Paz en la Tierra

Back in the 1940's, men fought a cataclysmic war until all were killed, leaving the animals behind to build a peaceful society in the ruins.

This has probably the strongest impact of any cartoon I have ever seen -- taking the era in which it was made into account -- and must have been virtually without precedent in 1939. Powerful post-war rivals might include "Animal Farm", "Watership Down", or "When the Wind Blows". Or Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Maus" in the field of the graphic novel.

There are scenes here of animated warfare which are still a little grim by modern standards. Childlike innocence gets temporarily suspended. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is an immediate comparison.

As was normal in the '30's, the coming war in Europe was viewed as an extension of the Great War, so we see the technology familiar from 20 years previous -- trenches, gas masks, unturreted tanks. When Neville Chamberlain bought peace for all time from Hitler at Munich, the sort of war he had succeeded in averting was the one depicted in this film. The new World War II technology did not enter the general consciousness until the averted war got underway in Sept. 1939.

I first saw this film about a decade ago, and rediscovered it recently on a compilation video entitled "MGM Cartoon Christmas". The other cartoons on the tape, "Alias St. Nick" and "Pups' Christmas", show quite clearly what a break with convention "Peace on Earth" was at the time.

Yes, it is quite preachy. This is the story of what is left after humans are no longer on earth, due to their propensity for violence and war. A grandfather squirrel tells his little grandsquirrels about how all this came about. Since the cartoon was made in 1939, the war was raging in Europe but the U.S. Government was sitting back watching. Of course, two years later came Pearl Harbor. Certainly, such a presentation could be seen as unpatriotic but that's not fair. The fact of the matter is, no matter who is to blame, we have the ability to annihilate our species. Also, this is a cartoon, and the animals wear clothes and live in houses. They have the emotions and judgments of humans so are they really humans with fur. Also, though metaphorical, there are good guys and bad guys in the human race. A beautiful cartoon offering.

This surely has to rank as one of the great "shorts" of all time. Released by MGM at the perfect time - in 1939, with the world poised on the brink of the Second World War - the cartoon portrays a family of squirrels living in an era after humanity has wiped itself out in war, as Grampa Squirrel (voices by Mel Blanc, who would of course become most famous as the voice of Bugs Bunny) attempts to explain to two babies on Christmas Eve why the Christmas song being sung says "peace on earth; goodwill to men." "What are men?" ask the babies, and Grampa Squirrel relates a story that should make all human beings squirm at our hypocrisy as he explains how humans killed each other off, and then relates the discovery by the animals who survived of a book that has a set of rules including "thou shalt not kill."

It's simplicity probably makes this all the more thought-provoking.

This was the first short subject to receive the highly-coveted Parents Magazine Medal as "Parent's Magazine's" Movie of the Month. It also received a (not-paid-for-by M-G-M) half-page spread tribute in the November 27, 1939 issue of "Life Magazine," with three stills from the film.

The trade press also raved: "Definitely a 'must'...should be seen by every man, woman and child...(Showmen's Trade Review) "A cartoon off the beaten track. Timely, amusing! (Film Daily) "Timely. Excellent. Admirably suited to Christmas programs!" (Motion Picture Daily)

The M-G-M ads for "Peace On Earth" all carried an uncommon "Created by Hugh Harman" attribute.

When Hugh Harman made PEACE ON EARTH, he intended it to be an ambitious anti-war film. He later said he wanted to make it a longer 2-reel cartoon. Nonetheless it turned out to be one of the greatest and most chilling cartoons to come from Hollywood's animation golden age.

Despite being an anti-war film from the late 1930's, the message isn't very clear, beyond demonstrating man's inability to maintain a peaceful society with animals succeeding after man's demise. There are religious icons sprinkled throughout the film, but there aren't used to preach any messages, as one would suspect from a film of this kind. Their presence in the film also seem vague.

The elder squirrel's recollections of man's war echoes the horrors of World War I, which was still strongly in the public's recollection at the time. In fact, it almost feels like an alternative timeline of WWI.

Harman and Ising were known for trying to compete with Disney. They were really the only men that come close to replicating Disney's polished animation, but storytelling was not their strength. Nonetheless, this is one of Harman's best films. Unlike most Christmas films, this one can be unnerving to some audiences due to its grim war sequences and outcomes. A post-apocalyptic film before the genre even existed (without nuclear weapons obviously).

Remade by Hannah-Barbera in 1955 as GOOD WILL TO MEN with updated horrific war imagery reflecting the Cold War and a more clear cut religious message.