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Saludos Amigos is an anthology film released by Disney during World War II. It is comprised of four different shorts all set in different countries of Latin America (Bolivia, Perú, Chile, Argentina, Brazil) and features characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, as well as the introduction of José Carioca, a Brazilian parrot.
The film segments are interspersed with brief live-action segments featuring real-life Disney animators as they travel to Latin America and interact with locals to take inspiration for the film. This gives you a bit of an idea of how the segments unfold, which is more as an American's interpretation of Latin American life, than Latin American life itself.
The truth is that the film was commissioned by the US Department of Defense itself as one of many efforts to strengthen ties with Latin America in order to counteract the potential influence of Nazi Germany in the region. This is not inherently bad, but it does show how there have always been ulterior motives behind artistic expressions.
Regardless of the reasons for its inception, the film has its moments. The Pedro segment, which follows a young antropomorphic plane on a dangerous air mail mission, is charming while the final segment, Aquarela do Brasil, is colorful and full of neat music. Unfortunately, there is little to no cohesion between each segment which makes it all feel like what it is: a crowd of cartoonists turned loose.
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SALUDOS AMIGOS
(1942, Various)
(1942, Various)
"This is what can happen to a big city when a crowd of cartoonists are turned loose."
Saludos Amigos is an anthology film released by Disney during World War II. It is comprised of four different shorts all set in different countries of Latin America (Bolivia, Perú, Chile, Argentina, Brazil) and features characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, as well as the introduction of José Carioca, a Brazilian parrot.
The film segments are interspersed with brief live-action segments featuring real-life Disney animators as they travel to Latin America and interact with locals to take inspiration for the film. This gives you a bit of an idea of how the segments unfold, which is more as an American's interpretation of Latin American life, than Latin American life itself.
The truth is that the film was commissioned by the US Department of Defense itself as one of many efforts to strengthen ties with Latin America in order to counteract the potential influence of Nazi Germany in the region. This is not inherently bad, but it does show how there have always been ulterior motives behind artistic expressions.
Regardless of the reasons for its inception, the film has its moments. The Pedro segment, which follows a young antropomorphic plane on a dangerous air mail mission, is charming while the final segment, Aquarela do Brasil, is colorful and full of neat music. Unfortunately, there is little to no cohesion between each segment which makes it all feel like what it is: a crowd of cartoonists turned loose.
Grade: