Disney has punched out dozens of educational shorts throughout the years, and not all of them conform to that clean-cut, animal-sidekick-and-singing-princess salubriousness audiences have come to expect from the studio. Here are some of the Mouse House's odder forays into edutainment.



The Story of Menstruation (1946)

Yes, this is exactly what it says on the tin. With Disney presently mining its past films for the 3D multiplex treatment — Tron, Pirates, etc. — could this forgotten gem be far behind? Also, I'm pretty sure this is the only Disney cartoon with the word "rectum" in it.



The Winged Scourge (1943)

This wartime short was designed to prevent the spread of malaria in Latin America. And do you know who really hates malarial mosquitos? The Seven Dwarves, of course! Join Sleepy and Grumpy as they battle against the evils of stagnant water. And cheer on Dopey as he kills those mosquitoes "good and dead!" Presumably they spent their mosquito-killing salary on war bonds.

Donald in Mathemagic Land (1959)

In this math class staple, we join everyone's favorite pants-less mallard as he trips balls in a pocket dimension filled with Pythagorean bizarreness. I'm pretty disappointed Disneyland never thought to build a Mathemagic Land section of their parks. Side note: Donald also invented the wheel (1, 2) and was the star of a litany of occupational and domestic safety films.



No Smoking (1951)

In this short, Goofy plays a nicotine addict who must deal with the temptations of tobacco. This came from a time when those sacrosanct Disney characters could get away with quite a bit.




VD Attack Plan (1973)

Yes, Disney made an STD awareness film. And while it fails to hit the artistic heights of The Return of Count Spirochete, it does offer them a potential spokesman for those ill-advised crazy nights on Pleasure Island.



Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue (1990)

It's somewhat unfair to refer to this as a Disney production, as every damn Saturday morning character appeared as well. Still, Winnie the Pooh and Huey, Dewey, and Louie did play a substantial part in keeping youngsters away from illicit narcotics — when Alf is telling you to lay off the uppers, you know you're in hot water. Weirdly enough, the filmmakers made the entire production look like the darker corners of Fritz the Cat's mind. Here's the rest of it: 1, 2.


Thanks to Jonathan Wilkins!