The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American animated musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944, and was released in the United States on February 3, 1945 and in the United Kingdom that May. The seventh animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon, as well as the first animated Disney film to be a sequel (to Saludos Amigos), and the first Disney film to combine live actors with animated characters, it plots an adventure through parts of Latin America. It is the second of the Disney package films of the 1940s.
The film is plotted as a series of self-contained segments, strung together by the device of Donald Duck opening birthday gifts from his Latin American friends. Several Latin American stars of the period appear, including singers (sister of ) and , and dancer .
The film was produced as part of the studio's good will message for South America, but is less obviously propagandistic than many of its wartime productions. The film again stars Donald Duck, who in the course of the film is joined by old friend, José Carioca, the cigar-smoking parrot from Saludos Amigos, representing Brazil, and later makes a new friend in the persona of a pistol-packing rooster Panchito Pistoles, representing Mexico.
It was severely edited and re-released in featurette form on April 15, 1977 to accompany a re-issue of Never a Dull Moment.
==Plot==
The film consists of several segments, connected by a common theme. In it, it is Donald Duck's birthday, and he receives three presents from friends in Latin America. The first one is a film projector, which shows him a few animated scenes. He learns about a penguin that wants to live on a tropical island, a winged donkey, and a documentary on tropical birds. During the documentary, he learns about the Aracuan Bird.
The second present is a book given to Donald by José Carioca himself. It tells of Salvador, the capital city of Bahia (spelled "Baía" in the film), which is one of Brazil's 26 states. José shrinks them both down so that they can enter the book. They meet up with several of the locals, who start dancing. Donald ends up pining for one girl. After the journey, Donald and José leave the book.
Upon returning, Donald realizes that he is too small to open his third present. José shows him how to use magic to return himself to the proper size. After opening it, he meets Panchito Pistoles, a native of Mexico. They take the name "The Three Caballeros" and have a short celebration. Panchito then gives Donald's present, a piñata. He tells him of the tradition behind the piñata. José and Panchito then blindfold him and have him attempt to break open the piñata, which eventually reveals many surprises. The celebration ends with him being fired away by firecrackers in the shape of a bull.
Throughout the film, the Aracuan Bird appears at random moments. He usually pesters everyone, sometimes stealing José's cigar. His most famous gag is when he re-routes the train by drawing new tracks. He later returns in Melody Time.
===Film segments===
The film's segments include:
*The Cold-Blooded Penguin: It involves a penguin named Pablo, reproducing images of the penguins of Punta Tombo in Argentina along the coast of Patagonia, "Pablo the penguin" is so fed up with the freezing conditions of the South Pole that he decides to leave for warmer climates.
*The Flying Gauchito: Tells the adventures of a little boy from Uruguay and his winged donkey, Burrito. It is believed the donkey is modeled after hefty Latin lover Don Juan De Gama.
*Baía: It involves a pop-up book trip through Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia, as Donald Duck and José Carioca meet up with some of the locals who dance a lively samba and Donald starts pining for one of the females, played by singer Aurora Miranda.
*Las Posadas: The story of a group of Mexican children who celebrated Christmas by re-enacting the journey of Mary and Joseph, searching for room at an inn. "Posada" means "inn", and they are told "no posada" at each house until they come to one where they are offered shelter in a stable. This leads to festivities including the breaking of the piñata, which in turn leads to Donald Duck trying to break it as well.
*Mexico: Pátzcuaro, Veracruz and Acapulco: Panchito gives Donald and José a tour of Mexico on a flying sarape. Several Mexican dances and songs are learned here. Donald seems to be a "wolf" to the ladies again, and tries to gain their affections, but fails.
*You Belong to My Heart: The skies of Mexico result in Donald falling in love with a singing woman. The lyrics in the song itself play parts in the scenarios as to what is happening as well.
