Peace on Earth

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what "men" are when they hear everyone singing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Grandpa tells the story of man's last war.Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what "men" are when they hear everyone singing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Grandpa tells the story of man's last war.Two baby squirrels ask grandpa to explain what "men" are when they hear everyone singing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Grandpa tells the story of man's last war.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

Photos12

+ 5

Top cast5

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Mel Blanc

Grandpa Squirrel
(voice)
(uncredited)

Jeanne Dunne

Child Squirrels
(uncredited)

The Hollywood Choir Boys

Vocalists
(voice)
(uncredited)

Shirley Reed

Child Squirrels
(uncredited)

Martha Wentworth

Grandma Squirrel
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Several of the animators who worked on this anti-war cartoon were veterans of World War One and had experienced combat similar to that depicted in the film. In a darkly ironic note, they would be working on wartime propaganda cartoons two years later.

Quotes
Grandpa Squirrel: Oh, it was awful. It was terrible! Well, they fought and they fought and they fought, until... until there was only two of them left.
[two soldiers in gas masks are seen on a battlefield amid smoke and barbed wire; each soldier shoots the other and goes down, sinking into mud]
Grandpa Squirrel: ...And that was the end of the last man on earth.

Connections
Edited into Tom and Jerry Christmas Special (1987)

Soundtracks
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
(uncredited)
Hymn by Charles Wesley (1730)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn (1840)
Sung by studio chorus

User reviews29

Review

Featured review

8/10

Nobel Peace

A squirrel grandad visits his boy/girl twins on a snowy Xmas eve to tell them the story of 'Man' - violent, terrible creatures who killed each other off in a never-ending series of wars. As the last man on earth dies the animals take it back and build a happy utopia on the charred rubble. Naturally, cute, furry animals won't be using flame-throwers on each other any time soon. Though I'm not really sure if the animals taking cues from an old bible negates the point.

It's a very important cartoon and was nominated for an Academy Award (losing to Disney's much less significant The Ugly Duckling) as well as a Nobel Peace prize - the only cartoon ever to do so. Of all the Xmas cartoons and specials, this is probably the most poignant.