Propaganda Cartoon Week: Popeye in Seein' Red, White 'n' Blue (1943)

Joining in the war effort was also Popeye the spinach-eating sailor man. Seein' Red, White 'n' Blue starts out innocent enough with Bluto trying to injure himself to get out of the Navy, but continually failing. The propaganda doesn't really set in until Popeye crashes into a secret Japanese operation. As per typical in the cartoons at the time, the Japanese are portrayed as glasses-wearing, big-teethed dwarfs with extremely strong accents. Bluto, of course, seeing his friend being harmed, becomes patriotic and they both win the day (thanks to some spinach, of course). The cartoon ends with Bluto finally joining the Navy. The short is a patriotic film as it shows the Americans beating both Hitler and the Japanese powers. Not a particularly good short, but worth seeing for historical reasons.