Peace on Earth (1939)

Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what "men" are when he comes in singing "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Grandpa tells the story of man's last war.

Director:

Hugh Harman (uncredited)

Stars:

Mel Blanc, Sara Berner, Bernice Hansen

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Sara Berner	...	Baby Squirrel (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Grandpa Squirrel (voice) (uncredited)
Bernice Hansen	...	Baby Squirrel (uncredited)
The Hollywood Choir Boys	...	Vocalists (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

A baby squirrel asks his grandfather to tell him what happened to all the men. The old squirrel reveals that all the humans were killed years ago in a terrible war. The surviving animals started a new society, based on the lessons taught in the Bible.

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Plot Keywords:

world war | end of humanity | humanity | squirrel | bible | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of the animators who worked on this anti-war cartoon were veterans of World War One, and had experienced combat similar to that depicted in the film. In a darkly ironic note, they would be working on wartime propaganda cartoons two years later.

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Quotes

Grandpa Squirrel: Good will to men, yes, good will to men.
Baby Squirrel 1: What are men, Grandpa?
Baby Squirrel 2: Yeah, Grandpa, what are men?
Grandpa Squirrel: Huh? What's that?... Well there ain't no men in the world no more, sonnys... nope, no more men. But as I remember the critters, well they was like monsters. They wore great big iron pots on their heads. They walked on their hind legs, and they carried terrible-looking shootin' irons with knives on the end of them. And their eyes flashed, and they had these tremendous big snoots, like this, that curled down...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Dave Lee Down Under's Cartoon Evolution: Evolution of Tom and Jerry (1940-2020) (2019)

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Soundtracks

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
(1856)
Hymn by Charles Wesley (1730)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1840)
Sung by studio chorus

User Reviews

The press also liked it.

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Friede auf Erden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hugh Harman Productions, Loew's, MGM Cartoon Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1