The Three Caballeros
Voices of: Fred Shields (narrator), Clarence Nash, Joaquin Garay, Jose Oliveira, Pinto Colvig
Directed by: Norman Ferguson
Rating: Approved
Genre: Animation, Comedy
1945

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Donald Duck receives presents for his birthday and goes on a trip throughout Latin America.

Review:
Tim: I sat down, intrigued to watch The Three Caballeros. It's the second "package film" of this era for Disney and it's the most well-known. I thought Saludos Amigos was a decent, but flawed movie. I was excited to see how this one would improve on that first attempt. Unfortunately, outside of the impressive technical aspects of the film, this felt like an inferior movie in every way. I struggled to stay interested throughout the movie. I know there's things to like about this movie, but I am not a fan.

Let's start with the technical side, which is the big positive. This is the first feature film to combine animation with live action. I have to say, visually, those scenes are incredible. You can imagine audiences in 1945, unused to seeing such sights on the movie screens- it must have been jaw-dropping. My five year-old son loved these visuals- "Are they really there, in real life?" he asked. The way live action and animation are combined here is truly incredible and it's the biggest reason to seek out this movie.

The music is good, too. It likely helped introduce Latin American music and culture to American audiences. You have to appreciate Disney embracing a different culture like this. This film was nominated for two Academy Awards- Best Sound, Recording; and Best Musical Score. As I said, technically, this film is strong.

The problem lies in the lack of narrative. I get the concept of a package film, and I appreciate the various looks into Latin America. However, the various segments are held together by the thinnest of threads. As the movie progresses, you realize that there's no grand vision, no larger point to the story. Donald's birthday is just a narrative device to sort of explain why we're spending time darting around Latin America. At the beginning of the film, this works, but as the movie progresses, we needed more to hold our attention. The movie eventually becomes almost a fever dream- I lost track of what was real, what was imagined, what it was supposed to be. You get lost in the movie and it feels like it's just swirling around, image after image of Latin American culture with no momentum, no end point in mind. As the film progressed, I became more and more disengaged. Besides being a "love letter" to Latin America, I couldn't see any compelling reason to care about the events on screen.

My five year-old son liked the movie better than I did. He got caught up in the music, the colors, and the dancing. His favorite parts where when Donald was doing a silly dance, or something crazy happened to him. He'd laugh during those scenes. We watched the movie over two sittings and while he was never transfixed, he was more engaged than not. That's probably the best way to watch the movie- just lose yourself in the stylish aspects of the film.

Unfortunately for me as an adult, I need substance in movies as well. The Three Caballeros was severely lacking here. I was more forgiving of Saludos Amigos because it was the first package film. That one also gave some decent segments and I enjoyed the self-contained stories there. This movie starts out similarly- the story of Pablo the Penguin seeking warmer climates actually worked and was enjoyable. However, eventually the movie abandons the narrative for dancing and music and craziness and it's not a lot of fun to watch. I appreciate the technical aspects of this film, but this isn't a movie I want to revisit.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Saludos Amigos