The Most Hateful Cartoon Ever Made – Nimbus Libere

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Mickey Mouse, Popeye, Donald Duck, Goofy, Felix The Cat – Did you know they helped the Nazis out during the war? Strangely, it is true, but it was never authorized by their creators. Though a 1943 propaganda short movie rather than a TV show, (running to less than two minutes), this sinister animation called Nimbus Libere, created by Vichy France Nazi-Collaborators is perhaps the most disturbing character cross-over story ever created. The characters (all obviously used without the slightest regard for copyright permission), taken from Disney, Warner Brothers, and other studios, unite to fly war planes conducting intense saturation bombing raids for the allies over Paris. French citizens hear the allied planes and assume they are bringing in friends and essential rationing supplies. They start rejoicing until the bombs fall. The message was intended to condemn the allies for bombing the very people they were promising to liberate, and make the French mistrustful of the British & Americans. The bombings were seen as essential to drive out the occupying forces. Of the unlikely raiders, only Popeye briefly questions the ethics of his action, as he believes France grows spinach, but he still does his duty and drops his bombs. It is a very creepy little movie, presenting familiar comedic characters stripped of humour in a dark nasty little nightmare. The animation standard is very good, but served such terrible purposes. Arthur Chappell