*Donald's Surreal Reverie: A kiss, or several to be exact, lead to Donald going into the phrase "Love is a drug." This scene is similar to "Pink Elephants on Parade", for being a major "trippy" scene. Donald constantly envisions sugar rush colors, flowers, and Panchito and José popping in at the worst of moments. The scene changes after Donald manages to dance with a girl from the state of Oaxaca, from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. They dance to the song "La Sandunga." The girl begins by singing the song, with Donald "quacking" out the rest of the chorus. The "drunkness" slows down for a moment, but speeds up again when a Mexican girl uses a conductor's stick to make cacti do just about anything while dancing "Jesusita en Chihuahua", a Mexican Revolution trademark song. The scene is interrupted when Panchito and José spice things up, and Donald ends up battling a toy bull with wheels on its legs. The catch is that it's loaded with firecrackers and other explosives.
==Production==
===Influence===
The 's song "" was featured in a Disney short called Pluto's Blue Note (1947). It was later recorded by Bing Crosby. The 's song "Baia" and the title song became popular hit tunes in the 1940s. The complete "Baia" sequence was cut from the 1977 theatrical reissue of the film.
Some clips from this film were used in the "Welcome to Rio" portion of the Mickey Mouse Disco music video.
Don Rosa wrote two sequels in 2000 and 2006. As of September 2006, Panchito and José Carioca, have returned at Walt Disney World where they used to appear for meet and greets. They can only be found outside the Mexico pavilion in World Showcase at Epcot. Donald also appears with them.
==Cast and characters==
*Clarence Nash - Donald Duck (also dubbed the Spanish and Portuguese versions)
*José Oliveira - José Carioca
*Joaquin Garay - Panchito Pistoles
*Aurora Miranda - Yaya
*Carmen Molina
*Dora Luz
*Sterling Holloway - Narrator (The Cold-Blooded Penguin)
*Frank Graham - Narrator
*Fred Shields - Narrator (The Flying Gauchito)
*Nestor Amarale
*Almirante
*Trío Calaveras
*Trío Ascencio del Río
*Padua Hills Player
*Carlos Ramírez (singing voice) - Mexico
*Pinto Colvig - Aracuan Bird
==Promo Gallery==
Three-Caballeros-Poster-disney-10298671-420-584.jpg
TC RR poster.jpg|1977 reissue poster
Belgian TC Poster.jpg|Belgian poster
French TC Poster.jpg|French poster
Second French TC Poster.jpg|Second French poster
German TC Poster.jpg|German poster
Italian TC Poster.jpeg|Italian poster
Russian TC Poster.jpg|Russian poster
Swedish TC Poster.jpg|Swedish poster
Movieposter.png
3CAB.jpg|Home video release artwork (2015 - Eric Heintz)|link=http://www.ericheintzimaging.com/saludos-amigos-the-three-caballeros/
3 cab d23 shot.jpg
3 caballeros old yeller jpn promo.png|Promo from Japanese release (as supporting feature to Old Yeller)
Disney The Three Caballeros.jpg
==Release==
===Critical response===
The film received mixed reviews when it was released. In his book, The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life, Steven Watts explains that most critics were relatively perplexed by "the technological razzle-dazzle" of the film, thinking that, in contrast to the previous feature films up to that time, it "displayed more flash than substance, more technique than artistry." Bosley Crowther for one wrote in The New York Times, "Dizzy Disney and his playmates have let their technical talents run wild." Other reviewers were taken aback by the sexual dynamics of it, particularly the idea of Donald Duck lusting towards live-action women. As The New Yorker put it in a negative review of it, such a concept "is one of those things that might disconcert less squeamish authorities than the Hays office. It might even be said that a sequence involving the duck, the young lady, and a long alley of animated cactus plants would probably be considered suggestive in a less innocent medium." Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 88% of the critics gave it a positive review based on 15 reviews.
===Television===
For the film's television premiere, The Three Caballeros aired as the ninth episode of the first season of ABC's Disneyland television series. Edited, shortened, and retitled A Present For Donald for this December 22, 1954, broadcast and subsequent re-runs, Donald receives gifts from his friends for Christmas, instead of for his birthday as in the original.
