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Saludos Amigos (Spanish for "Greetings, Friends") is the sixth animated feature film in the Disney Animated Canon, released in 1942. It is the first of the six Disney "Package films" made during the 1940s, when many members of the production staff were drafted into World War II. Due to this decrease in resources, the company could not afford to make feature-length films during this time and instead produced films composed of multiple shorter segments. Set in Latin America, it is made up of four different segments; Donald Duck stars in two of them and Goofy stars in one. It also features the first appearance of José Carioca. At a running time of 42 minutes, it is the shortest Disney animated feature, as well as the first one to be based on an original property.

The film itself was given federal loan guarantees, because the Disney studio had over-expanded just before European markets were closed to them by the war, and because Disney was struggling with labor unrest at the time (including a strike that was underway at the time the goodwill journey began).

The film was popular enough that Walt Disney decided to make The Three Caballeros two years later. It was made partially because several Latin American governments had close ties with Nazi Germany, and the US government wanted to counteract those ties. Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters were popular in Latin America, and Walt Disney acted as ambassador.

Plot[]

Saludos Amigos Title Card

The title card to the film.

A group of Disney animators make a goodwill trip to South America (this is documented in live-action). An animated segment details which places they visit.

Segments[]

  • Lake Titicaca: Donald Duck visits the famous Lake Titicaca, located at the border of Peru and Bolivia. He looks around, learns of the lake's traditions, and makes a failed attempt at sailing a boat before setting off through the mountains atop a llama. He panics when the llama is busy walking across a wooden suspension bridge, eventually resulting in his fall. He lands in a pottery shop, shattering some pots and taking others with him.
  • Pedro: A small anthropomorphic child-airplane, Pedro, lives in Chile with his mother and father, large airplanes who deliver mail. When they both are incapacitated due to technical defects, Pedro is forced to embark on his first journey in their place, picking up post from Mendoza. His flight is perilous and dangerous and he's nearly killed in a storm near Aconcagua on his way back, but manages to make it back victorious in the end.
  • El Gaucho Goofy: Goofy, reimagined as a Texas cowboy, is put to work as a gaucho in Argentina. He works together with a trickster horse as the narrator explains the life of the gaucho. Life as a gaucho for Goofy is strange, harsh and tiresome - not because of the living conditions, but mainly due to the antics of his horse. He is flown back to Texas in the end, to his gratitude.
  • Aquarela do Brasil: We see a paintbrush painting a beautifully rendered Brazilian jungle, which Donald Duck emerges from a flower at some point. While standing around, Donald sees the paintbrush creating another figure: José Carioca. José takes Donald out of the jungle and into Rio de Janeiro, where Donald accidentally drinks an incredibly spicy drink (thinking it was soda) before spending the night going out and dancing to the samba in Rio with José.

Cast[]

Songs[]

The film's original score was composed by Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith, and Charles Wolcott. The title song, "Saludos Amigos", was written for the film by Charles Wolcott and Ned Washington. The film also featured the song "Aquarela do Brasil", written by the popular Brazilian songwriter Ary Barroso and performed by Aloysio De Oliveira and an instrumental version of "Tico-Tico no Fubá", written by Zequinha de Abreu. "Aquarela do Brasil" was written and first performed in 1939, but did not achieve much initial success. However after appearing in this film it became an international hit, becoming the first Brazilian song to be played over a million times on American radio.

The film's soundtrack was first released by Decca Records in 1944 as a collection of three 78rpm singles.

Track Listing

  • Side 1: "Saludos Amigos" b/w Side 2: "Inca Suite"
  • Side 3: "Brazil ("Aquarela do Brazil")" b/w Side 4: "Argentine Country Dances"
  • Side 5: "Tico-Tico" b/w Side 6: "Pedro from Chile"

Reception[]

The film was nominated for three Oscars: Best Musical Score, Best Original Song for its opening theme, and Best Sound Recording.

The film included live-action sequences featuring footage of modern Latin American cities with skyscrapers and fashionably dressed citizens. This surprised contemporary US viewers, who associated such images with US and European cities, and contributed to a changing impression of Latin America. Film historian Alfred Charles Richard Jr. has commented that "Saludos Amigos did more to cement a community of interest between peoples of the Americas in a few months than the State Department had in fifty years".

