Watch: Donald Duck in Der Fuehrer’s Face (1943 Disney)

by Joris Nieuwint -

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Der Fuehrer’s Face (originally titled Donald Duck in Nutzi Land) is a 1943 American animated propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in 1943 by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which features Donald Duck in a nightmare setting working at a factory in Nazi Germany, was made in an effort to sell war bonds and is an example of American propaganda during World War II.
The film was directed by Jack Kinney and written by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer from the original music by Oliver Wallace.The film is well known for Wallace’s original song “Der Fuehrer’s Face”, which was actually released earlier by Spike Jones.

Der Fuehrer’s Face won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 15th Academy Awards. It was the only Donald Duck film to receive the honor. In 1994, it was voted Number 22 of “the 50 Greatest Cartoons” of all time by members of the animation field.

However, because of the propagandistic nature of the short, and the depiction of Donald Duck as a Nazi (albeit a reluctant one), Disney kept the film out of general circulation after its original release.
Its first home video release came in 2004 with the release of the third wave of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets.