The first of two features Walt Disney made at the behest of the Office of Inter-American Affairs,
Saludos Amigos consists of four cartoons linked by live-action travel footage. The very funny "Lake Titicaca" finds Donald Duck high in the Bolivian Andes, struggling with a recalcitrant llama. "Pedro," the story of a little airplane replacing his father on a mail run across the Andes, is a variation on "The Little Engine That Could." "El Gaucho Goofy" continues the popular "How To" cartoon series that juxtaposes a deadpan narration with increasing physical mayhem. Here, Goofy demonstrates Pampas-style riding and the use of the bola. The jaunty parrot Jose Carioca makes his debut in "Aquarela do Brasil." Although largely eclipsed by the wilder
The Three Caballeros (1944),
Saludos Amigos retains its charm. Included in the supplemental material is
South of the Border with Disney, which chronicles the Good Will Tour Walt and a group of his artists made in 1941. The 16mm footage has darkened, but this featurette offers rare glimpses of some of these artists at work, including Frank Thomas, Norm Ferguson, and Mary Blair, whose stylized drawings set the look for much of
Saludos Amigos and
Caballeros.
--Charles Solomon
1 Not as lively and exciting as The Three Cabelleros.
In this film, we see Disney and his fellow animators travel to Latin America. In this however, you feel as if you are watching the Discovery channel with a little Disney thrown in. The film is whimsical when you come across a Disney cartoon, but all the inbetween bits are lackluster and boring. If maybe you traveled along with Mickey or Goofy it may have been more exciting. Sorry. Good but lacks.
2 For True Disney Fans
This film was made during the war and Walt didn't have the money to turn out another full length animated film. To appease his fans, he made a film which is basically a trip with him and some of his best animators "South of the Border." The animators where then inspired to make several short animated films, which are all packaged together to make this feature. The back of the box says "Total Running Time: Approc. 75 Minuites." By total running time, the mean with special features. The film is only 45 minuites, and the bonus "South of the Border With Disney" was a television show he did. If you are not a Disney fan, I don't recomend this film to you, because it is not like the other well known animated films you are used to. The picture and sound are not very good. Disney didn't feel the need to tough it up because hardley anyone knew of it's existance.
3 Greetings Friends...
This rather cute collection of four Disney cartoons are kinda interconnected with a travelogue of South America that is very dated by today's standards, but entertaining nevertheless.
The best of the four cartoons is "El Gaucho Goofy". Previously unavailable on DVD, "Gaucho Goofy" is Goofy at his all time best. Watch the bit with the bolas - simply hilarious.
The next best is "Pedro". The story of the little airplane that could (think "The Little Engine That Could" with wings) is very good at telling a story - and you almost believe for a moment that Pedro didn't get through the Andes.
Next best is "Lake Titicaca". This hilarious romp with Donald Duck fighting a reluctant Llama (could this be the inspiration for "The Emperor's New Groove"?) will leave most anyone laughing.
Finally, there's "Aquarela do Brasil" - probably closest to the material that links the four stories and introducing the great Jose Carioca.
It's kind of a mystery to me why Disney considers this mixture of animation with live-action to be a "canon" movie. It's simply a collection of four Disney cartoons joined together with a live-action look at travelling in parts of South America.
The supplementary material, about Disney artists travelling in South America is a nice addition to the material on this disc, and also helps explain that this material is presented as a courtesy to the Office of Inter-American Affairs.
The interconnecting material that tries to tie together these four Disney cartoons is sadly dated, and is live-action and not animation. It also does not do near as good a job at tying together the various cartoons as "Three Caballeros" would later do.
An entertaining look at what movie theaters used to do - provide news, travel info, and cartoons together and all for a dime. But not recommended for anything but Disney purists.
