The Story of Menstruation

The entire 10:15 minute presentation is done in a very non-threatening and non-medical way that even preteen children can easily understand. It dispels many of the myths surrounding menstruation that were going around in those days (1946) While sex is not explicitly mentioned, the part about fertilization is. This is also, purportedly, the first Hollywood production to ever use the word "vagina" in the dialogue.

It is cute how the animated character is shown topless in the shower in a purely animated character way with no defining features as was the way of the day. Many of the Betty Boop cartoons showed her undress without revealing any defining features either. Max Fleischer was a bit of a card and did this with many of the Betty Boop cartoons which required frame-by-frame viewing to find them.

There is no mention at the beginning or end of the film as to who the female narrator is. In fact, there are no credits whatsoever other than those mentioning Kotex and Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

This title is nearly impossible to attain; but for those who are Bittorrent downloaders, it can be found out there in the ether. This is one of those "keepers" that will become increasingly hard to find as older short subject features fade into obscurity.

I stumbled upon this short whilst watching a video on YouTube about the history of Disney from 1922 to 1999 and a short clip of this was included in the montage. I was intrigued to see the whole thing, which is also on YouTube. Whilst watching this, I was already familiar with the majority of information used but I found this short an interesting way to discuss the processes of puberty and menstruation and it made me realise that Kotex feminine care products are older than I thought.

The animation was done in a combination of colour (the segments of menstruating females getting on with their normal lives) and black and white (the diagram of menstruation) and it was mostly simple yet smooth with old-fashioned yet beautiful character designs. The narration is informative and while this is the only known Disney work to fully discuss female anatomy, it does so in an educational context. Although the music is also old-fashioned, it is emotive nonetheless. One minor gripe with regard to the sound quality is that it is somewhat crackly but I guess this was natural for the time this short was made. I know there have been complaints about the exclusion of sexual intercourse but personally the producers did the right thing omitting it because it would have detracted from the short's main topic. Even though I am nearly 27 as I write this, I could relate to the narration regarding the lengths of menstrual cycles varying from person to person because I have PCOS, which makes my cycle irregular.

Overall this is an unlikely yet intriguing and informative animated short from Disney. 8/10.

Although this film is somewhat sanitized (because it was made at a time when people just didn't talk about sex), it is an extremely helpful short film to show prepubescent girls so they know what to expect during menstruation. Not surprisingly, it was paid for by the Kotex company, though what may surprise many is that Disney made this film--as they made a lot of educational films during the 1940s-60s. However well made the film is, though, I think the film maker's missed a real opportunity. Instead of the nice female narrator's voice and the relatively bland visuals it would have been GREAT if they'd used Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Disney gang!! I know this would have given old Walt a heart attack, but wow that would have been a great film! By the way, although the notion of sex is barely hinted at in the film, it DOES adequately explain menstruation in general. However, it does lack some details (especially about intercourse) that I assume were included in the accompanying booklet.

Now if only I can figure out why I watched a cartoon about menstruation.

If you have not heard of this film from Walt Disney Pictures, do not worry about it. It would be classed along the other films by Disney that are meant for educational purposes like "Family Planning".

It was co-produced with Kotex to teach pre-teen girls about Menstruation, supposably. It only educates at a superficial level, so it does not go into heavy detail for the animated "Ram's Head"/ Reproductive System sequence.

The film does show "The Wonderful World of Disney" elements like the turning of the page and the use of animation to tell the story.

This film is impossible to find, so if you can find the film, best luck to you and enjoy.

Oh no! A Disney film used the term "vagina" when talking about the menstrual cycle. It refers to ovaries and blood and the possibility of pregnancy. All healthy, normal, natural issues, yet for some reason The Story of Menstruation (1946) is infamous... for whatever reason.

It's just a little educational film, nothing problematic about it. It is dated in its presentation (though the facts still seem legit, but I'm no doctor).

I don't know. I feel like the only people who would be scandalized by this are immature twelve year old boys who find the idea of girls having periods gross or terrifying.