Walt & El Grupo (2008)

The story of the 1941 Goodwill Tour to South America made by Walt Disney and his staff.

Director:

Theodore Thomas

Writer:

Theodore Thomas

Stars:

Flávio Barroso, Lee Blair, Mary Blair

Cast

Credited cast:
Flávio Barroso	...	Self
Lee Blair	...	Self (archive footage)
Mary Blair	...	Self (archive footage)
James Bodrero	...	Self (archive footage)
Lydia Bodrero	...	Self
Harriet Burns	...	Self
John Canemaker	...	Self
Josefina Molina Chazarreta	...	Self
William Cottrell	...	Self (archive footage)
Jack Cutting	...	Self (archive footage)
Diane Disney	...	Self
Lillian Disney	...	Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney	...	Self (archive footage)
Norman Ferguson	...	Self (archive footage)
Blaine Gibson	...	Self

Storyline

The story of the 1941 Goodwill Tour to South America made by Walt Disney and his staff.

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Plot Keywords:

drawing | goodwill | 1940s | showbiz | airplane | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for historical smoking

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Before the credits themselves roll, there are various descriptions of the later careers of the members of El Grupo after they returned from South America.

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Connections

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

User Reviews

A pedestrian treatment of an interesting subject

Walt Disney's sojourn in South America on behalf of the Roosevelt Administration's "Good Neighbor Policy" would make for an interesting film, but this isn't it. The film is not so much a documentary as a dry recitation of the itineraries of the people involved, often read by surviving family members, with little or no perspective into what the trip meant (save for allowing legendary design artist Mary Blair to blossom professionally) and what it ultimately accomplished. Some of the footage is interesting, but rarely does any of it contain the energy of the poster image of Walt swinging a lasso. While Disney's appearance in S.A. was no question big news down there, the film implies that it was also unique. Other Hollywood figures--notably Orson Welles--were also sent down south by FDR (and in Welles' case the almost-result was the unfinished "It's All True"), while other South American performers were invited up to Hollywood. Perhaps most telling is the subtext that runs throughout the film, blaming the 1941 strike at the Disney studio, which forced it to unionize, as the factor that killed both the studio's spirit and its brief Golden Age of innovation, a dubious (but Disney-sanctioned) interpretation of the facts. This isn't a terrible film, just not a particularly interesting or informative one.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Walt & El Grupo

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,059, 13 September 2009

Gross USA:

$20,521

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,521

Company Credits

Production Co:

Theodore Thomas Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1