4 Great Film for Disney Fans
An enchanting product of the Good Neighbor policy with Latin America, Saludos Amigos gives viewers a nostalgic trip back. The film chronicles the good will tour Walt Disney and his animators made to Latin America in 1941. Footage of Walt and company on their trip tie the four cartoons that make up this feature (Lake Titicaca staring Donald Duck, Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy, and Aquarela do Brasil). The four cartoons are cleaver and very well done in the Disney tradition, staring existing Disney favorites such as Donald Duck and Goofy, and new characters such as Pedro the airplane and Jose Carioca (the last of which would go on to appear with Donald in two other features during the 1940s). However, it is truly the live action at the artists finding inspiration that elevates the film to more than just a collection of four shorts. Also included with the film is a travelogue entitled "South of the Boarder with Walt Disney" which includes even more footage of Disney and company and their travels in South America. To any Disney fan, this is a hidden gem and a nostalgic treasure.
5 "Dad. What is this stuff?" ONLY FOR HARDCORES!!
If they could get rid of all the useless "educational" stuff about South America, the 4 short cartoons would be worth having. But you will need to endure the live action snoozers which are woefully out of date. South America is depicted as paradise without mention of the struggling economies and millions of poor people who live there. My daughter (4 and a half) urged me to quickly fast forward through the boring stuff. Rent it and then decide if it's worth the price for 4 little toons.
It's amazing how people will say this review is not helpful when it only speaks the truth. MY DAUGHTER COULD NOT STAND SITTING THROUGH MOST OF THIS!!! I could barely stand it myself. My wife, a teacher, thought it was mind numbing. I'm a fan of Disney animation, and what little animation they have in this one is good, but, again, you will need to endure some painful "home movies". YES, DISNEY MADE SOME BAD MOVIES!!!
6 Anouther censored piece of art.
Disney felt they had to censor Goofy's smoking. Like some idiot is really going to start smoking because of a cartoon. The reason I like old films is because they are from a time when the world wasn't PC. I hope someday in the future Disney releases an uncut version. The same way the release Dragonball. Edited version & uncut version
7 A Very Charming Little Picture...Not Dull and Boring
While most of the reviews have been critical of this 1943 "package feature", it is really cute and informational. It is a Disney classic, featuring the animation of many classic artists and animators, such as Mary Blair, Fred Moore, Norm Ferguson, Les Clark, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball and others. It is the first feature which combines live action with animation, and would pave the way for other features to come, such as "Mary Poppins", "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", and many others.
"Saludos Amigos" is comprised of 4 shorts, "Lake Titicaca", "Pedro", "El Gaucho Goofy", and "Aquarela De Brasil". Many classic Disney characters are included, including the slapstick Goofy and Donald Duck. New characters are introduced, which include Jose Carioca, the samba dancing friend of Donald.
There is also an array of bonus features, including an original theatrical trailer from 1943, and a documentary on the making of the film, which displays many of the films' crew members at work.
Overall, I think this is a very charming feature film.
8 Disappointing, short, and dull...
This is bottom of the barrel Disney. A 42-minute puff piece for Latin America, it contains only four animated sequences, only two of which ("Lake Titicaca" & "El Gaucho Goofy") are moderately entertaining. The rest is dreadful, live-action travelogue fodder, the kind of thing you sat through in elementary school assemblies back in the 1950s. There's another endless live-action short about Disney's crew gathering local color (which has to be added to the so called "feature" to get the 75 minute running time on the box info). Both of these films should have been added as bonuses to THE THREE CABALLEROS disc. Though the Disney completists may drool over this long-lost film finally being released, kids and most adults will find most of it painful to sit through. A snore.
9 Disney's "Package Feature" era begins with "Saludos Amigos"
I was not really fimiliar with Walt's "Package Features" until their DVD release. "Saludos Amigos", Disney's 6th feature for the first time on DVD, is the first of these features, a style that Walt wouln't abandon until "Cinderella".
Since this movie is considered one of Disney's "Classic Films", it would make it the shortest one ever (45 minutes), but don't let the short time put you off, it is actually a very good length to tell the stories of the film.
