Following the passage of the Race Laws in 1938, he emigrated with his family to New York to escape the discriminatory restrictions, since they were at risk for being Jewish.

He moved with his family again in 1941 to Buenos Aires, becoming Walt Disney's representative in Argentina and founding Editorial Abril that year.

[2] Civita obtained an exclusive license to publish Walt Disney's American comic books in Italy.

[2] After the Fascist regime enacted the 1938 Race Laws, Civita chose to emigrate to New York City with his wife, Mina, and their three children.

[4] Disney traveled to Argentina while preparing his upcoming animated film, Bambi, and modeled its forest backdrop after Los Arrayanes National Park.

[1] Smaller than its Brazilian counterpart, Editorial Abril published nine magazines by the 1960s, including Parabrisas (for auto enthusiasts), Corsa (auto sports), Claudia (a women's magazine), Adán (for men), Panorama (general interest), and Siete Dias Ilustrados (news), as well as the French comic series, Asterix, and others.

Some of the most celebrated figures in Argentine journalism worked for Abril at the time, including illustrator Hugo Pratt, photographer Grete Stern, sociologist Gino Germani, writers Rodolfo Walsh, Francisco Urondo and Juan Gelman, and poet Miguel Ángel Bustos.

[7] Following a change in government and return of Juan Perón to the presidency in 1973, his Minister of Finance, José Ber Gelbard, imposed regulations restricting imported machinery.