Think the furor over scary animated films is anything new? See how Hollywood censored animated films back in the late 1930's.
(Source: www.cartoonbrew.com)
Censorship has long been a part of the animator's life. It can be argued that censorship is even more crucial in animation because (a) until recently, most people considered animation to be strictly for kids and (b) you can do a lot more with animated characters than with their live-action counterparts.
For proof, check out Cartoon Brew's reprinting of an old Look magazine article from January 17, 1939, which talks about toon censorship in Hollywood. Back in the day, the Will H. Hays organization checked out all toons to see if they were suitable for children. The big difference between how Hays dealt with live-action and toons was that live-action films were only censored at the script level while toons were vetted post-production.
So what did the Hays Code find objectionable? Firstly, Porky Pig was not allowed to kiss his sweetheart, Petunia. They were only allowed to hold hands. Monsters were watched to see if they were too frightening for children (trivia: staff at Radio City Music Hall had to regularly change the seat cushions after performances of Snow White because frightened children would wet themselves during the movie). Cruelty to animals was a no-no, because censors thought kids would imite the movies. Spitting and "the razzberry" was also verboten (both the visual and the sound), as was depictions of "men who appear too effeminate."
Not surprisingly, bared breasts were off-limits, but bared navels were also too racy. This state of affairs lasted until at least the mid-1980's. Several scenes of The Real Ghostbusters (which aired from 1986 to 1991) showed secretary Janine Melnitz in a low-cut bikini, but minus her bellybutton.
Of course, any toon villains must end up in jail lest the nation's kiddies think that crime is a good idea. There was also some pretence at political correctness, since animators weren't allowed to make blatant jabs at other cultures, just in case foreign censors got snippy. Quite often it didn't help: German dictator Adolf Hitler found Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes objectionable and banned them.
A Merrie Melodie short called Clean Pastures got into major trouble with the Hays censors because it featured an African-American god (complete with halo) and it often used the line "de Lawd." Ironically, the cartoon would get into trouble today, but for different reasons.
Interestingly enough, censors would object to toons that recreated scenes in live-action movies. In The Thin Man, star William Powell takes his dog for a walk, and has to stand by while the hound marks a telephone pole. When Leon Schlesinger recreated the scene for the Merrie Melodie short Speaking of the Weather, censors ravaged the scene with their scissors, taking out most of the content.
Sometimes censors would change their minds over established cartoon characters. Flossie the Cow was blissfully nude until 1932, when censors decided that she should wear a long skirt to cover her prominent udders. The Hays censors went even farther in 1939: Flossie was forced into a dress and had to walk upright.
You can check out pages from Look magazine by clicking here.
