https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfH3MXYF5Xo

These are the two perfect films to view on Memorial Day. Peace on Earth was nominated for the 1939 Academy Award for Short Subjects (Cartoons).

Grandpa Squirrel (Mel Blanc /voice-uncredited) comes in singing “peace on earth, goodwill to men”. Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what “men” are. The grandfather squirrel then tells them a history of the human race, focusing on the never-ending wars men waged.

Ultimately the wars do end, with the deaths of the last men on Earth, two soldiers shooting each other, one shoots the other soldier and the injured soldier kills the last, but dies as he sinks into watery foxhole as his hand grasp into water.

The surviving animals started a new society, based on the lessons taught in the Bible. Inspired by the book’s teachings, they decide to rebuild a society dedicated to peace and nonviolence (using the helmets of soldiers to construct houses).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7lJV8IX1ig

Fred Quimby, William Hanna, and Joseph Barbera remade the cartoon in CinemaScope in 1955.

This post-World War II version of the film, entitled Good Will to Men, featured updated and even more destructive forms of warfare technology such as flamethrowers, bazookas, missiles and nuclear weapons.

This version used a choir of mice as the main characters including a Deacon mouse who tell the story to his charges (voiced by Daws Butler-uncredited), and also had more direct religious references (though the Bible is simply referred to as the book of humans’ rules in both, Good Will to Men includes a reference to the New Testament, while Peace on Earth only includes verses from the Old Testament).

This new version was also nominated for the Best Animated Short Subject Oscar. This was the only non-Tom and Jerry CinemaScope cartoon shorts to be produced by Fred Quimby before he went into retirement.