Classic Cabelleros Collection: Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros
From Walt Disney Home Entertainment:
Embark on thrilling adventures to South America and Mexico with Goofy, Donald Duck and Walt Disney
himself as they experience all the music, beauty and excitement Latin America has to offer. In Saludos
Amigos, Walt and his team of artists, musicians, writers and animators say "Adios!" to the U.S. to explore
the heart and soul of Latin America. From the Bolivian Andes to the Argentine pampas, watch these four
whimsical animated escapades while they travel to fun and exciting places. This delightful international
adventure earned three Academy Award nominations in 1943 including Best Musical Score, Best Sound
and Best Original Song.
Next, it's Donald's turn to take a fantastic journey through these colorful lands with his friends Joe Carioca
and Panchito in The Three Caballeros. With lighthearted dance and lively music, this dazzling blend of live
action and classic Disney animation is a celebration the whole family will enjoy! The film received two
Academy Award nominations for Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording.
The Three Caballeros Voice Cast List
Clarence Nash
Joaquin Garay
Jose Oliveira
Sterling Holloway
Frank Graham
Fred Shields
Trio Calaveras
Trio Ascencio del Rio
Aurora Miranda
Carmen Molina
Dora Luz
... Donald Duck
... Panchito
... Jose Carioca
... Narrator (The Cold-Blooded Penguin)
... Narrator
... Narrator
... Trio Calaveras
... Ascencio Del Rio Trio
... Brazilian Girl
... Mexico Girl
... Mexico Girl
The Three Caballeros was actually a follow-up to Saludos Amigos, which itself was born out of the U.S. Government's desire during World War II to shore up relations with Latin America, which had stronger ties to Nazi Germany. As a result, Walt Disney and a team of Disney artists, musicians and writers toured South America and Central to soak up the latin American culture. The resulting films from that trip were Saludos Amigos and South of the Border with The Three Caballeros following up later with the same characters. Released in 1942 in South America and in 1943 in the Unites States, Saludos Amigos was a mix of live action footage from the trip and four silly cartoon segments, which runs a little over forty minutes. South of the Border was a behind-the-scenes documentary of the trip, which runs about thirty minutes. The Three Caballeros was a follow-up released in 1945 and clocks at over an hour.
Saludos Amigos had the feel of a goodwill film with four segments. Each segment first has footage of Walt Disney and his party travelling to a particular locale. Each segment is then completed by a comedic animated short. The animated shorts features Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, Goofy and an airlplane named Pedro. The followup The Three Caballeros was a straight animated film featuring Donald Duck as well as the two Latin American-inspired characters of Jose Carioca and Panchito thus the "Three" Caballeros. In addition to revisiting South America, this film also included segments featuring Mexico. As we watched, we were reminded of Fantasia. Instead of classical music, the various mostly fantasical musical numbers had a Latin influence and included live action singers and dancers. The film basically moves from musical number to musical number, but Donald Duck does manage to find his way into some humorous situations.
The DVD:
The DVD includes all three films: Saludos Amigos, South of the Border and The Three Caballeros. Also included are excerpts from an interview with Walt Disney where he discusses Saludos Amigos as well as two shorts which both feature Donald Duck. The DVD nicely all three films forming a complete set of the Latin American-flavored Disney animated films. The three films plus the extras end up clocking in at about three hours worth of material.
Classic Caballeros Collection DVD Extras:
- Backstage Disney: South of the Border [33:10]
- Backstage Disney: Walt Disney CBC Interview Excerpts [1:45]
- Bonus Shorts: Don Donald [8:00]
- Bonus Shorts: Contrary Condor [8:00]
