Walt Disney's Propaganda

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it all started by a mouse.” – Walt Disney

During World II Hollywood made movies about the war. In the 40’s actors made movies about the war. Actors and actresses enlisted in the war (Film History). Which shows that a lot of people look up to actors and actresses so people did what was on TV and joined the war actors and actresses. When the actors enlisted in the war, people wanted to enlist too. Film scholar Thomas Doherty, made a video “Projections of War” about the great history of hollywood during World War II (Indiana University). This shows another example of how cool the war seemed to kids making them want to join which ends up helping us win world war II. Therefore, movies and famous people joining

“Animation offers a medium of storytelling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world,” said Walt Disney of his beloved cartoons. While it is true that cartoons are an interesting medium of visual entertainment, their unique ability to convey information to people, adults and children alike, make the animated film medium one of the most far reaching means of propaganda. Today it is impossible to imagine American animated cinema without Disney and its cartoons. The American captivation with Disney has not changed much in the seventy years since World War II. In the early 1940s, two thirds of Americans went to the movies every week and these moviegoers were enamored

After his years at school, Walt Disney attempted to enlist for military service. He was rejected because he was only sixteen years old, so he joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas. He spent a year driving an ambulance and driving Red Cross officials. His entire ambulance was covered with cartoons that he had made. (Encarta Encyclopedia 2)

It’s no doubt that creating a family oriented theme park based on popular, beloved cartoon characters and imagination was a good idea. From Cinderella’s castle to the famous Main Street, U.S.A, there’s something extraordinary lying around every corner. Walt Disney World, other wise known as “the happiest place on earth”, or the place “where dreams come true”, was founded by a man with a dream of creating a place where children and parents could spend time together while making amazing memories. However, this extravagant amusement park is only one of the major accomplishments of Walt Disney.

He and his enterprise displayed fantasy, innocence, warmth and resilience to people all over the country and even the world, and to many he was portrayed as a positive symbol to represent the American way of life. Additionally, Mickey Mouse, arguably the most famous and loved of Disney’s creations, played an important role in American culture. Mickey Mouse Clubs became popular after the television show aired in the ‘50s, and enabled youth to become more involved in film and excitable about art in general. In fact, Disney helped pave the way for similar organizations, as he envisioned the possibilities of a national network of them. In addition to impacting American culture by intriguing young audiences, he also changed the daily lives of many U.S. citizens. As manufacturing and the growth of a consumer economy made it all the more possible to do less laborious work, Americans had more leisure time. Disney took advantage of this. The Wall Street Journal published an article in which they showed how his efforts in filmmaking, television, commercials, merchandising and licensing, publications, comic strips, etc. had the ability to project one another before consumers. People at home had more time on their hands, so seeing this sudden increase in Disney’s business efforts motivated them to become more

Walt Disney once said, “It’s not the magic that makes it work, it’s the work that makes the magic.” (Capodagli & Jackson, 2007). Walt Disney was truly a visionary and ethical leader that used his talents as a transformational leader and artist to dream up a world that has stood the test of time for nearly 90 years. In this paper I will explain why he was both a visionary and ethical leader. It will show that he used inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation to further his clear and easy to follow vision, inspire his personnel, and leverage their creativity. It will also show why I believe Walt Disney fit into the traits of an ethical leader by valuing his team members and creating an environment of mutual trust and respect. Then I will tell you how I have used the same transformational leadership behaviors to lead my people, have made sure not to fall into an ethical trap and take credit for the work others do. All leaders could learn something from Walt’s visionary leadership.

The history of how The Walt Disney Company came to be started from a small individual who enjoyed drawing and used art as a way to escape reality, his name was Walt Disney. After the World War 1 ended, Disney went to Kansas City where he later created an animated company that went bankruptcy. Walt Disney moved to Hollywood where he met M.J Winkler a distributor, Disney become part of her production partner. (The Walt Disney Company) In 1927 Disney created a series where the distributor copyright the main character and Disney only made a few hundred dollars, therefore Disney decide to leave and created that same series with a different name which was Mickey Mouse. Disney decided to go with his brother Roy and created Mickey Mouse films. When Disney wanted to put out Steamboat Willie many film producers did not like the film’s idea until Pat Powers decided to release the film in theaters. The film gave Disney enough money to start on other projects which later those project turn out to be such as the amusement parks, merchandise, etc. In December 15, 1966 Walt Disney died from Lung Cancer, Disney’s brother Roy made sure that Disney’s believes and philosophy about the company would still be passed on by the company 's employee. (The Walt Disney Company) The company kept going which has become of the greatest companies that are socially responsible and sustainable.

