Peace on Earth (1939)

People are voting emotionally.

Good concept, poorly executed.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I saw this when I was maybe 6-8 years old; that was 30 years ago. It stuck with me. Always fighting over nothing...that's us.

When Hugh Harman made PEACE ON EARTH, he intended it to be an ambitious anti-war film. He later said he wanted to make it a longer 2-reel cartoon. Nonetheless it turned out to be one of the greatest and most chilling cartoons to come from Hollywood's animation golden age.Despite being an anti-war film from the late 1930's, the message isn't very clear, beyond demonstrating man's inability to maintain a peaceful society with animals succeeding after man's demise. There are religious icons sprinkled throughout the film, but there aren't used to preach any messages, as one would suspect from a film of this kind. Their presence in the film also seem vague. The elder squirrel's recollections of man's war echoes the horrors of World War I, which was still strongly in the public's recollection.Harman and Ising were known for trying to compete with Disney. They were really the only men that come close to replicating Disney's polished animation, but storytelling was not their strength. Nonetheless, this is one of Harman's best films. Unlike most Christmas films, this one can be unnerving to some audiences due to its grim war sequences and outcomes.Remade by Hannah-Barbera in 1955 as GOOD WILL TO MEN with updated horrific war imagery reflecting the Cold War and a more clear cut religious message.

This was the first short subject to receive the highly-coveted Parents Magazine Medal as "Parent's Magazine's" Movie of the Month. It also received a (not-paid-for-by M-G-M) half-page spread tribute in the November 27, 1939 issue of "Life Magazine," with three stills from the film.The trade press also raved: "Definitely a 'must'...should be seen by every man, woman and child...(Showmen's Trade Review) "A cartoon off the beaten track. Timely, amusing! (Film Daily) "Timely. Excellent. Admirably suited to Christmas programs!" (Motion Picture Daily) The M-G-M ads for "Peace On Earth" all carried an uncommon "Created by Hugh Harman" attribute.

I'm amazed at movies whose content preaches one thing and their form uses exactly the forbidden paths.Often it is a teen film about being unique, about not following formulas, but is presented in a rigid formulaic method. Or it may be a comedy that makes fun of a certain type of person but depends on that very same person to buy tickets.It is such a common situation, I have stopped remarking on it unless the effect is particularly striking. It is here.On its surface, this has heart. It is a strong antiwar statement that uses Christmas, the Bible and good old family/community values to argue about the stupidity of war.(Let's set aside the context: Europe was at war — all the uniforms here are European — and America was divided about entering the war except through its clients. Already by this time, the war would be all but over if America hadn't committed to finance Russia and Britain. A huge sector of the US population wanted to remain "neutral," meaning in that context, unviolent. In its day, this would have been seen as a suggestion to not oppose Hitler.)Here's the thing that rankles me as a lucid moviewatcher. Look carefully at the argument. It is based on values that do not transcend cultures. In other words, it is saying that the guys that are fighting are doing so about things that don't matter because they are not *these things* over here that we know and trust and love.Eventually, the sentiments in this cartoon would be behind the US entry into the war: the US as the preservers of goodness. So it was a good thing in retrospect, for a generation. And then the questions begin.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.