1941 Walt Disney Studios Strike

On May 29, 1941 a little over 200 members of Walt Disney's animation staff went on strike led by top animator Art Babbit. The communist influence on the Labor Movement is documented. Known communist Herbert Sorrell was the ring leader of this strike and it's what led to Walt Disney testifying before congress against communists in 1947. The strike went on across several months with the strikers threatening to murder Walt in effigy. (You can see footage of that in this montage. In one shot the strikers haul out a guillotine as they're dressed as executioners and behead a dummy of Walt over and over again.) It's no wonder this event was one of Walt Disney's pivot points. The strike affected Walt's health and he was sent on a tour of South America that eventually resulted in the films Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. The strike ended on Sept 21, 1941 with the strikers getting nearly all of what they'd demanded. Many of the strikers left the Walt Disney Studios and founded UPA.

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.