The New Spirit

The New Spirit (1942)

Animated documentary promoting timely filing and payment of Federal income taxes, demonstrated by Donald Duck's difficulties with his tax return.

Date of release
1942-01-22
TMDB
5.8 / 10 (31)
Runtime
7m
Genres
Animation
Director
Ben Sharpsteen, Wilfred Jackson

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 1

The New Spirit is a 1942 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and released by the War Activities Committee of the Motion Pictures Industry. The cartoon, which stars Donald Duck, was the first film created as part of Walt Disney's World War II propaganda production. It was commissioned by Henry Morgenthau Jr., then Secretary of the Treasury, to encourage American citizens to pay their income tax in support of the war effort. The film was directed by Wilfred Jackson and Ben Sharpsteen, and features Clarence Nash as the voice of Donald, Fred Shields as the radio announcer, and Cliff Edwards singing the theme song.

Background

Under the Revenue Act of 1942, approximately 15 million American citizens would become eligible to pay income tax for the first time. In anticipation of the law's passing, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr. requested that Disney produce a film to cast the tax increase in a positive light and to explain why the government needed the money.

However, there was significant disagreement between Walt Disney and Morgenthau on who should star in the film. After Disney presented a storyboard of the film in Washington, Morgenthau said that he did not like Donald Duck, and preferred instead a new character to represent "Mr. Average Taxpayer". This, he thought, could better convey the seriousness of the issue, but Disney was adamant that Donald be used.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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