"Saludos Amigos" is split into 4 animated stories, with some live action intros in between, all taking place in South America. The first, and the best one, is Donald Duck's "Lake Titicaca", where the feathered tourist explores the lake and the town arround it, with some comical twists, narrated all the way through. "El Gaucho Goofy" is a funny story, of transplanting a Texas Cowboy (Goofy), in the middle of South America. The other subjects are "Pedro", the story of a determined plane, and "Aquarelo Do Brasil" where we meet Joe Carioca.
The film on the whole has more of a documentary tone, giving us insight on South America ("The Three Caballeros" focuses more on Mexico).
The Gold Collection DVD, has a great documentary which shows us Walt Disney's trip to South America, and the development of the film.
10 Old Tyme...i.e.The Best....Disney!!
Congratulations to the politically correct pinheads at present-day Disney. I'm sure that you're decision to remove the few seconds of Goofy smoking (and the digital removal of Pecos Bill's cigarette in 'Melody Time') will stamp out worldwide lung cancer forever! If I can just get over the disgusting idea of how these clowns mess with the classics, I thoroughly enjoy what's left. "Saludos Amigos" gets ragged out by a lot of people as being inferior to "Three Caballeros" but it's great fun in it's own way. Basically a travelog of Latin America...even all the cartoons are narrated...I find it historically fascinating. The four 'toons are great! Usually Disney stuff is warm and fuzzy as opposed to really funny, but El Goucho Goofy has a Tex Avery feel to it and it made me laugh. There's some really neat music too("Brazil", "Tico, Tico"). More Disney for adults than kids, except for "Pedro The Airplane" which is just a bit too cute for me. The supplementary short subject, which shows Walt and his gang of animators and musicians travelling around South America gleaning information and inspiration for the feature that followed, suffers in quality visually...but it is really interesting and the end gag is marvelous. It's great to see these famous animators at work both on the ground, and flying over the Andes....sniffing oxygen from a tube. Check out the old-tyme fashions, cars, buses, cameras...and the great heads! I definately recommend this disc. Put it on your shelf next to "Melody Time", "Three Caballeros" and "Make Mine Music".
11 Fair Disney movie
Being a fan of the Three Cabalerros I was excited to hear that this movie would finally be available on home video minus a previous laser disc release. This movie was slightly a dissappointment. Not because of the film, just its length. 42 minutes just doesn't constitute as a feature for me. Other than that squabble, I enjoyed it. The DVD transfer is sharp and clear once again in the animation scenes, but the live action 16mm stuff is grainy but will probably will never look better. The extra "South of the Border" featurette is a nice addition but it reuses a lot of the material from the feature. Losing 2 seconds of footage of Goofy smoking is really no big deal to me, if Disney wants to "protect" children, whatever, it doesn't change the plot and is really insignificant.
12 mmmm... Interesting... actually quite entertaining too.
My young kids enjoy Saludos Amigos just as much as any other Disney offering. Indeed, its format of short animations loosely linked by live footing describing the Disney team's ventures in South America is well suited to them in not requireing a full hour's sustained attention.
Speaking for myself, I find it extremely interesting, over and above its entertainment value. There are lots of small incidental details that illustrate the difference between life in the mid-twentieth and early twentyfirst century, one of the first being when they mentioned their three day flight from the US to Rio.
Visually and aurally, given the age of the feature, the quality is excellent. The restoration team have done an outstanding job, particularly on the animated sections. Josˇ Karioka is a particularly vibrant character visually and Donald Duck sounds great. However, in this day of Dolby Surround Sound with everything, the mono soundtrack is very noticeable (but you can't change history).
There are at least some extras. In this area Disney is (slowly) improving but I guess we'll have to wait for a 'Collector's Edition' before we really get the extras we want (i.e. a selection of such background material as is still available, such as discarded clips, interviews, early artwork etc.). But for a relatively minor feature such as this that could be many years away.
Overall? Well it's not in the same league as contemporaries such as its predecessor Bambi but is certainly the match of anything subsequently released in the forties. The animation has more in common with Disney's shorts than his films. It's different and that alone makes it worth checking out.
