The Three Caballeros

INTRODUCTION

The World War II years were not the best of times for Walt Disney and his fellow artists. Not only several Disney artists volunteered or drafted into the war, but a series of financial disasters (i.e. Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi) cost the studio to be broke. In order to regain money, they started working with the U.S. Department of State to develop two animated features that are both Latin-flavored and to help preserve goodwill between the U.S. and South America. The first of these is Saludos Amigos, which are four animated segments combined with live action footage. While it earned mixed reception when first released, it was a hit in South America. This is the kind that would help the Disney studios during the times. 

The second of the anthology era, The Three Caballeros, is sort of the sequel to it. It shares the same features as Saludos Amigos, such as Latin America, animated short subjects, and live action footage. But the differences between them is that Three Caballeros combines live action and animation, a first in animation history, if not counting Fantasia and the Alice short movies. 

STORY

The movie opens with Donald Duck receiving birthday presents from his friends in Latin America. The first of these was a film projector about birds, divided into three segments. The first is The Cold-Blooded Penguin, a cartoon about a South Pole penguin named Pablo who creates a boat out of ice that includes his igloo searching for a warmer paradise. The second features kinds of birds in the Amazon jungle, notably the Aracuan bird (who will come back in Melody Time). The third is The Flying Gauchito, which tells the tale of a young boy and a flying donkey named Burrito, (meaning "little donkey" in Spanish and not the Mexican dish).

The second present is a pop-up book on Brazil, with José Carioca returning and giving Donald a tour of Baia. Things get a little interesting visually, even if the mixed-medium scene with Donald and José falling head over heels with Aurora Miranda (Carmen Miranda's sister) hasn't aged well.

Then, the third and final present has the stamp Mexico on it, and thing about to get weird, and I mean undeniably weird. The titular trio finally comes together when Panchito Pistoles arrives, and while discussing Mexico, Panchito and José give Donald a magic serape ride to get a few glimpse of the places within the country. As the film progresses, the weirdness gets more aggressive, topping it with a bullfight ending with fireworks.

REVIEW

Of the two Latin-flavoured package movies, I considered The Three Caballeros to be a little more memorable. While the psychedelic abstract visuals may recall Fantasia and Dumbo's Pink Elephants on Parade, it lacks the substance of the former and the temporal restraint of the latter. As mentioned above, the live action and animation mixing doesn't go well together compared to the likes of Mary Poppins and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. From a 1945 standpoint, it wasn't new (see Warner Bros. "You Oughta Be in Pictures" and MGM's Anchors Aweigh) but it was something Disney was experimenting at the time. From a visual standpoint, it's a lot of fun to watch. I could say that this is probably one of the earliest films where the style trumps over substance.

While I'm placing The Three Caballeros slightly above Saludos Amigos, both don't have the special something of the first five movies. They're both better than the likes of Home on the Range and Chicken Little. 

FINAL WORD

The Three Caballeros is a slight step up above Saludos Amigos, but it's still forgettable compared to Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Dumbo.

5.5/10