Walt Disney Treasures: On the Front Lines : 5 of 5

This set was certainly the most anticipated of this latest wave of Walt Disney Treasures DVDs, since nearly all of the included material has never been released before (in fact, some of it was classified when it was produced!). During World War II, the US government called upon the Disney studio to make literally hundreds of films for military training and public education, and of course, the studio made lots of morale boosting films in which the famous Disney characters experience life in the army firsthand. These shorts range from funny (with Pluto battling Chip and Dale in a gun turret) to disturbing (including lots of Japanese stereotypes, as well as chilling scenes of Nazi children) to completely boring (such as detailed instructions on flush riveting or the cleaning of an anti-tank rifle!). This set also includes the full length feature Victory Through Air Power, which Walt wanted to make to help convince the military that long-range bombers (as well as forming the Air Force as a separate military branch) were the key to winning the war (and apparently the film did help!). I was completely fascinated while watching these films, no matter if the subject was Minnie saving bacon grease to make munitions or the semi-disgusting animations of how mosquitos carry malaria. I have no idea what it was like to live in those times, but I'm sure that these Disney films did their best to help everyone cope.