McEvoy, JP.  "Walt Disney Goes to War".  The LA Times. 5 Jul 1942.

This piece from the LA Times is from 1942, the year that The New Spirit was made.  The author summarizes the different types of war films Walt Disney had made at that time, and who views them.   Disney made films to be distributed internationally in support of the American cause, shorts advocating the Agricultural Department’s food drive, and training movies for the military.  He used the same characters that appeared in his cartoons for children to promote American ideals, and he was able to have a considerable influence on the American public.

The most defining line in this article is that art is a “dynamic force”.  For Disney, his art became a cultural and political force both at home and abroad.  He was able to apply his comedy to films that addressed the very grim reality of war.  Because his films featured familiar characters and lighthearted storylines, they appealed to a wide audience and were extremely effective.  As the article points out, with The New Spirit, he was able to make audiences laugh while paying their biggest income tax installment.  His unique ability to make war films funny is why he is considered a “propaganda genius” and was able to be so influential.

Arnold, Thomas K. "DVD-Day for Disney's WWII Films".  USA Today. 18 May 2004.

This article from USA Today is about the release of Disney's WWII films on DVD in 2004.  It explains that some of the material may be seen as offensive today since the films frequently portray Germans and Japanese in a negative manner.  The film critic Leonard Maltin comments on the DVD set, saying that Disney’s short films like The New Spirit are so significant because they are unlike any others put out by Disney or other studios.  The article also offers statements from an animator who worked on many of Disney’s war shorts.

The release of these films on DVD 60 years after they were first shown to audiences is a testament to their lasting impact on American culture.  The article states that Disney produced “hundreds of hours” of material, which is why his films were so prevalent during this time.  Maltin said that this set of DVDs was one of the most important ones he has been involved with, and this is because of the unique circumstance of their production.  A studio that usually made films for children was now a powerhouse of wartime propaganda and military morale building films.  Films like The New Spirit are considered to be a part of American history, even though their influence is even more far-reaching than the national level.   The article states that Hitler was inspired by Disney’s shorts to commission his own animators to produce German propaganda films.  Through his animated shorts, Disney became a political player in WWII.

Brady, Thomas F.  "Donald Doesn't Duck the Issue". New York Times.  21 Jun 1942.

This article is from 1942, the year that The New Spirit was released.  It describes how large Disney’s contribution to the war effort was, with 80% of his film output being devoted to government projects.  Disney was also described as being the single most ambitious Hollywood contributor to the war effort.  The author provides a brief timeline of how Disney first got involved with war effort films, starting with his production of “Four Methods of Flush Riveting” for the Lockheed Airplane Company.  Following this, Disney volunteered his services to other war industries and government departments.  It was after this that the Treasury Department commissioned him to produce The New Spirit and later, Spirit of ’43.  The US military became his major contractor, commissioning him to make training videos for Army and Navy.

This account of Walt Disney’s role in the war effort was written during the period when he was actively producing war films, so it gives an insight into what the popular opinion at the time was.  It reveals how extensively Disney and his studio were involved with the production of war films and propaganda.  Disney’s relationship with the government and the military is discussed in this article, which was a major component of his prominence in the war effort.  Disney’s shorts were able to permeate the government, the military, the public, and even populations abroad.

"Walt Disney Goes to War".  Life Magazine.  31 Aug 1942, 61-69.

Life Magazine ran an article about Walt Disney and the war effort in August 1942.  It describes how hard Disney was working to make films for the government and military, with 90% of his 550 employees making films that related directly to the war.  The article also shows pictures and sketches from specific films that Disney studios made for the Army and the Navy, along with other propaganda films.  His “Aerology” films for the Navy were used to allow pilots to experience animated weather conditions that they may not typically encounter in their training.  In the propaganda film “Reason and Emotion”, Disney uses humorous images to encourage Americans to use reason throughout the war and not to be swayed by emotions. 

This article provides examples of how animation was used to create effective propaganda and training films.  Animation can create scenarios that may not normally exist, which can be helpful in military training.  It allows the viewer to see things that a camera could not reach.  The reason that Disney had such enormous success in animation was his integration of humor to his films.  The article states that Disney’s artists were such good teachers because they kept the audience’s imagination.  Because he was able to present factual material in an entertaining manner, the viewers paid attention and took his films to heart.