The Three Caballeros is a 1944 American live-action/animatedmusicalanthology film produced byWalt Disney and released byRKO Radio Pictures. The film premiered inMexico City on December 21, 1944, and was released in the United States on February 3, 1945. It was later released in the United Kingdom in March 1945.
The film celebrates the tenth anniversary ofDonald Duck and follows his journey through Latin America, combining live-action with traditional animation. It is the second of the sixpackage films released byWalt Disney Productions during the 1940s, followingSaludos Amigos (1942), and is one of the earliest feature films to blend live-action and animation.[3]
The narrative is presented through a series of self-contained segments, linked by the framing device of Donald receiving birthday gifts from his Latin American friends. Featured performers includeAurora Miranda (sister ofCarmen Miranda),Dora Luz, andCarmen Molina.
The film was developed as part of the studio's contribution to the U.S.Good Neighbor policy toward Latin America duringWorld War II.[4] Donald is joined by returning characterJosé Carioca from Brazil and a new companion, the pistol-toting roosterPanchito Pistoles from Mexico.
The film, celebrating Donald Duck's 10th anniversary, consists of seven segments, each connected by a common theme. In the film, it isDonald Duck's birthday (namely Friday the 13th), and he receives three presents from friends inLatin America. The first present is afilm projector, which shows him a documentary about birds called"Aves Raras". The first segment of the documentary tells the story of Pablo, a penguin seeking the warm weather of Equatorial South America. The next segment details some of the odd birds of Latin America. During this part of the documentary, he learns about theAracuan Bird, who received his name because of his eccentric song. The documentary then shifts to the perspective of a man narrating a story from his childhood, where he discovers and befriends a donkey with the wings of a condor inUruguay.
The next present is a book given to Donald by José, a native of Brazil. This book tells ofBahia (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. Donald and José meet up with several of the locals, who dance a livelysamba, and Donald ends up pining for one girl Yaya, theQuindim seller, but fails and gets jealous of another man. 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 Donald how to use "black magic" to return himself to the proper size. After opening the present, he meets Panchito, a native of Mexico. The trio take the name "The Three Caballeros" and have a short celebration. Panchito then presents Donald's next present, apiñata. Panchito tells Donald of the tradition behind the piñata. José and Panchito then blindfold Donald, and have him attempt to break open the piñata, eventually revealing many surprises. The celebration draws to a close when Donald is fired away by firecrackers in the shape of a ferocious toy bull (with which thefirecrackers are lit by José with his cigar).
Throughout the film, theAracuan Bird appears at random moments. He usually taunts everyone with his madcap antics, sometimes stealing José's cigar and trying to make José jealous. His most famous gag is when he re-routes a train that Donald and José are riding on by drawing new tracks, causing the train to disassemble.
This segment is narrated bySterling Holloway, reproducing images of the penguins of inAntarctica. In the segment, a penguin named Pablo is so fed up with the freezing conditions of theSouth Pole that he decides to leave his home for warmer climates, navigating the long coast of Chile (including theJuan Fernández Islands andViña del Mar), passing byLima (the capital ofPeru) andQuito (the capital ofEcuador) before landing on theGalápagos Islands.[5]
This segment, with adult narration provided by Fred Shields, involves the adventures of a little boy from Uruguay and a winged donkey, who goes by the name of Burrito (which is Spanish for "little donkey").
This segment involves a pop-up book trip through the Brazilian state ofBahia (spelled Baía in the film), as Donald and José meet up with some of the locals who dance a samba and Donald pining for one of the women, aQuindim seller named Yaya (portrayed by singerAurora Miranda), who later gives Donald a kiss after he gives her a bouquet of flowers.
This is the story of a group of Mexican children who celebratedChristmas by re-enacting the journey ofMary, the mother of Jesus andSaint Joseph searching for room at the inn."Posada" meant "inn", or "shelter", and their parents told them "noposada" at each house until they came to one where they were offered shelter in a stable. This leads to festivities including the breaking of thepiñata, which in turn leads to Donald Duck trying to break hisownpiñata as well.
Panchito gives Donald and José a tour ofMexico City and the country of Mexico on a flyingsarape, or magic carpet. Several Mexican dances and songs are learned here. Later Donald pines for more women, tries to pursue every one he sees and gain return affections, but once more he fails every time and ends up kissing José while blindfolded.