The film also inspired Chilean cartoonist René Ríos Boettiger to create Condorito, one of Latin America's most ubiquitous cartoon characters. Ríos perceived that the character Pedro, a small, incapable airplane, was a slight to Chileans and created a comic that could supposedly rival Disney's comic characters.

Other critics, however, were less kind to the film. James Agee of The Nation, for one, scorned it as depressing and self-interested, and that "Disney's famous cuteness, however richly it may mirror national infantilism, is hard on my stomach." Along the same lines, John T. MacManus of the newspaper PM accused it of a "mingled pride and sadness over the growing up of a beloved something we all foolishly hoped could stay young forever."

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of the critics gave the film a positive review based on 10 reviews.

Censorship[]

The scene of Goofy smoking in "El Gaucho Goofy" is edited out when released onto home video in 2000 (Gold Classic Collection) and 2008 (as part of a double bill with The Three Caballeros). However, the gag where Donald breathes fire after drinking cachaça and lighting up José's cigar is left intact. This edit is also present on the iTunes release, which extends the Walt Disney Presents card to plaster the Buena Vista logo.

The first home video release to present this film uncensored is the Archive Collection Laserdisc. Walt & El Grupo also includes the uncut Saludos Amigos. It's also presented uncut on the 2-movie pack Blu Ray with The Three Caballeros released in 2018, released as a Disney Movie Club exclusive.

The film was later added to Disney+ in 2019, uncensored and uncut but with a disclaimer.

International release[]

Country Title Distributor Date of release
Japan ラテン・アメリカの旅 Daiei Film March 20, 1957

Copyright info[]

The film's copyright was renewed on August 25, 1969.[1]

Gallery[]

Posters[]

Videos[]

References[]


v - e - d
Disney Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros Logos
Media
Saludos Amigos (video/soundtrack) • The Three Caballeros (video/soundtrack) • Walt Disney anthology seriesHouse of MouseMickey and the Roadster RacersSouth of the Border with DisneyWalt & El GrupoLegend of the Three Caballeros

Books: The Penguin That Hated the Cold

Disney Parks
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three CaballerosIt's a Small WorldMickey Mouse Revue

Entertainment: Let's Party Gras!Max LIVE: Gettin’ Goofy With It
Restaurants: Mickey & Pals Market Café
Parades: Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLightsDisney Adventure Friends CavalcadeDisney's Party ExpressMickey's Soundsational Parade
Fireworks: HarmoniousMickey's Mix Magic!Wonderful World of AnimationWondrous Journeys
Spring: Fashionable Easter
Summer: Soryo Kobu
Halloween: Goofy's Skeletoons Street Party
Christmas: Mickey's Most Merriest CelebrationWorld of Color: Season of LightThe Viva Navidad Street Party

Characters
Saludos Amigos: Donald DuckLlamaPedroMama PlanePapa PlaneAconcaguaGoofyJosé Carioca
The Three Caballeros: Panchito PistolesPabloPenguinsAracuan BirdBurritoFlying GauchitoYayaToy Bull

Members of the Saludos Amigos Artist Tour: Walt DisneyFrank ThomasLee BlairMary BlairNorman Ferguson
Legend of the Three Caballeros: XandraDaisy DuckApril, May, and JuneBaron Von SheldgooseLord Felldrake SheldgooseLeopold the HorribleBaroness Von SheldgooseHumphrey the BearEugenia Ferdinand-FerdinandClinton CootPeteDonald's KettleLarry the MinotaurAstro MummiesMoon BotsJupiter, Venus, and MarsTermitesApolloMoai CommanderLava LizardsMoaiKing VomitGoblinsBaydoodiorSpike the BeeDapper DuckGeorge WashingtonAbraham LincolnThomas JeffersonTeddy RooseveltMonoHanzyClementinePriestessGods of Life and DeathKarasu TenguSheldgoose's AncestorsKing ArthurLancelot, Galahad, Kay, and BorsMerlinTyroneGaryYeti StaffMr. SpiritBlazebeak

