Food Will Win the War is an American short animated film produced by Walt Disney Studios and released on July 21, 1942, seven months and two weeks after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
The bizarre examples of impressive production emphasised this: Enough bread to build several pyramids, which if built a mile apart would reach the Suez Canal; enough corn to stretch from London to the Black Sea.
A little girl on an American diet is shown outweighing a warship, emphasizing her size; reiterating the point that there is enough food in America to send ¼ of production abroad.
The animation finished with a sense of patriotism and pride, explaining that the war is a fight to maintain the American values that are so highly prized.
The film begins with a dark and destructive world with negative imagery to match, but a sudden change reveals a bright colorful screen representing the glimmer of hope that American agriculture offers the war effort.
Many Americans were reluctant to enter another European war, and preferred a non-interventionist policy towards it, but the devastating and unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor, which was described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a date that will live in infamy, changed public opinion.
[1] By 1942, government departments began their own projects with Disney to increase support for the War effort and improve morale on the Home front.
The expectation of America to supply goods abroad through the lend lease agreement, made those on the home front concerned about possible shortages.
The shortages were made worse in April 1942, when poor harvests from previous years and a lack of supplies from abroad resulted in rations being cut, "this delivered a potentially damaging blow to the morale of the civilian population".
[6] However, due to a sense of grievance through lower pay and long hours resulting in the neglect of families, women's labor did not increase throughout the war.
[10] Leaders realised it was important to censor out any negative propaganda that may affect public morale while at the same time ensuring mood was positive on the home front.
Phillip Taylor believes that the great achievement of American wartime propaganda was its contribution to boosting U.S. and Allied morale.
David Culbert regarded the propaganda as 'Social Engineering', influencing popular attitudes amongst the masses through media to manufacture social solidarity.
One message 'Hang on, we will win if you pitch in' meant if the American people continued high levels of production, a successful war effort would emerge.
[16] Lindley Fraser explains that America succeeded specifically in this, providing the home front with a vigorous and enthusiastic picture of the importance of their war effort.
[21] The animation was produced in 1942, the same time in which there were labor shortages - this was also a warning that Americans will have possible hardship and long hours from those unknown to it to in order to maintain required levels of productivity; without adequate farmers the war effort would suffer.