Continuing right along with our unofficial exploration of all things simultaneously insane, horrific, and Disney-related comes "Toybox Series #3: Picture Book 1936,″ a 1934 Japanese propaganda cartoon by Komatsuzawa Hajime.
Like American propaganda of the era (1, 2), this animation also channeled Walt's happy cartoon creations. Unlike those cartoons, this short featured Mickey Mouse as the evil ringleader of an army of vampire bats representing American influence in the Pacific. As Kinema explains, this short stars Momotaro, a folklore figure who you may remember from the acid-drop Taiwanese action flick Magic of Spell:
[In the 1930s] one very popular cartoon character was Momotaro, the "Peach boy," who appeared in a number of cartoons designed not just for domestic consumption within Japan, but for propaganda use in occupied countries as well. For example, Picture Book 1936 (Momotaro vs. Mickey Mouse) resented fanged Mickey Mouse look-alikes riding giant bats, attacking peaceful Pacific islanders (represented by cats and dolls, for some reason); the hero Momotaro jumps out of a picture book, repels the American mice, and cherry trees blossom throughout the island as the grateful natives sing "Tokyo Chorus."
Other characters in this short include the super-strong boy Kintarō and Urashima Tarō, a Rip Van Winkle style character who uses a magic box to transform the marauding mouse into a withered old rat. For more weirdo propaganda from World War II, see these examples both supernatural and pornographic.
SEE ALSO: Nimbus libéré, a deranged 1944 cartoon about Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Popeye bombing France under the Vichy regime. Thanks for the tip, HypnoSifl!
Via Pink Tentacle. Hat tip to Morris!