''The Ducktators'' is a 1942

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' propaganda animated short directed by

Norman McCabe Norman Hildreth McCabe (February 10, 1911 – January 17, 2006) was an American animator who enjoyed a long career that lasted into the 1990s. Early life and Warner Bros. McCabe was born in England and raised in the United States. He wor ...

. The short was released on August 1, 1942, and satirizes events of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The title is a pun on ''

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

''.

Plot

A pair of farm ducks eagerly await the hatching of their duckling from a uniquely black-colored egg. To their surprise, a white duckling with a toothbrush mustache emerges, named

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, who immediately shouts "Sieg Heil!" and gives the

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

. Throughout his adulthood, Hitler gives aggressive speeches to the other ducks and geese, with his only ally being a large

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

-accented goose named

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

. As Hitler's stormtroopers surround the farm, a

Dove of Peace Doves, typically Domestic pigeon, domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love. Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and paganism, and pacifist groups. Ancient relig ...

watches from above, weeping at the impending violence. A

peace conference A peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities by negotiation and signing and ratifying a peace treaty. Significant international peace conferences in ...

is attempted, but Hitler disrupts it by shredding the peace treaty and inciting a brawl. Meanwhile, a peculiar

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese duck named

Hideki Tojo was a Japanese general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during the Second World War. His leadership was marked by widespread state violence and mass killings perpetrated in the name of Japanese nationalis ...

arrives to support Hitler and Mussolini but inadvertently angers a

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...

by mistaking it for an island and planting a sign which reads "Japanese Mandate Island" on its shell. The trio of Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo set out to conquer the farm, but the Dove of Peace, aided by chickens, a rescued chick, and a rabbit resembling Jerry Colonna, thwarts their plans. The Dove then proudly displays the defeated trio's heads as

trophies A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athletics. Add ...

while encouraging patriotism through buying

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

state bonds State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Political references

The duckling that hatched from the egg had a mustache and a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

emblem throughout the cartoon, indicating that this character symbolized

. The goose who became a comrade to the duck had an open

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

accent and, at the end of one of his speeches, a chick can be heard yelling "

Duce ( , ) is an Italian title, derived from the Latin word , 'leader', and a cognate of ''duke''. National Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini was identified by Fascists as ('The Leader') of the movement since the birth of the in 1919. In 192 ...

!" multiple times, indicating that this goose is

. The second duck utilized the flag of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, and openly sang a version of'' "

The Japanese Sandman "The Japanese Sandman" is a song from 1920, composed by Richard A. Whiting and with lyrics by Raymond B. Egan. The song was first popularized in vaudeville by Nora Bayes, and then sold millions of copies as the B-side for Paul Whiteman's song "W ...

"'' with altered lyrics. He is presumably intended to be

, judging by the military hat he is wearing. However, he is commonly misidentified as

Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...

. The black duck may be a reference to

Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of N ...

as he was also from South Germany and spoke with an accent, but can also relate to how African Americans were a huge demographic in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

at the time.

Changes in Sunset Productions version

The original ending, featuring the Dove proudly displaying his defeated enemies' heads above the fireplace and urging viewers to buy war bonds, was rarely seen after the short was sold to

Sunset Productions Sunset Productions, Inc. was a television production and licensing subsidiary of Warner Bros. Pictures headed by Jack M. Warner. It was an entity separate from Warner Bros. Television. History Sunset was originally established as a subsidiary ...

in the 1950s and syndicated through Guild Films. While the cartoon is in the public domain, this edited version has often appeared on VHS and DVD collections. However, the uncut and uncensored full ending can be found on the '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6'' DVD set and in the World War II cartoons special on the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

show ''

ToonHeads ''ToonHeads'' is an American animation anthology series consisting of Hanna-Barbera, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and ''Popeye'' cartoon shorts, with background information and trivia, prominently about animators and voice actors of the sho ...

''.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' called the short "Acceptable", saying, "Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito are taken for a ride – a one-way ride – in this animated cartoon, which produces many laughs at their expense."

Home media

Due to the short's World War II stereotypes, it has rarely been shown on American television, except for

as part of its anthology television show, ''

''. ''The Ducktators'' is available uncut on '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6'', Disc 2.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducktators, The 1942 films 1940s English-language films 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films American World War II propaganda shorts World War II films made in wartime Looney Tunes shorts Ethnic humour Stereotypes of East Asian people Japan in non-Japanese culture Films based on real people Animation based on real people Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler Cultural depictions of Benito Mussolini Cultural depictions of Hideki Tojo Animated films about chickens Animated films about ducks Animated films about geese Films about fascism Films set in 1942 Fictional geese Anthropomorphic ducks Anthropomorphic geese Films directed by Norman McCabe Films produced by Leon Schlesinger Films scored by Carl Stalling Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Animated World War II films English-language short films American animated black-and-white films English-language war films 1942 animated short films