Walt Disney Animation Studios Part 7: The Three Caballeros

Series Intro: Here's Part 7 of this multi-part retrospective of Walt Disney Animation Studios' endeavors. They'll mostly be in release date order, save for those that aren't available on DVD at Netflix. (Numbers will be skipped to note missing movies)

Some background info (compiled from Wikipedia and imdb and my own knowledge of the movie).

Official Title: The Three Caballeros (in English: The Three Friends)
Release: December 21, 1944 (Mexico City)
Running Time: 72 minutes (more respectable)
Estimated Cost: Can't find any figures but the whole cost was underwritten by the US government
Estimated Revenue: No info available, other than "highly successful"
Overall Rating: 1 stars out of 5

Plot Summary: We follow Donald Duck as he opens birthday presents from his friends in South America (Jose Caricoa (from Saludos Amigos, representing Brazil) and new friend Panchito Pistoles, from Mexico). Again, this was a series of shorts, but much more connected. This one also features many popular Latin American live action actors. These shorts all feature some kind of bird (or flying creature)!

Shorts:
The Cold-Blooded Penguin - a Penguin named Pablo, is so cold in the South Pole he makes several attempts to go leave. He successfully travels to the western coast of South America (in the tropics), where he begins to feel home sick.

The Flying Gauchito - A little boy from Uruguay is hunting for a bird but finds a flying  Donkey. He uses the donkey to cheat at a race, when he wins it is soon revealed that he cheated!

Baia (Pronounced Bye-ee-ya) - Jose Carioca comes out of a pop up book and takes Donald on a samba dance with a live action actress (Aurora Miranda) in Brazil.

Las Posadas (The Inn) - Panchito comes and tells Donald a Christmas story of children in Mexico reenacting Mary and Joseph looking for a room on Christmas eve. Then after the story, Donald tries to break open a pinata, physical comedy ensues.

Mexico: Patzcuaro, Veracruz and Acapulco - I honestly don't remember this one, but Wiki says that the three leads fly on a magic sarape to see what's going on in Mexico.

The rest of the shorts blend together for me: You Belong to My Heart and Donald's Surreal Reverie. I honestly don't remember it at all.

Songs:

1.	The Three Caballeros
2.	Baia (The Aracuan Version)
3.	Baia - Jose Oliveira
4.	Have You Been To Baia? - Jose Oliveira
5.	Train To Baia (Score)
6.	Os Quindines De Yaya - Aurora Miranda
7.	Pregoes Carioca - Jose Oliveira
8.	The Three Caballeros
9.	The Three Caballeros
10.	Mexico - Carlos Ramirez
11.	Mexico (Reprise) - Carlos Ramirez
12.	Pandeiro & Flute
13.	Lilongas
14.	You Belong To My Heart - Dora Luz
15.	Jesusita - Carmen Molina
16.	Finale

Yet again, I have no idea about the music (other that the opening lines of Three Caballeros. How did this receive two Oscar nods already?


Plot Rating: 1 stars out of 5

Again, this series of shorts was more a Mickey Mouse club endeavor, rather than a feature length. The was was still raging in Europe and Walt was still helping to sooth out relationships between North and South America. At least this time, the stories revolved around Donald.

Animation Rating: 1 out of 5

Again, the shorts just don't have the same quality as the features that came before it.

The Test of Time:

I couldn't find if this had multiple releases. This movie also inspired an upgrade to the EPCOT ride in the Mexican Pavilion (not a good overlay if you ask me).

This is another movie that can stay in the Disney Vault. It was another miss for WDAS, at least for the longevity

Next Up:
Make Mine Music (another "shorts" movies)
  

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