Walt Disney is arguably the most well-known and influential name in the history of animation and American film. The animator, who was never far from controversy, is responsible for developing characters such as Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck — icons of American culture known who have been loved around the world for generations. Interestingly, during World War II, Disney was responsible for creating propaganda films to aid the Allied war effort, sometimes using his beloved characters to help stick it to Adolf Hitler and the Axis armies.

The animated propaganda began in 1942 when the U.S. Treasury Department commissioned a film from the studio called “The New Spirit” (via History). The end result is a cartoon featuring Donald Duck encouraging the American populace to pay their taxes to support the war effort. And was a huge hit, playing in thousands of theaters across the country and even netting an Academy Award nomination. Despite the animator’s infamous anti-Semitism, Disney was an avowed patriot against Hitler and continued to aid the American military by creating training films and designing company insignias with his iconic characters — the latter completely free of charge. Although Disney wanted to keep his cartoons apolitical, the struggling studio couldn’t turn down the money offered by the U.S. government.

Propaganda helped keep the studio afloat

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