The Three Caballeros (1944)

Director:

Norman Ferguson

Writers:

Homer Brightman (story) &
Ernest Terrazas (story) ...

Release Date:

3 February 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

UTTERLY FASCINATING! ENTIRELY DIFFERENT! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Donald receives his birthday gifts, which include traditional gifts and information about Brazil (hosted by Zé Carioca) and Mexico (by Panchito, a Mexican Charro Rooster).

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | Bird | Birthday | Mexico | Gaucho

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Aurora Miranda	...	The Brazilian Girl (as Aurora Miranda of Brazil)
Carmen Molina	...	Mexico Girl (as Carmen Molina of Mexico)
Dora Luz	...	Mexico Girl (as Dora Luz of Mexico)
Sterling Holloway	...	Narrator for 'The Cold-Blooded Penguin' / Professor Holloway
Clarence Nash	...	Donald Duck (voice)
Joaquin Garay	...	Panchito (voice)
José Oliveira	...	José Carioca / Zé Carioca (voice)
Frank Graham	...	Narrator
Fred Shields	...	Narrator
Nestor Amaral
Almirante
Trío Calaveras		(as Trio Calaveras)
Trío Ascencio del Río		(as Ascencio Del Rio Trio)
Padua Hills Players	...	Actors

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Portuguese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1976) | UK:U | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Clarence Nash also provides the voice of Donald Duck in the Spanish-dubbed version, giving Donald a charming American accent that complements José Carioca's Brazilian and Panchito's Northern Mexican ones.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When visiting Chile, the map shows several misspellings: Valparaiso is "Valpraiso" and the Juan Fernandez Islands are "Juan Ferndez Islands". On the postcard it says Vina del Mar instead of "Viña del Mar"

Quotes:

Panchito: Some fun, eh kid?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (1984) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mexico

For all - and only - animation lovers

People who went to see Disney's compilation features of the 1940s expecting another "Fantasia" were always disappointed - however good the material in some of them. They weren't really films. This one is just a collection of beads from the studio's Latin American years on a pretty string. Some of the beads are short cartoons, not really any different from Disney's other short cartoons of the period - which is, although I don't need to say this, praise. To be honest I find it hard to remember, without looking it up, exactly which South American Disney cartoons are featured in this movie and which aren't.

The linking segments with Donald Duck are weird and - now and then - wonderful. Disney seems to have tried every possible way of combining animation and live action (the live action is usually Carmen Miranda). Some of the attempts fall flat - many shots are obviously Miranda walking in front of a movie screen onto which Donald Duck is being projected; and the section featuring Donald Duck flying on a magic carpet over South American countryside is just a cheap and gruesome mis-match. But other times it's dazzling. The transformation of animated cacti into human dancers, or human dancers into animated roosters, are technical marvels which made me gasp. Perhaps if I saw them on the big screen I'd be able to work out how they were done - but they'd still be spectacular. More so.

In short, this certainly has its moments - some of the most anarchic moments Disney or any other studio had produced. People who aren't fans of animation will probably find it unendurable. (I don't blame them. It's not really a film.) People who are fans HAVE to see it.