movie trivia: walking the fine financial line

The Disney studios were walking a very precarious line financially, and were constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. A studio strike and, of course, the outbreak of war - which deprived them of their lucrative European market - didn't help matters. Disney was able to secure another loan from the Bank of America, but when both Pinocchio (1940) and Fantasia (1940) failed at the box office, a lot was riding on Bambi (1942) to be a success.