These short animated films, intended as light-hearted and fun, found all their significance in the promotion of American culture and values during the Second World War. Walt Disney himself and his crew worked in tandem with the United States Army to help in the war effort and fight the Axis Powers through animation.
When Walt Disney received the request to use the Disney studio lot in Burbank, California as an Army anti-aircraft base after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he and his staff pledged to support the war effort without hesitation—and without profit.
Walt Disney Productions created their first military insignia in 1933 and created many public information and training films during the war years. Disney also created more than 1,200 unit insignia during World War II for all branches of the U.S. armed forces.
In addition to the short films and military insignia produced, Disney characters appeared in a variety of home-front initiatives, from advertisements, magazines, and stamp books, to government posters promoting tax payment, food recycling, rationing, war bond sales, and farm production.
Walt Disney served in World War I when he was 16 years old as a Red Cross ambulance driver. He understood the value of cartoon humor to unit morale and esprit-de-corps. Throughout his service in France, he embellished his ambulance and others in his unit with drawings and cartoons, much to the delight of all.
Why did Walt Disney get rejected from the military?
At the age of 16, he tried to enlist in the military but was rejected because he was too young. Instead, he joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas, where he drove an ambulance that he covered with cartoons.
During the fall of 1918, Disney attempted to enlist for military service. Rejected because he was only 16 years of age, Walt joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas, where he spent a year driving an ambulance and chauffeuring Red Cross officials.
Walt was either too young or too old when the United States went to war, and as a result was never a member of any of the branches of the armed forces. However, Walt grew up in a time when it was an honor and an obligation as an American to serve your country.
Disney, born in 1901, was too old to be drafted. He was, however, eager to serve his country. During World War I, he dropped out of school at the age of 16 and tried to enlist, but he was rejected for being too young.
Walt's patriotism began at a young age, when he began to admire President Abraham Lincoln. When Walt was in the fifth grade, he decided to pay tribute to his hero on Lincoln's birthday.
In early November 1966, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and was treated with cobalt therapy. On November 30, he felt unwell and was taken by ambulance from his home to St. Joseph Hospital where, on December 15, 1966, aged 65, he died of circulatory collapse caused by the cancer.
Walt Disney holds the record for the most individual Oscar wins (22) and nominations (59). History reported, in 1932, at the fifth Academy Awards ceremony, he earned his inaugural award, in the best short subject (cartoon) category, for Flowers and Trees, which used the new three-strip Technicolor process.
Back in the 1920s, when it all started with a mouse, the last thing Mickey could have been thinking was that he would be on the front lines of battle. But Walt Disney, creator of Mickey and founder of Walt Disney Pictures, changed his plans when the US was drawn into the Second World War.
“I just had to get in there.” But Walt was only 16, and 17 was the minimum age for enlistment. First, he tried to sign up for the Navy, but was turned down due to his age. Next, he and his friend Russell Maas attempted the Canadian armed forces, except Russell was rejected for his poor eyesight.
But his impact on American culture went beyond cartoons and theme parks. Whether it was hit television programs such as "The Mickey Mouse Club" or the marketing of products, Disney changed our world. Yet little was known about Walt Disney, the man — until now.
1933 Three Little Pigs, the 36th “Silly Symphony,” is distributed, with the original song, “Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” The song becomes a national hit and an anthem for the Great Depression.
The Allies won World War I after four years of combat and the deaths of some 8.5 million soldiers as a result of battle wounds or disease. Read more about the Treaty of Versailles.
The Treaty of Versailles, signed following World War I, contained Article 231, commonly known as the “war guilt clause,” which placed all the blame for starting the war on Germany and its allies.
In 1918, Walt Disney joined the Red Cross Ambulance Corps. He was sent to France in November of that year, right as WWI was ending. This letter Disney sent from France in 1919 shows his self-portrait in uniform accompanied by other cartoon images of friends and officers.
On this day in 1918, 16-year-old Walt Disney enlisted in the Red Cross Ambulance Corps. A very patriotic citizen, Walt wanted to join the military, but he was too young.
Additionally, as discussed below, Donald had a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II that culminated with him serving as a commando in the film Commando Duck, and he was frequently away serving in the U.S. Navy in the television cartoon series DuckTales.
It was 100 years ago that Walt Disney founded The Walt Disney Company The company has become a pop culture empire — with movies such as Fantasia and Frozen. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Disney is releasing a restored 4k version of the 1937 film Snow White.
Roy Oliver Disney was, with his younger brother Walter Disney, the co-founder of what is now The Walt Disney Company. After Walt died, Roy became the chairman of the company.