Objects
Caballeros' AmuletsFelldrake's Staff Felldrake's RingSpark of LifeMagic MirrorsXandra's AtlasMystic BarrierWorld FruitXandra's Bow
Episodes
Legend of the Three Caballeros
"Dope-a Cabana" • "Labyrinth and Repeat" • "Pyramid-Life Crisis" • "World Tree Caballeros" • "No Man Is an Easter Island" • "Stonehenge Your Bets" • "Mount Rushmore (or Less)" • "Nazca Racing" • "Mexico à Go-Go" • "Mt. Fuji Whiz" • "Thanks a Camelot" • "Shangri-La-Di-Da" • "Sheldgoose Square Dance"
Songs
Saludos Amigos: Saludos AmigosLa Blanca PalomaEscravos de Jó Aquarela do BrasilTico-Tico no Fubá
The Three Caballeros: BaíaHave You Been to Baía?Pandeiro & FluteOs Quindins de YayáThe Three CaballerosLas PosadasMexicoJarabe PateñoLilongoYou Belong to My HeartLa ZandungaJesusita en Chihuahua
Legend of the Three Caballeros: Moai VacationGoblin JailDraw the LineShangri-La-Di-Da
Others: We Are The Three CaballerosMy Name is PanchitoPagode na Disney
Locations
South AmericaBrazilMexicoArgentinaChilePeruUruguay
Deleted Concepts
Pluto and the ArmadilloThe Laughing GauchitoCaxangaCuban CarnivalThe Hornero BirdBlame It on the SambaMiguelito Maracas


v - e - d
Disney1990
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) • The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • Dinosaur (2000) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) • Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Tangled (2010) • Winnie the Pooh (2011) • Wreck-It Ralph (2012) · Frozen (2013) • Big Hero 6 (2014) • Zootopia (2016) • Moana (2016) • Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) • Frozen II (2019) • Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) • Encanto (2021)Strange World (2022) • Wish (2023)

Upcoming: Moana 2 (2024) • Zootopia 2 (2025) • Frozen III (2026) • Frozen IV (TBA)

Pixar Animation Studios
Toy Story (1995) • A Bug's Life (1998) • Toy Story 2 (1999) · Monsters, Inc. (2001) • Finding Nemo (2003) • The Incredibles (2004) • Cars (2006) • Ratatouille (2007) • WALL-E (2008) • Up (2009) • Toy Story 3 (2010) • Cars 2 (2011) • Brave (2012) • Monsters University (2013) • Inside Out (2015) • The Good Dinosaur (2015) • Finding Dory (2016) • Cars 3 (2017) • Coco (2017) • Incredibles 2 (2018) • Toy Story 4 (2019) • Onward (2020) • Soul (2020) • Luca (2021) • Turning Red (2022) • Lightyear (2022) • Elemental (2023)

Upcoming: Inside Out 2 (2024) • Elio (2025) • Toy Story 5 (2026)

Disneytoon Studios
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) • A Goofy Movie (1995) • The Tigger Movie (2000) · Peter Pan: Return to Never Land (2002) • The Jungle Book 2 (2003) • Piglet's Big Movie (2003) • Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) • Planes (2013) • Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
Disney Television Animation
Doug's 1st Movie (1999) • Recess: School's Out (2001) • Teacher's Pet (2004)
20th Century Animation
Spies in Disguise (2019) • Ron's Gone Wrong (2021) • The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)
Films with Stop Motion Animation
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) • James and the Giant Peach (1996) • Frankenweenie (2012)
Other Disney units
The Brave Little Toaster (1987) • Valiant (2005) • The Wild (2006) • A Christmas Carol (2009) • Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) • Mars Needs Moms (2011) • Strange Magic (2015) • The Lion King (2019)
Live-Action Films with Non-CG Animation
The Reluctant Dragon (1941) • Victory Through Air Power (1943) • Song of the South (1946) • So Dear to My Heart (1949) • Mary Poppins (1964) • Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) • Pete's Dragon (1977) • Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) • The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) • Enchanted (2007) • Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
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