13 Politically correct = Insanity
Just to (maybe) give the last reviewers some hint about Disney's motive: I think they don't want to be sued alongside with Marlboro & al. 45 years from now when the present viewers will look for some entertainment (and some more money for their lawyers) during their old days, by making somebody else responsible for their choices. By the way, G. Orwell (1984) thought only the communists were prone to alter history so it suits what they wanted you to know/believe.
14 Disappointing release
Being a fan of all Disney animated cartoons and features, I regret to say that I was quite disappointed by this release. The problem isn't with the subject matter, but with what's actually on the DVD. As an earler reviewer mentioned, scenes were cut in which characters were seen smoking. I have to ask why? (Espcially when they leave in a scene which shows a "young" airplane drinking gasoline). What else was removed from the movie that we don't know about? In the bonus material they mention two other characters, an armadillo and a burro, which weren't part of the feature. Were they originally? I recall seeing the burro character as a child while watching the Wonderful World of Disney on NBC. Maybe an expert on Disney movies could enlighten us.
Disney, let parents decide what their children should watch. Remain true to the original films.
15 A good Disney film, but not an essential one
SALUDOS AMIGOS is an obscure Disney film from 1943. Even though it is offically marketed and promoted by the studio as its 6th animated feature, it has many live-action or non-animated segments. The animated "shorts" mixed into the film are entertaining, but the live-action "documentary" sequences get tiresome after a while and are very dated by today's standards. And since SALUDOS AMIGOS is only 42 minutes long, it just barely qualifies as a feature film.
SALUDOS AMIGOS is a very average Disney film from the studio's golden era, and time hasn't been as kind to it as it has been to many of its other animated films.
16 Disney history - not a family entertainment DVD!
As a product of wartime material, this 'package' film (a number of bits and bobs) was not an ideal format for Disney artists, but it was a way of putting together a feature-length release at a time when wartime shortages and economic pressures made true features impractical. Although made after the war, this is a Disney money-saving effort of that time which is much lesser now. In all honesty it's ironic that something which was once money saving has been turned around by the very same company to become money-making! HOWEVER, I love Disney and would say that those interested in the progression of Disney material would benefit. It wouldn't make a great long-term entertainer for children though.
17 A favorite from Disney, but too many ads.
For many Disney may mean quality family entertainment, but after purchasing Saludos Amigos on "Disney DVD" it also means watching a string of ads. Skipping the ads is a painful process that I shouldn't have to go through. Each ad must be skipped over, there is no way to just put in the disk and start watching the film. Each time the disk is played the ads will play as well. After paying for the disk why should I have to watch ads, I just want to watch the movie. The advertising doesn't seem to lower the price of the product. In my opinion this tarnishes an otherwise good film and I hope Disney tries to be a little more consumer friendly with its future releases. I am also sad Disney felt it necessary to edit the film.
18 Way too short for the price
The packaging says 75 minutes, the film is 45. For such a short movie, it sure is expensive. Maybe its 75 minutes with all the previews they put before the movie even begins. This is for diehard Disney fans.
19 Disney gem!
This is great and one of the classic Disney hits I'm pleased, as a collector, to see come out on DVD! There's no escape from having to say that the 'film' is odd, but it's a great entertainer which you can watch over and over again without ANYONE moaning! The animation is great and the extras you get make it well worth its price. Kids and adults will have great fun. A must-have DVD!
20 Disappointing New Arrival
Though this is the first time this movie has been released to VHS and DVD, the release is marred by Disney's unscrupulous editing of scenes in which Goofy and Joe Carioca are seen smoking. If you don't mind paying Disney to cut their cartoons, go ahead and buy. Otherwise, wait for the unedited versions.
21 WONDERFULL!
Im sooo glad disney is taking this out of the vault! it belongs in the home of every disney collector! Its the shortest Disney animated feature, but It is also very entertaining! :)
