Propaganda in Der Fuehrer’s Face and Momotaro’s Sea Eagles Essay Example

Propaganda existed long before World War II, but technological advancements in the early 20th century allowed it to take on new forms. Using posters, movies, television broadcasts, and cartoons, governments were able to influence a wider audience to support the war.

Der Fuehrer’s Face and Momotaro’s Sea Eagles were both popular propaganda cartoons in WWII. Der Fuehrer’s Face was made for an American audience, released on January 1, 1943, one year after the U.S. joined the war. Donald Duck is wakes up in a cartoonish interpretation of Nazi Germany to a marching band consisting of Axis leaders. He has to experience a day living under Nazi rule and ends up having a nervous breakdown before waking up back in the U.S. and realizing the experience was just a dream. 

Momotaro’s Sea Eagles was released in Japan shortly after on March 25, 1943. It features Momotaro, a character from a Japanese folktale, leading an army of animals to attack Onigashima, representative of Pearl Harbor. They work together to ambush the unprepared Americans and successfully return home, leaving no man behind. The film ends with a celebration and a patriotic speech from Momotaro.

Comparing these films allows us to better understand how both sides of the war influenced their people to believe that it was justified. Despite being aimed at a young audience, both cartoons have a lot of attention to detail and by carefully examining them we can gain perspective about cultural differences and the civilian experiences in each country. The cartoons may use different propaganda strategies and speak to different audiences, but the overall message is similar. 

The most obvious element Der Fuehrer's Face and Momotaro’s Sea Eagles have in common is nationalism. By 1943, the war had already impacted the lives of civilians for years due to rationing, conscription, and general uncertainty about the future. It was important to both countries that their citizens remain loyal and supportive to the war effort, so they used propaganda to spread the message that even though people had to make sacrifices, their country was superior.  

Both films use flags and other symbols to show patriotism and to differentiate the opposing side. In the opening of Momotaro’s Sea Eagles, the army of animals gathers and stands at attention in front of a flag with Japanese characters. The animals also wear headbands with the Japanese national symbol throughout the film. The island they attack is called Onigashima, which translates to “den of demons”, and is flying a one-star version of the American flag. Momotaro’s Sea Eagles was created with a young audience in mind, so easily recognizable Japanese symbols are used to create a black and white differentiation of the protagonists from their enemy. This influences viewers to associate positive qualities with Japan and negative qualities with America.

Der Fuehrer’s Face uses even less subtlety in establishing the enemy. The swastika, a well known Nazi symbol, is first depicted within 10 seconds of the opening and very often throughout the cartoon. After spending a day living under the control of Nazi leadership, Donald Duck wakes up back in the USA, revealed to the audience with American flag pajamas and other decor, and realizes his experience was just a nightmare. He embraces a miniature Statue of Liberty and says, “Oh boy, am I glad to be a citizen of the United States of America!” Cartoons are an effective way to expose young people to propaganda. By filling Donald Duck’s nightmares with Nazi imagery, the creators of the film relate dread and misery with these symbols and the enemy that is associated with them. The cartoon USA is bright and colorful compared to the Nazi world, sending the message that viewers should be relieved and grateful to live there and should want to fight for their country.

In addition to both using national symbols, both films embellish certain elements of the opposing side using stereotypes. In Momotaro’s Sea Eagles, the American military is disorganized and unprepared. Their leader is overweight and drunk, a stereotype for Americans, and the soldiers don’t follow his orders. Instead, many of them run away to save themselves. In contrast, Momotaro’s army works efficiently as a group and uses creative solutions when they are faced with obstacles. Emphasis is placed on important Japanese values such as teamwork, resourcefulness, and bravery.

Freedom and individuality are significant in American culture, so Der Fuehrer’s Face depicts the theoretical Nazi future as extremely oppressive and lacking freedom of choice. Donald Duck is forced to work long hours in a job he didn’t choose, read Mein Kampf against his will, and not even allowed to pick his own breakfast.

While there may be some truth to these stereotypes, they are very exaggerated in the cartoons. Focusing on differences and portraying the enemy as having the opposite culture and values increases nationalist attitudes and allows viewers, especially easily influenced children, to dehumanize the citizens of the opposing country. Nationalism as propaganda is effective in growing support for the war by making it easier for civilians to justify the violence and the sacrifices they have to make for it because they feel obligated to be “patriotic”. 

While the overall goals of the two cartoons are quite similar, there are differences in how they get the message across, possibly due to the cultural differences between audiences. Der Fuehrer’s face uses Donald Duck as the protagonist of the story to represent America. Though he is an iconic character now, in 1943 he had existed for less than 10 years and cartoons like this one contributed to his status today. Using a current character in propaganda makes it more appealing to a young audience. Characters like Donald Duck could be seen on TV across the country, so he could be related to by many, and cartoon versions of real Axis leaders are used to represent the Nazis, making citizens’ negative feelings towards their opposition feel more personal. 

Momotaro’s Sea Eagles took a different approach by using a traditional folktale character. The story of Momotaro was already well known throughout Japan long before the war, so he was familiar to both children and adults. While he wasn’t as novel as Donald Duck, he was originally a character in a written story and his appearance in cartoons gained attention from younger audiences. The American military leader shown in Momotaro’s Sea Eagles strongly resembles Bluto, an American cartoon character from Popeye, which adds a theme of protecting Japan’s traditional culture and values from American influence. 

Another more significant difference between the films is the tactics they use to convince citizens to participate in the war effort. Mandatory military had been a part of life in Japan since 1873, so it was not as controversial as in America, but Momotaro’s Sea Eagles makes fighting in the war appealing to young people in many ways in order to build a more unified and cooperative military. Real footage from the Pearl Harbor attack is used in the sound effects, but the animators distance viewers from the brutality of the actual event by replacing the human soldiers on the Japanese side with various animals. While it is uncommon for propaganda to show violence being carried out by their own country, it is justified in the cartoon by calling the opposing side “demons”. Momotaro’s soldiers are faced with danger along the way, but they all get home safely in the end. This isn’t consistent with the real Pearl Harbor attack where 29 Japanese aircraft were lost. The soldiers are celebrated when they return home, making fighting in the war seem honorable and brave without the risk of death.

In contrast, Der Fuehrer’s Face victimizes the Allies and doesn’t show any of the violence committed by their side. Donald Duck doesn’t seem to be able to rebel against the Nazis in his nightmare, and his only escape is waking up in the USA. While this plot wouldn’t have been effective in Europe, where many countries were already taken over by Axis powers, it encouraged Americans to fight to prevent their country from ending up in the same situation. The USA had a draft in place in WWII but unlike Japan, there was no mandatory military service during peacetime and many people strongly opposed conscription. So rather than encourage people to be enthusiastic about serving in the military, potential consequences of losing the war were emphasized to reduce the negativity associated with lack of choice and justify the necessity of the draft.

The majority of countries use forms of propaganda to influence their citizens, and it can be especially useful to encourage loyalty and patriotism during hard times. The strategies used by governments to spread their messages vary between countries, but there are many common themes as well. During WWII, the best way for both sides to unify their people against the enemy was to promote Nationalism by exaggerating differences and stereotypes, but when comparing opposing pieces of propaganda like Momotaro’s Sea Eagles and Der Fuehrer’s Face, there are more similarities than differences. Much of the propaganda during this time was aimed at young people, so as a result, resentment and hatred towards foreign countries and cultures lasted long after the end of the war. By examining these cartoons we can gain a greater understanding of what led to these attitudes, which gives important context to later historical events.