The Ducktators

The Ducktators is a short animated anti - Nazi propaganda , the series Looney Tunes ( Warner Bros. ) produced in 1942 by Leo Schlesinger and directed by Norman McCabe . ¹

The plot is a political satire of the events that preceded the Second World War . It shows the leaders of the Axis Forces (characterized as birds ) as protagonists. ¹

The title of the short forms a pun with Duck ( Duck ) and Dictators ( Dictators ).

Argument

Foreword

The plot takes place on a farm where a pair of ducks await their first chick. The excited father distributes cigars among the other animals (ducks, geese and chickens ) while the mother warns that she has just put an egg, which is striking because it is black. After hatching appears a duck with the same characteristics of Adolf Hitler being ” Sieg Heil ” his first words while performing the Nazi salute . ²

Formation of the Axis

Over the years, the chick Hitler has reached maturity and is dedicated to launching aggressive speeches after becoming the leader of the farm . One of the animals: a goose with a strong Italian accent in allusion to Benito Mussolini agrees with his words and addresses the public as the “intelligent”, before these statements, the director momentarily interrupts the short to send this message: “We want to ask Apologies to those NOBLES DUCKS and GEESES that may be among the public “in reference to German-Americans and Italian-Americans . The Duck Hitler encourages the volunteers to form an army and join the future Axis , at the same time Mussolini also offers a speech before a single chick, which is forced to listen and applaud. After seizing the masses, Stormtroopers organize marches through the controlled areas while the Dove of Peace weeps as they contemplate chaos. ²

Shortly afterwards a peace conference is organized, which is boycotted by a furious Hitler who blames Mussolini for organizing the meeting. Meanwhile, another duck from the Empire of Japan ( Hirohito ) joins the two European birds to complete the Axis, not without difficulties, as a silly turtle beats Hirohito after he places a sign on the shell that indicates The ” Japanese sovereignty ” over the place, however, the Japanese duck tries to pretend to be Chinese to deceive the turtle, although he does not fall into the trap since in the plate that indicates his “Chinese nationality” below says that it was made in Japan.

Paloma of Peace

Once the three together, parade to the rhythm and parody of the children’s song: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe .

La Paloma, when he sees them he tries to reason with them, but when he is nonexistent he becomes angry and with steady pace, he fights the Axis and the Stormtroopers with the support of the other farm animals, including the chick that appeared in Mussolini’s speech and a Russian rabbit personifying to Iosif Stalin that leaves unconscious to Hirohito after giving him a blow with a club .

Seeing that they can not face the rebellion, the Axis leaders flee in terror until they pass through a military poster that reads: “For victory, buy war bonds “, a soldier emerges from it and shoots the three birds With his rifle .

Several years later, La Paloma, decorated as a Hero of War, has formed a family with two children called “Paz” and “Tranquilidad”. This explains that despite hating the war had no alternative to deal with for such a thing does not happen again. After telling the story, he shows his children the head of the three dictators as a hunting trophy .

Cast

References

• The scene in which the egg hatch and appears the chick with all the characteristics of Hitler (including the mustache) and the Nazi emblem symbolizes the rise of Nazism. In the short one also alludes to the artistic past of the Führer, which was not successful.
• The Italian goose mentions the physical form of Benito Mussolini, who is referred to in the short as ” Il Duce “. ²
• One of the gags of the short film was the brief interruption of the production in which the director publishes a note apologizing before the Italian and German-American ducks and geese for the attitude of superiority of Hitler and Mussolini after being erected like “the most intelligent of the farm” . This could be interpreted as referring to the boycott and persecution of US citizens of German and Italian roots by the citizens. ^{3 4 5}
• At that time racism was common in several cinematographic and television productions, including cartoons. One of the black plumage ducks (similar to the Duck Lucas ) that says “Sieg Heil” at the same time that it says proceeding from the south of Germany alludes to the African-American population in the states of the South of the United States .
• The Peace Conference that takes place on the farm until Hitler breaks in is an allegory to the Munich Accords of 1938 which, apart from dealing with the Sudetenese issue , was at stake in trying to avoid a war . As it happened in reality, Mussolini is the mediator. ²
• Another of the ducks, this older one plays with the words when saying “I’m sick hailed too” instead of “Sieg Heil”. This phrase can be translated like “I am also sick” in allusion to the situation that was lived in the Nazi Germany .
• The scene in which the duck Hirohito places a sign on the turtle’s shell (apparently after confusing it with an island) claiming the territoriality of it alludes to the campaign of the South Pacific Mandate . In it, Hirohito sings The Japanese Sandman . ^{2 1}