From Jerry Edwards : This World War II propaganda
short under the disguise of entertainment studies the conflict in the mind
between Reason, shown to be sensible, and Emotion - shown to be primitive
and out of control. The short makes the point that reason must be used to
keep emotions under control. In addition to everyday decisions, such as staying
on a diet - how to deal with the rumors of the war are included, such as
"we've been invaded," "all our food is being sent to Europe and we'll starve,"
and "we won't survive if we can't get to work without tires and gasoline."
An excellent caricature of Hitler is shown, using fear, sympathy, pride,
and hate to turn the Emotion of the Germans against their Reason. A very
effective scene shows Emotion enslaving Reason in a concentration camp.
The ending shows Reason and Emotion working together as co-pilots flying
a war plane to defeat the enemy.
The uncensored version has probably not been seen by most people. A censored
version with all war related items deleted, narrated by Ludwig Von Drake,
was part of the Disney TV show "Man Is His Own Worst Enemy" (10/21/62), later
released on video as "Ducking Disaster With Donald Duck."
This short is effective as propaganda of that time, but contains little
entertainment value, even when redone with Ludwig Von Drake.
From Ryan : This is one of my favorite Disney
cartoons of all time. I remember seeing the censored version on a "Walt Disney
Presents" episode back in the late 80's/early 90's. Since I was a little
kid back then, I didn't understand the humor in it. When I saw this short
recently, I loved it. One part I like is where Reason (portrayed as an egghead)
is "driving" the human mind of the male with Emotion (portrayed as a caveman)in
the passenger seat. Emotion sees a woman and urges the man to go up to her
and put the moves on her, but Reason urges him to "maintain proper respect
for womanhood." Unfortunately, for the man, Emotion overpowers Reason. The
result of this act is a slap in the face for the man. Meanwhile, in the woman's
mind, there are female versions of Reason (portrayed as a female egghead)
and Emotion (portrayed as a whiney teenager). Emotion urges the woman to
go to the local restaurant and eat a bunch of high-calorie foods like ice
cream and french fries. Reason, however, who reminds the woman that she is
on a diet, suggests something light like tea and toast. Like the man, Emotion
overpowers Reason in the woman. The result of this is a rather large figure.
From Jennifer Wilson : I loved this short
when I was a kid. Please put in on video or a special dvd. I would buy it
in an instant. The emotion caracters crack me up!
