The Spirit of '43

In this documentary short, Donald Duck has just been paid. We've got two sides of the average American: the thrifty (the side that urges you to save part of your money for important things such as your income tax) and the spender (who urges you to spend your money on anything you want). I have been a big fan of Disney for pretty much my whole life. It was not until the previous two years that I had learned of the wartime cartoons such as this one. I have wanted to see them so bad. Well, I finally got the chance after a collector sent me a video of rare Disney shorts at my request. This one encourages Americans to pay their income tax on time so that they can help win the war. It's either the taxes or the Axis. Every dollar you spend is just like supporting the Axis because it doesn't go to help the Allies. After some time making decisions, Donald decides to pay his income tax. No Disney fan should be without this short.

In this Donald Duck short Donald Duck has a dilemma. Spend his money or save it to pay tax and help the American soldiers who are fighting in WW-II. It is an aggressive short and although the Americans were the good guys I don't like propaganda like this. A cartoon character must be used only to entertain and not for political statements. 5/10.

This is an excellent wartime morale-builder cartoon that gently and amusingly not only prods the viewer to save rather than spend, but reminds him that paying taxes is a patriotic act, particularly in wartime.

The only jarring note that I found in watching the second half of the cartoon, when the Donald Duck humor gives way to a histrionic, almost bombastic call to pay taxes to finance more and more weapons to destroy the Axis powers, was the chilling realization that if a film like this was made today, it would probably be laughed out of the cinema by our modern, ultra-"cool" and supposedly sophisticated audience.

We should consider ourselves lucky that back in the 1940's, our forefathers were still "gullible" enough to believe cartoons like this and to fight the Nazis.

No wonder I didn't like this cartoon when I was a kid! It centers on Donald Duck trying to decide whether to spend his paycheck on a night out or by saving it up to pay taxes for the war effort. Same old cartoon story, isn't it?! But now as a grownup and as a Donald fan, I can appreciate The Spirit of ‘43's unique storyline and its historical implications. It's just so weird to see childhood characters delve into issues like war and taxes. I just can't see Spongebob Squarepants doing an episode on terrorism.

After Donald's segment the cartoon takes an even more serious turn highlighting some of the warplanes and weaponry that would be used to destroy the `Axis,' as they put it. It's also kind of shocking to see animation of Nazi planes and weaponry. There are some serious issues discussed in this cartoon!

Nevertheless, this is a very interesting cartoon. Donald's still a loveable character, just in a very grown-up and serious circumstance. Another stark image is that of the swastika to symbolize the evils of spending recklessly instead of supporting our troops. I also enjoyed hearing the narrator's take on the situation including this statement that I'll paraphrase, `Every American should, and look forward to, paying their taxes.' Let that be a lesson to you kids!

My IMDb Rating: 8/10

In 1943, this cartoon was an excellent positive propaganda piece discussing the importance of savings and income tax to help America beat the Axis. It made a dull topic a little more palatable to audiences of the day. However, when seen today, it probably seems very, very heavy-handed and pretty dull, as Donald Duck is not particularly evident above all the propaganda. Yeah, he IS there, but he's so overshadowed by the material, that little kids would absolutely hate the film today,...as would most others. Now from a historical point of view, this IS still worth seeing and it does give us an excellent view of the times.