“I’ve always been bored with just making money. I’ve wanted to do things, I wanted to build things, or get something going.” (LeeBron) Disney stated that when he realized that he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Disney never wanted to be boring or be known as the man who did not have a childhood and was always pushed around by his father. Disney wanted to be successful in life, he wanted the name ‘Walt Disney’ to be remembered, and it will be forever. Disney has achieved many important and exciting accomplishments within his life. He created “full length animated films, short films, live-action features, and television shows” (LeeBron) Disney also introduced theme parks. He created Disneyland in Anaheim, California. He also developed Epcot which stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”, and Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney was an important figure in the 1920s American History because he made a change to the world with the idea of bringing inanimate objects to life with cartoons and created all new kinds of happiness.

In this paper, I will be analyzing an artifact and explaining how it relates to the course theme of “Rhetoric of Information”. The artifact which I have selected is the movie Summer Magic, which was produced by Walt Disney and it basically focuses on the topic of femininity. I found this artifact one day when I was searching for the movies and I thought that it is a movie that I have seen before. It was actually a Disney movie which was released in 1963.

Secondly, Disney had a huge impact on the mass media. Throughout his career he did not just influence people 's lives, but he influenced the entire mass media.(Johnson) Walt Disney made a variety of films. He even had his very own weekly, one hour shows that were produced by ABC on television.(Pettinger) Furthermore, Many animators all had the same type of films, on the other hand Disney 's characters were much different than the usual ones you would see, therefore Disney was offering a new kind of films for the public. If you have ever seen a Disney movie you would see that his movies are appealing to all ages, by doing this he has adjusted the entire field of family entertainment.(Johnson) Also, unlike most filmmakers, Walt Disney had one specific goal when he made his movies and television shows, which was to make people happy. He did not focus on the money or the fame, all that mattered to him was seeing that his movies were positively effecting his viewers lives.(Brown) He began using the money he made while making movies to go towards creating his Disney Theme Parks, and once the parks were open he used the mass media to support and promote these theme parks. In fact, he used advertising

Imagine if dreams could really become a reality. Something thought to be so far off from possible simply coming true. Everyone has a purpose in their life; it’s just a matter of seeking it out. Dreams can vary from small to large. No matter what size it is, it is a passion stirred up in the inside. A dream is a desire of your heart. No one can fulfill one’s dream but themselves. While following a dream, the road gets tough. Some give up, and others strive to accomplish it. Sometimes, a dream could be so hard to reach. So can a dream thought to be impossible come true? For Walt Disney, the answer was yes. He stated, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”. He is absolutely right. Don’t dream but have the mindset of it being impossible, dream and have the mindset of it being possible. Hard work is capable of paying off. Goals can be met and wildest dreams can come true. Walt Disney used his creative personality to accomplish his goals, make an impact on many lives, and leave his legacy for all to remember.

Some film productions such as Disney took a loveable character like Donald Duck to play in an animation that encourages viewers to pay their taxes ( The Power of Propaganda). And that's not all, these animations and films were used to encourage Americans to be a part of World War 2. Yet not all of film and animated propaganda was good, it was misused at times. Studios would use it tell Americans to take vengeance on the Japanese (Power of Propaganda). However, the use of both film and animated propaganda was a benefit to Americans because they increased the way people support the war by doing what they can base on the

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

Background: The history of Walt Disney, and the Disney Corporation, is one shrouded in admiration and accolades for the accomplishment of the American dream. Walt Disney himself is an icon for the American work ethic, i.e., hard work pays off. He is seen as a Horatio Alger, "rags to riches," success story. Beginning his work in animation in the 1920s, Walt Disney gained fame worldwide for his films and theme parks. But Walt Disney created more than films and theme parks. By infusing them with an ideological stance glorifying "the American way of life," his brand of democracy and conservatism, he created a cultural institution. The moralistic stance of his enterprise became common knowledge and it is said that his 1933 version of Three Little Pigs was the last of his cartoons in which the film’s moral messages were open to interpretation [3]