Reason and Emotion

Reason and Emotion is a propaganda short film by Walt Disney Productions, released on August 28, 1943, by RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in the same year. The short film is eight minutes long.^[3]

Reason and Emotion
Directed by	Bill Roberts
Story by	Joe Grant Dick Huemer
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Frank Graham Sarah Selby Mary Lennon Harry E. Lang[1] Ward Kimball[2]
Music by	Oliver Wallace
Animation by	Ollie Johnston Milt Kahl Ward Kimball Fred Moore Bill Tytla
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	August 28, 1943 (1943-08-28)
Running time	8 minutes

The short has been cited as an influence on the 2015 Pixar Animation Studios film Inside Out by the film's director, Pete Docter,^[4] and its sequel released in 2024 which was directed by Kelsey Mann.

Plot

The short demonstrates how a person adopts their ability to solve problems through logical reasoning (the head) or through emotional passion (the heart). Adolf Hitler is shown to not have any reasoning, instead relying purely on emotion; it is explained that "Americans should control the emotion inside our head lest it control us — and make us vulnerable to Hitler's vile fearmongering."^[4] Hitler's speeches and motivational tactics are shown as manipulative.^[5]

Production

Reason and Emotion was directed by Bill Roberts, with animation by Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston, among others.^[6] BlogofDeath explains: "During World War II, [Joe] Grant and animator Dick Huemer created gags and designs for many of Disney's patriotic-themed cartoons", including this film.^[7]

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines.^[8]

Critical reception

IndieWire wrote: "Reason and Emotion is exactly the kind of thing that sticks in your mind because it is strange, a wartime film that used a visual metaphor to make a case about Americans keeping their calm during WWII."^[9]

Additional media appearances

The cartoon characters "Reason" and "Emotion" also appear in the Upjohn Company's educational short animated feature, "Understanding Alcohol Use and Abuse", which was produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1979. This feature was the final installment of Upjohn's Triangle of Health series.