The One That Headed South of the Border
In early 1941, before the USA had entered WW2, the US Department of State commissioned a Disney goodwill tour of South America, intended to lead to a movie being shown through the Americas from Canada to Argentina as part of the “Good Neighbour Policy. This was done because several Latin American countries had close ties with Nazi Germany and the US wanted to sever, or at least counteract, those ties.
Luckily, Mickey Mouse was very popular in Latin America and so Walt was asked to act as ambassador. So he, with 20 of his artists, musicians & writers who weren’t on strike, took a trip through Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. And upon coming home, it was agreed that Disney would produce a live action/animated package film which he called “Saludos Amigos” ("Greetings, Friends" for those who don’t speak Spanish), which was a documentary of the trip intermingled with four cartoon shorts, showcasing some of the best sites of South America.
THE PLOT
Firstly, we join Donald Duck as he visits Lake Titicaca, which is situated in the Andes pretty much right smack on the border between Bolivia & Peru. 190 kilometres wide, just over three kilometres above sea level. Where we meet, not only some of the incredibly hardy Inca people who have lived there for several generations, but also a somewhat snooty llama.
Secondly, we visit Santiago, Chile, where we meet Pedro, an anthropomorphic mail plane who, when his dad is out of action, is forced to fly the mail route between Santiago and Mendoza, Argentina and pick up the mail and bring it back safely.
Thirdly, we see Goofy as a North American cowboy, who is quickly whisked down to the pampas of Argentina to learn the ways of the native gaucho, the skilled horsemen of 19th century South America.
Finally, Donald Duck heads down to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and meets Josè Carioca, an anthropomorphic parrot voiced by Josè Oliveira who just shows him a damn good time in what looks to be the party capital of the world, set to the tune of Aquarelo do Brazil (A Watercolour of Brazil), which is still one of the biggest hits IN Brazil.
The four shorts in this film seem to be more concerned about education on Latin American culture than telling any definite stories. From a millennial view, it plays more like a tourism advertisement than a film. But for audiences of those days, it was positively riveting.
It incoporates live-action doco footage shot on location to introduce North American audiences to South America. Especially the booming skyscrapers and the fashionably dressed people of Buenos Aires. Western audiences just hadn’t seen this until then. And this film would help to change attitudes towards Latin America. A noted film historian once said this film "did more to cement a community interest between peoples of the Americas in mere months than the State Department did in fifty years”. I daresay if this film had come out within the last four years, old Trump would have an ANEURYSM over it.
Plus, the film also did alot to help everyone working at Disney to work on their skills while the studio was basically in a holding pattern for the next decade. Walt couldn’t afford to make anything other than shorts for a while so this was a perfect outlet film for people with nothing else to do. Apparently, everyone on the trip was inspired by South America, especially the bold colours in art and fashion. And this trip would influence their work for years to come.
Saludos Amigos had its premiere in Rio in August 24th, 1942, with similtaneous openings in seven different cinemas across the city. Then in premiered in Buenos Aires a few months later. The wives of both respective presidents attended and sponsored the premieres. And while there are no official box office numbers, the movie reportedly sold out across the whole continet for the next six months.
Finally, on Feb 6, 1943, it premiered in Boston before a wide release on the 19th. Again, no offical box office numbers, but apparently the film did gangbusters up North too, where it was used as an escape film to take a cinematic holiday in Rio. At 1944 Oscars, it was nominated for Best Sound Recording, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Original Song for the title track. Personally I disagree with that last nomination; I think there are better songs in the movie than that.
MY VERDICT
So, obviously, at barely over 40 minutes, this film was never going to compete with the quality, substance or style of its predecessors, but for what it is, I think it does its job quite admirably. Having said that, it’s definitely a product of a desperate time and very well highlights a desperate situation. Walt and his men were just doing the best they could with the very little they had. And I think the package film idea was a genius use of resources that kept the studio going until they could truly get back on their feet. Plus, it exists solely to improve the USA’s view on South America and in that regard, it was a HUGE success.
Is Saludos Amigos a Classic? It served its purpose in 1943, but doesn’t have everything a true Classic requires.
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