Best Animated Short - 1939

Ah, 1939, the last year of the Depressing '30s. It is the year that Germany invaded Poland, thereby turning what had previously been a messy conflict going on in China into a true World War. It was the year a young kid named Ted Williams burst onto the scene fresh from the beaches of San Diego and led the league in RBIs while blasting 31 home runs, but not even he can help the Red Sox topple the Yankees, who went on to win their fourth straight pennant en route to their fourth straight World Series title over Willard Hershberger's Reds.

But for most people, 1939 is the pinnacle of Hollywood moviemaking. Oh, there have been several other great years. 1994 was a particularly good year (Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption), and so were 1951 (A Streetcar Named Desire, The African Queen), 1959 (Ben-Hur, North By Northwest, Some Like It Hot), 1969 (Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), 1974 (Chinatown, The Godfather Part II), 1976 (Rocky, Network, Taxi Driver), but for most film fanatics 1939 was tops.

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Module 6: Toons Go to War

America's entry into World War II was a seminal moment in the country's history. It not only lifted the nation out of the depths of the Great Depression, but it also drastically changed the dynamics of the animation industry. Animation studios began dedicating their time and energy in making propaganda films to promote the support for war efforts and poke fun at America's enemies. Of course, the latter also became a controversial issue in today's politically correct society. Stereotypical caricatures are no longer seen as amusing but offensive, whether it's our wartime enemies or minority populations within our country's borders.

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