He married, became aware of a talent search for artists being held by Walt Disney Productions and submitted a portfolio.
The film, which had been a major gamble for the Walt Disney studio became a huge artistic and financial success and lead to a series of pioneering animation features.
This clearly referred to the September 1, 1939 German seizure of Poland which marked the start of World War II, even as Stalin still supported Germany.
Hilberman was drafted into the army toward the end of World War II and a year after his return to civilian life he sold his interest in UPA.
Walt Disney blamed the strike on communist agitators rather than acknowledging unexplained layoffs of artists previously attributed to the studio's financial stress.
"[10] In 1947 David Hilberman and Zack Schwartz founded another studio in New York City: Tempo Productions which went on to become a very successful producer of television animated commercials of high artistic merit.
In December 1953 at the height of the red scare the newsletter Counterattack, listed the companies that had used Tempo and urged a boycott of the firm.
Their boat trip to Europe overlapped with the Army-McCarthy hearings, which were to mark the beginning of end of the witch-hunt, if not its substantial political and personal after-effects.
After talking to film producers and directors in France and Italy, Hilberman chose work in London for over a year where he set up a TV animated commercial department for Pearl and Dean and directed Calling All Salesmen.
He also directed a fanciful PR film for ESSO, designed by Ronald Searle: Energetically Yours with old Disney & UPA associates Bill Melendez and Art Babbitt doing the animation at their respective companies.
Melendez took the simplified modern animation style and use of artist's individual characters pioneered at UPA to the Peanuts TV series.
He was invited to teach at San Francisco State University in 1967, where he taught animation and helped start the Film department.
and The Synanon Wedding, worked with Jeff Hale at Imagination, Inc. and designed sets for the Palo Alto Children's Theater.
He resumed doing layout work for Hanna-Barbera, which included a six-month stint in Japan coordinating production in East Asia for The Smurfs.
[12] He expressed his religion primarily by a commitment to social justice, racial and gender equality and direct support for workers through health insurance, unions and similar programs and policies.