Banned Propaganda Cartoon – Disney’s Hilarious Anti-Tank Gun Training Film

Stop That Tank.

As the United States was flung into the second World War the US Government took every step they could keep American morale high. To inspire the people and to inform the military they needed propaganda that could echo throughout the masses. To accomplish this difficult task the United States Government turned to one man, Walt Disney.

Following the box office failure of Fantasia in 1940, Walt Disney Studios was on the verge of bankruptcy. So Disney got in contact with Lockheed and the US Government to work out a deal to supply films. For the duration of the war, Walt Disney Animation dropped all of their feature films to produce training materials, newsreel footage and distribute propaganda to inspire the United States into continuing the war effort.

Hundreds of thousands of feet of film were produced and the audiences loved them, especially the war cartoons. This training cartoon titled Stop That Tank! showed a great demonstration of anti-tank gunners against a German invasion, before an actual educational film. The actual training film that teaches basic anti-tank gunning skills is on the dull side, but the cartoon leading into it is hilarious. So check out Stop That Tank with Disney’s hilarious jobs at Adolf Hitler and the Blitzkrieg.