Friede auf Erden (Short 1939)

Friede auf Erden: Directed by Hugh Harman. With Sara Berner, Mel Blanc, Bernice Hansen, The Hollywood Choir Boys. Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what “men” are when he comes in singing “peace on earth, goodwill to men”. Grandpa tells the story of man’s last war.

“Back in the 1940u0026#39;s, men fought a cataclysmic war until all were killed, leaving the animals behind to build a peaceful society in the ruins.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis 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 u0026quot;Animal Farmu0026quot;, u0026quot;Watership Downu0026quot;, or u0026quot;When the Wind Blowsu0026quot;. Or Art Spiegelmanu0026#39;s Pulitzer Prize-winning u0026quot;Mausu0026quot; in the field of the graphic novel.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are scenes here of animated warfare which are still a little grim by modern standards. Childlike innocence gets temporarily suspended. u0026quot;All Quiet on the Western Frontu0026quot; is an immediate comparison.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs was normal in the u0026#39;30u0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI first saw this film about a decade ago, and rediscovered it recently on a compilation video entitled u0026quot;MGM Cartoon Christmasu0026quot;. The other cartoons on the tape, u0026quot;Alias St. Nicku0026quot; and u0026quot;Pupsu0026#39; Christmasu0026quot;, show quite clearly what a break with convention u0026quot;Peace on Earthu0026quot; was at the time.”