Two fascinating cartoons, one produced just as World War II was getting started, and the other at the height of the Cold War. Both of them take place in a post-apocalyptic future, and both concern animals who discuss among themselves the reasons for humankind’s extinction — and the combination of cute cartoony critters with darkly realistic battle scenes is quite interesting.
First up, Peace on Earth (1939), directed by Hugh Harman for MGM. (It was nominated for an Oscar, and lost to Disney’s Ugly Duckling.) I like how the animal telling the story doesn’t seem to notice that he might have a stake in the battle between vegetarians and meat-eaters:
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Second, Good Will to Men (1955), directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for MGM. (It was nominated for an Oscar, and lost to Warner Brothers’ Speedy Gonzales.) Note how the prospect of humans shooting each other to death, one by one, has been replaced by all-out thermonuclear war. Note, too, how this film is a bit more explicit about the identity of that book in the church — as befits a film made in the 1950s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qzqSwB68Tc
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