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Disney animators' strike

Walt Disney cartoonists went on strike for nine weeks in 1941. They were led by Art Babbitt, the creator of Goofy. The colourful picket line had support from across Hollywood.

Walt Disney cartoonists went on strike for nine weeks in 1941. They were led by Art Babbitt, Disney’s top animator who created Goofy.

The picket line was remarkable for its colourful artwork and support from Hollywood actors.

The confrontation was rooted in the paranoia of the day – the infiltration of communism into American life, as Art Babbitt explains in 91Èȱ¬ archive recordings presented by Josephine McDermott.

(Photo: Art Babbitt leads Disney animators holding placards with cartoon characters at a film premiere. Credit: Kosti Ruohomaa, a former Disney worker, courtesy of Cowan-Fouts Collection)

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Wed 12 Oct 2022 02:50GMT

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