guardian angel immediately propels Donald out of his complacency and urges him to get his piggy bank out to buy war savings certificates that will ensure the Allied Powers's victory. On hearing this plea, Donald's other side, a demonic version lurking in a mailbox, that features a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

created by the spinning mail semaphore, challenges his angel, telling Donald to "have a good time and spend his money on himself." When the angelic side argues that "everyone must do his share", the devil "blitzes" the angel and boots Donald's good side into the nearby lake. Furious, Donald's angel storms into the sky and dive-bombs the evil devil, sending him to an early grave like in the original '' Donald's Better Self''. Steering Donald on his rightful path to the post office, the angelic side makes Donald buy his war savings certificates. Immediately, a series of posters and war messages reinforce the message to "Invest in Victory".

Voice cast

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of W ...

as Donald Duck *

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner; born John Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992), also credited Dehner Forkum, was an American stage, radio, film, and television character actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list o ...

as Radio Announcer * Don Brodie as Donald's Devil

Production

In 1939, with the outbreak of a global war, Walt Disney Studios felt a great pinch in their finances due to the loss of much of their European markets. This was further limited with the invasion of France by Nazi forces in 1940, which meant that the next Disney release ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel, ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a poor man named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...

'' (1940) was only dubbed in Spanish and Portuguese, a great deal less languages than previous Disney works.Barrier 2003, p. 272. Due to this loss of profit, and losses on recent films, Disney studios faced a bleak outlook of a deficit of over half a million dollars, layoffs and pay cuts for the first time in the studio, and a $2.23 million ceiling on their credit allowance. With bleak prospects, the studio was made into a corporation in April 1940, which raised $3.6 million to help pay off debts owed by the studio. To enable his studios to keep afloat and producing films, Walt Disney sought out external funding to cover production costs, which would allow him to keep employees on the payroll and keep the studio working.Cheu 2013, p. 27. On March 3, 1941, Disney invited over three dozen different representatives of various national defence industries to a lunch meeting, in an attempt to solicit work from them. He followed this luncheon with formal letters offering work "for national defence industries at cost, and without profit. In making this offer, I am motivated solely by a desire to help as best I can in the present emergency."Barrier 2003, p. 360. ''Four Methods of Flush Riveting'' (1941) was first training film that was commissioned by

Lockheed Aircraft Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Mar ...

. In response to Disney's efforts,

John Grierson John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Flaherty's '' ...

, the head of the National Film Board of Canada entered into a co-production agreement for four animated films to promote the Canadian War Savings Plan. The films, in order of production were: '' The Thrifty Pig'' (1941), '' 7 Wise Dwarfs'' (1941), ''Donald's Decision'' (1942) and '' All Together'' (1942). In addition, a training film for the Canadian Army, that eventually became '' Stop That Tank!'' (1942) was commissioned.St. Pierre, Marc
"70 years of animation, Part 1 – When animation marches off to war".
''NFB.ca'', 2011. Retrieved: March 7, 2016.

Reception

While intended for a theatrical audience, ''Donald's Decision'' along with the other three films in the series, was effective in delivering its message to Canadians through their local War Savings Committee. When America entered the war, these shorts were later released as part of the eight bond drives in the United States.

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines''.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Barrier, Michael. ''Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. . * Cheu, Johnson. (Ed.). ''Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2013. . * Gabler, Neal. '' Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination''. New York: Vintage, 2007. . * Harrington, Seán J. ''The Disney Fetish''. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2015. . * Maltin, Leonard. ''The Disney Films'' (4th Edition). New York: JessieFilms Ltd., 2000. . * Shull, Michael S. and David E. Wilt. ''Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945'' (2nd ed.) Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2004. . * Telotte, J. P. ''Animating Space: From Mickey to WALL-E''. United States: The University Press of Kentucky, 2010. . * Van Riper, Bowdoin A. ''Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney's Edutainment films''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2011. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donald's Decision Quebec films Canadian animated short films Canadian comedy short films 1942 animated short films Canadian World War II propaganda films The Devil in film Films about angels 1940s Disney animated short films Films directed by Ford Beebe Films produced by Walt Disney National Film Board of Canada animated short films Donald Duck short films Films scored by Oliver Wallace 1940s Canadian animated films National Film Board of Canada short films Canadian animated comedy films