Saludos Amigos / The Three Caballeros

A natural double-feature available for the first time together on DVD, Saludos Amigos (1943) and The Three Caballeros (1945) were Walt Disney's contribution to America's Good Neighbor Policy toward Latin America (in the face of a devastated war-torn Europe, it was also an attempt to open a new market). Both are merry, musical travelogue anthologies (Saludos Amigos features live-action footage of Disney artists on location making sketches), bursting with irresistible music, eye-popping colors, and—especially in The Three Caballeros—hallucinatory animation. Donald Duck carries most of the comic relief, with assists from two new characters: Joe Carioca, a tropical bird serving as South American tour guide, and Panchito, a Mexican rooster. In Saludos Amigos, Lake Titicaca tourist Donald has a bridge-rattling dust-up with a stubborn llama, and Goofy demonstrates how to be (or not to be) a gaucho. Another charming sequence tells the story of Pedro, a little mail plane on his first treacherous run. The Three Caballeros is a much livelier and more fanciful trip: Donald receives South of the Border-inspired birthday gifts; a movie projector screens the stories of Pablo, a South American penguin, and Little Gauchito, a flying donkey; and a pop-up book transports Donald and his Saludos pal Joe to Brazil. Finally, Panchito guides his two fellow "gay caballeros" across Mexico to experience the country's traditions, music, and beautiful live-action senoritas, who drive a lustful Donald to delirium. DVD extras include an interview with Walt Disney, a pair of bonus shorts, and a half-hour-plus South American travelogue that Disney produced for theatres in anticipation of Saludos. Bursting with energy, these lesser-known entries in the Disney canon are ripe for rediscovery. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)