===Theatrical re-release===
The film was severely edited and re-released in featurette form on January 13, 1977, to accompany a re-issue of Never a Dull Moment. Specifically, the entire "Baía" sequence was cut.
===Home video===
*1982 (VHS and Beta)
*1987 (VHS and Beta)
*October 28, 1994 (VHS and Laserdisc)
*1995 (Laserdisc - Exclusive Archive Collection)
*May 2, 2000 (VHS and DVD)
*April 29, 2008 (DVD - Classic Caballeros Collection)
*January 30, 2018 (Blu-ray - Disney Movie Club Exclusive)
==International release==
Country	Title 	Distributor	Date of release
Japan 	三人の騎士 	Daiei Film 	March 10, 1959
==Other media==
The title characters also appear in some of Disney's themed resorts, such as Disney's Coronado Springs Resort where one can find topiary of them, and Disney's All-Star Music Resort where a fountain depicting the trio is the centerpiece of the Guitar-shaped Calypso Pool.
In February 2001, José and Panchito appeared in several episodes of House of Mouse.
In April 2007, the film became the basis for a ride at the Mexican pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot named Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.
In June 2018, a TV series Legend of the Three Caballeros was released on the DisneyLife app in the Philippines, and is now currently available for streaming on Disney+ as of 2019. The series serves as a reboot of The Three Caballeros franchise, centering on Panchito, José and Donald finding themselves inheritors of a heroic legacy and resuming their ancestors' quest with the aid of a valiant Greek goddess.
All three of the Caballeros reunite in Ducktales 2017's "The Town Where Everyone Was Nice!" (season 2, episode 4) and continue to reappear throughout the show's run, including featuring José and Panchito singing a version of the happy birthday song in the show's finale, "The Last Adventure!". Donald Duck is portrayed by Tony Anselmo, Arturo Del Puerto as Panchito Pistoles, and Bernardo De Paula as José Carioca. 
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*The film's copyright was renewed on November 10, 1971.Catalog of Copyright Entries
*Saludos Amigos is Disney's first animated film to become a franchise.
*During the titular song, when the line "we have the stars to guide us" is sung, both José and Panchito's mouths are synched to the words, but only Panchito is singing the line. It is unknown if this was an error. However, they are both heard singing in the Spanish dub.
*Although he is identified in the opening credits, Panchito never introduces himself to Donald and José by name, which is never spoken throughout the film. Additionally, he is only identified as Panchito in the opening credits, omitting his last name, while José and Donald's last names are listed.
*The Acapulco beach sequence was not shot on location. It was filmed in the parking lot of the Disney studio. B-roll footage of the sequence can be found here.
*The 1974 reissue of the Feliz Navidad cartoon was featured on the 1985 VHS of The Small One.
*Silhouettes of Mickey and Pluto can be seen in "The Cold-Blooded Penguin" sequence on a "sand bucket" used by the penguins at the "beach".
==Videos==
The Three Caballeros 1945 Trailer-2|Original 1945 Theatrical Trailer
The Three Caballeros (1993, UK VHS Promo)|Video Trailer in the UK (circa 1993)
==References==
==External links==
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ar:الفرسان الثلاثة (فيلم ١٩٤٤)
da:The Three Caballeros
es:Los Tres Caballeros
fr:Les Trois Caballeros
it:I tre caballeros
ja:三人の騎士
nl:De Drie Caballeros
pl:Trzej Caballeros
pt-br:Você Já Foi à Bahia?
ru:Три кабальеро
zh:西班牙三紳士
Category:Disney animated features canon
Category:1944 films
Category:Anthology films
Category:Hybrid films
Category:Disney films
Category:Animated films
Category:The Three Caballeros
Category:Traditionally Animated Films
Category:G-rated films
Category:Mickey's Philharmagic
Category:Live-action films
Category:Academy Award nominated films
Category:Sequel films