The Disney Labor Strike of 1941 | EarzUp!

The Disney Labor Strike of 1941 | EarzUp!

From EarzUp! by EarzUp! Podcast

April 11, 2026 · 1h 18m

About this episode

This episode discusses the Disney labor strike of 1941, triggered by salary cuts proposed by Walt Disney after a series of box office failures.

Coming off the success that was "Snow White", Walt and his studio went on a bit of a box office loosing streak - first with "Fantasia" and then with "Pinocchio". He had just sunk a bunch of money into his new animation campus, and something had to change. So Walt proposed salary and perk cuts to the animators, and they did not take it well at all. Things had been building behind the scenes for a couple of years, and they all came to a head in 1941. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: EarzUp! Podcast

Topics covered

  • Disney history
  • labor strikes
  • animation
  • Walt Disney
  • studio challenges

Keywords

  • Disney
  • labor strike
  • Walt Disney
  • animation
  • 1941
  • Fantasia
  • Pinocchio

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Snow White, Fantasia, Pinocchio

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