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Saludos Amigos

Rating

Director

Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Ham Luske, Bill Roberts

Screenplay

Ted Sears, William Cottrell, Webb Smith, Homer Brightman, Ralph Wright, Roy Williams, Harry Reeves, Dick Huemer, Joe Grant

Length

42m

Starring

Fred Shields, José Oliveira, Lee Blair, Mary Blair, Stuart Buchanan, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney, Norman Ferguson, June Foray, Frank Graham, Clarence Nash, Frank Thomas

MPAA Rating

Passed (National Board of Review)

Review

From the minute “Fantasia” became a success on screen, Disney began a long line of episodic animated feature. “Saludos Amigos” is a pathetic blend of animated sequences packaged in a travelogue.

First up is a mildly funny excursion with Donald Duck on Lake Titicaca. His signature slapstick weaves around a peaceful mountain town and onto the gentle surface of Titicaca. There’s little to celebrate in this unusually tepid segment.

The second segment falls out of the travelogue format by telling the tale of a dangerous mountain, a blaring snowstorm and a child-like mail plane. The little tyke, reminiscent of the engine that could, takes on a mail delivery assignment when his father is ill. He successfully arrives at his destination and picks up his charge and then manages to get into trouble on the way home.

The third segment follows pop figure Goofy into his new life as a gaucho on the Argentinean Pampas. While the gaucho is an interesting figure, too much time is spent on the fumbling antics of Goofy as one.

The final segment is an impressionistic samba entitled “Portrait of Brasil.” Jose Carioca, a small bird created specifically for the film and later seen in “Three Caballeros.” His job is to take the audience on a musical tour of Rio de Janeiro with cousin Donald Duck along for the ride.

While it might have seemed like an interesting idea for a feature, but manages to be a pitiful disappointment and a waste of lots of brilliant colors. “Saludos” is more of an experimentation than a film. Disney would eventually produce numerous travelogues for various tourist destinations.

“Saludos Amigos” has moments, but they are so infrequent, that you find yourself wondering why it couldn’t have been a short film as opposed to a full-length feature, even with its 42-minute length. The disjointed narrative and slow pace are just a few of the film’s many problems.

Perhaps if “Amigos” had been the first full-length Disney film, there would have been an excuse, but it was the sixth. With such wonderful films as “Snow White,” “Fantasia” and “Bambi” preceding it, it’s should come as no surprise that Disney’s animation division lost its dignity and popularity in the 1940s, only to be revived with the release of “Cinderella” in 1950.

“Saludos Amigos” is a good film for young children as it exposes them to an alien culture, but if you’re looking for a Walt Disney Classic, this isn’t the film for you. Try any of the movies that have one storyline and you’ll find an entertaining and enriching experience that just isn’t here.

Review Written

August 22, 2000