The Ducktators

This is a propaganda cartoon made during World War II. The black and white Looney Tunes cartoon tells the story of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito only they are portrayed as ducks. The barnyard they are on must present the world. We see how the three take over that barnyard but how one duck ends that. That duck, I guess, must be the United States of America.

The short is nice propaganda and especially the first minute where the Hitler-duck is born is great. After this it is entertaining but to be honest not that great. When the Japanese duck is introduced it gets a little better. Overall it is a nice cartoon and a perfect example of propaganda with this medium.

This is one of the best propaganda cartoons made during WWII. This cartoon tells the story of how World War II began, but the world is a barnyard and the Axis powers are all ducks while the Allies are represented by "the Bird of Peace." Some of the gags are dated (mostly the Japanese jokes) and without at least some knowledge of pre-WWII events, some of them might slip by you. If you ever get to see this great cartoon consider yourself very lucky!

Often, in movie theaters, the lead in features were related to news events. Newsreels kept people informed as to what was going on in war (though sadly dated because of time constraints and distribution). These cartoons offered a broader brush. Here, a duck is born from a black egg and rises with a swastika arm band and a famous mustache. Soon the barnyard is being recruited by this figure plus one that looks like Mussolini and another being Hirohito. So what transpires is that peace efforts fail and soon the peaceful must rise to the occasion. This is well done and I am sure bolstered some people's hopefulness.

In one of the many WWII-themed Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito are portrayed as ducks taking over a barnyard. One thing that I noticed that the cartoon does is show a sign apologizing to the good ducks and geese about the potentially offensive material. And then they follow it with the Hirohito duck (with giant teeth and slits for eyes). That's wartime for ya.

As can be expected, the Hitler duck is a raving lunatic (his mama done told him), while the Mussolini duck - or goose - is a tub of lard. Given how the cartoon explains that some of the farm animals fell for the Fuhrer's game, we might interpret that as an explanation of how people fall for what these despots propose: they do what they're told.

All in all, a pretty funny cartoon. That looked like Daffy as the Southern German duck.

More a historical source than an animation itself, it gives the spirit of a period, reminds "Animal Farm" and propose a short lesson about democracy. All more than precise and amusing. The good thing - it remains a warning. In same measure, not ignoring the year of apparition, it reflects the entire effort of Allies in the WWII. So, a nice short propaganda film, in Looney Tunes tradition.