First and foremost, the answer is no. I just wanted to get that out of the way immediately, because as a lifelong Walt Disney admirer, the very question offends me. Nevertheless I feel that it is worth addressing because there are some people under the very unfortunate impression that Disney was some sort of Hitler supporter. In fact, if you enter the words “Was Walt Disney” into Google, the very first auto-fill suggestion is “Was Walt Disney a Nazi?”

This bogus conspiracy seems to have its roots in a couple of different places: first, in the belief that Walt Disney was an anti-Semite (another slanderous mistruth that I will address in a separate article next week), and second, in an old Mickey Mouse cartoon entitled ‘The Wayward Canary’ (1932), in which a lighter is briefly seen with a swastika drawn on the side.

No one is quite sure why Disney included the swastika image, but the cartoon was made years before Hitler’s invasion of Poland and even before the rise of the Third Reich, during a time when nobody really knew what Nazism would ultimately mean for the world. Most likely, the inclusion of the swastika was intended as a nod to the German people as Disney was constantly interested in reaching overseas audiences.

The most common “evidence” that people use in support of the Disney-Nazi theory, though, is an entirely different cartoon, ironically a popular American propaganda cartoon from 1943 entitled ‘Der Fuehrer’s Face,’ which features the character of Donald Duck as a reluctant Nazi living in Germany during World War II.

In the cartoon, Donald can be seen saluting Hitler several times, marching with other Nazis and even greeting portraits of the Axis leaders Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito. It was created to support the war effort in America, and despite some incorrect descriptions on various websites, it was never banned (at least in America). It was however, kept out of general circulation for many years due to its esoteric content. Check out the cartoon for yourself.

At first the footage seems shocking, but in fact the cartoon is completely pro-American, with Axis leaders drawn as caricatures and Nazis portrayed as oppressive tyrants who enslave the German people while demanding the highest level of conformity. In the end, it all turns out to be a nightmare, and Donald is seen waking up and kissing a small replica of the Statute of Liberty. If you watch the cartoon from start to finish, you’ll see that that alone is enough to completely put to rest the theory that Walt Disney was in any way a Nazi sympathizer. Disney also produced other anti-Nazi films during the war, including ‘Education for Death – the Making of a Nazi,’ and ‘Commando Duck.’

Is it shameless American propaganda? Absolutely. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You can decide that for yourself. But was Walt Disney a Nazi? I think you have your answer.

Was Walt Disney cryogenically frozen?

This is one of the more bizarre Disney conspiracy theories, but nevertheless remains very popular. Basically the theory proposes that Walt Disney arranged to have himself cryogenically frozen at the time of his death, in order that future science could someday use space age technology to reanimate him. But could it be true?

It certainly makes sense. The details surrounding his death were not immediately revealed, and there was no public funeral for one of the most beloved entertainment minds of all time. Is it possible that Walt would stop at nothing to experience a distant future and perhaps take a real space cruiser to the forest moon of Endor?

Well, considering that Star Tours didn’t even open until after his death freezing, I’m guessing no. In fact, I’m going to say that this conspiracy is about as ridiculous as most other conspiracy theories. Nobody knows how the whole “frozen Disney” legend got started, but there doesn’t exist a shred of evidence to back it up.

Here is what we do know. Walt Disney is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, CA. It’s right off the 134 freeway just East of the San Fernando Valley. You can visit the gravesite for yourself. If you’re still skeptical, you can dig him up. Really. You have my permission. He is cremated, though, so it may take you a little while to piece him back together.

Many famous people are buried at Forest Lawn including Michael Jackson…wait a minute…wasn’t Michael Jackson also rumored to be cryogenically frozen? Perhaps there’s a connection! Or perhaps not. According to Walt’s death certificate, he died of lung cancer in 1966. At Snopes.com, you can even view the death certificate and will for yourself.

But don’t let irrefutable facts get in the way of a good conspiracy. It’s fun to believe that the mind behind the Disney empire is buried only a few feet beneath you in a frozen cryonic chamber as you float along the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. If you listen really carefully, perhaps you can even hear him calling out to you.

But then take a moment and stop to realize just how absurd it is. I mean, really? The Pirates of the Caribbean ride? Wouldn’t it make far more sense to lean him against the wall in the Star Tours line like Han Solo in a carbonite block, his hands sticking out and his face forever molded in an expression of utter torment? That would certainly get me in the door.

For more detailed information debunking this conspiracy, check out Snopes and Mythbusters.

Was Walt Disney a Freemason?

It’s a question that never seems to die: was Walt Disney a high-ranking member of an elite secret society? Did he have access to the greatest secrets of the universe? Did he nefariously slip subliminal pieces of Masonic imagery into his films as part of some sinister master plan to brainwash the world’s children and do the evil work of the Illuminati?

Well…no. Not at all. But if the answer was yes, I would have to say no for my own safety. So maybe the answer is actually yes. But officially it’s no.

Or is it?

The Disney/Masonry urban legend has been around for years, and has been espoused in popular works such as Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” (which right there should tell you that it’s probably a fairly dubious “fact”). But in fact, no evidence exists that Disney was ever a member of the Masons in any capacity (let alone being of the highest order). He was, however, a proud AAA member, but he kept that affiliation private and didn’t include any roadside assistance propaganda in his films (except for “Herbie the Love Bug”).

But if he wasn’t a Mason, then what’s the deal? Here is what we do know: as a very young man, Disney belonged to the Order of DeMolay (and later inducted Mickey Mouse into the Order), a youth fraternal organization sponsored by the Masons. Think of them as being sort of like the Masons, but with more ultimate frisbee. Other famous people to have been in the Order include John Wayne and Walter Cronkite, who are hardly conspiratorial figures. Many who join the Order grow up to become Masons, but Walt Disney was not among them. This affiliation may have a lot to do with how the Masonry rumor got started and continues to persist. The rumors may also have to do with Walt having famously vowed to purge the Earth of unbelievers and usher in a new Luciferian Golden Age with blood in the streets, but that quote was taken entirely out of context.

Another thing that conspiratorial types love latching onto is the fact that Disneyland contains a very exclusive (VERY expensive) members-only restaurant above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride called Club 33. Could it be a nod to the fact that Disney was a 33rd degree freemason (the highest order)?

Unfortunately, the truth is rarely as exciting as the conspiracies. The club—which caters largely to businesses—was not even completed until after Disney’s death, and the significance of the number could have derived from any number of sources: for example, Disneyland had exactly 33 sponsors, which included Kodak, Coca-Cola and Bank of America among others. Disney’s daughter was born in 1933. Threes turned on their sides could signify mouse ears (Mickey and Minnie) or M’s for ‘Mickey Mouse.’ Thirty-three is also the number of years Jesus Christ spent on Earth, and Disney often stated that he was the second coming of Christ (but not a freemason; that’s just silly). When you weigh all the facts, the freemason theory is among the least convincing.