"You Belong to My Heart" and "Donald's Surreal Reverie"
The skies of Mexico City result in Donald falling in love with singerDora Luz. The lyrics in the song itself play parts in the scenarios as well. Then several imagined kisses lead to Donald going into the "Love is a drug" scene. Donald constantly envisions sugar rush colors, flowers, and Panchito and José popping in at the worst moments, making chaos. The scene changes after Donald manages to dance withCarmen Molina from thestate of Oaxaca, from theIsthmus of Tehuantepec. The two dance and sing the song"La Zandunga". Carmen begins by singing the song, with Donald "quacking" out the rest of the chorus with her. The "drunkenness" slows down for a second after Donald multiplies himself while spinning in a circle, but speeds up again when Carmen reappears dressed in aCharro's outfit and uses a horsewhip as a conductor's baton to makecacti appear in many different forms while dancing to"Jesusita en Chihuahua", a trademark song of theMexican Revolution. This scene is notable for providing the masterful combination of live-action and cartoon animation, as well as animation among the cacti.
The scene is interrupted when Panchito and José suddenly spice things up for the finale of the film, and Donald ends up battling the same toy bull with wheels on its legs the day before from earlier. The catch is that it is now loaded with fireworks and other explosives, following with a fireworks finale with the words "The End" exploding from the fireworks, first inSpanish (Fin), in the colors of theflag of Mexico, then the second inPortuguese (Fim), in the colors of theflag of Brazil, and finally in English, in the colors of theflag of the United States (The End).
The first Disney product of this propaganda program was the animated filmSaludos Amigos in 1942. This film introduced the characterJosé Carioca—a Brazilian businessman taking the form of a parrot—who led Donald Duck around South America.[7][8][9] The next major film wasThe Three Caballeros which brought together Donald Duck, José Carioca, and a new character from Mexico:Panchito Pistoles, a gun-toting revolutionary rooster.[10] These Disney films were much more successful than previous propaganda efforts.[7]
The film's world premiere took place in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the United States on February 3, 1945, and in the United Kingdom in March of that year.
The Three Caballeros was re-released in theaters on April 15, 1977. For this re-issue, the film was edited significantly and re-released infeaturette form at 41 minutes, to accompany a re-issue ofNever a Dull Moment.[citation needed]
For the film's television premiere,The Three Caballeros aired as the ninth episode of the first season ofABC'sDisneyland television series. Edited, shortened, and re-titledA 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.[citation needed]
The film returned rentals to RKO by 1951 of $3,355,000 with $1,595,000 being generated in the U.S. and Canada.[2] The film generated in excess of $700,000 in Mexico.[14]
The Three Caballeros received mixed reviews upon its original release. Most critics were relatively perplexed by the "technological razzle-dazzle" of the film, thinking that, in contrast to the previous feature films up to this time, "it displayed more flash than substance, more technique than artistry."[15]Bosley Crowther for one wrote inThe New York Times, "Dizzy Disney and his playmates have let their technical talents run wild."[15] Other reviewers were taken aback by the sexual dynamics of the film, particularly the idea of Donald Duck lusting towards flesh-and-blood women. AsWolcott Gibbs put it[16] in a negative review of the film forThe New Yorker, 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."[17]
The film holds an 84% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews, with an average score of 6.50/10. The site's consensus reads, "One of Disney's more abstract creations,The Three Caballeros is a dazzling, colorful picture that shows the company at an artistic acme."[18]
The title song, "The Three Caballeros", based its melody on"Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!", a Mexican song composed byManuel Esperón with lyrics by Ernesto Cortázar."Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!" was originally released in a 1941 film of the same name, starringJorge Negrete. After seeing Manuel Esperón's success in the Mexican film industry, Walt Disney called him personally to ask him to participate in the film. New English lyrics were written to the song byRay Gilbert.
"Baía" based its melody on the Brazilian song"Na Baixa do Sapateiro" which was written byAry Barroso and first released in 1938. New English lyrics were written by Ray Gilbert. Another Ary Barroso song,"Aquarela do Brasil", was featured in the earlier filmSaludos Amigos with its original Portuguese lyrics.
"Have You Been to Bahia?" was written byDorival Caymmi and was originally released in 1941. The song was translated into English with no major changes, other than replacing the word"nega" (a woman of African descent) with "Donald", to whom the song is addressed in the film. Parts of the song are still sung in its original Portuguese.
"Pandeiro & Flute" was written byBenedito Lacerda, and is played during the Baia train sequence. It is the opinion of Disney's Chief Archivist Emeritus,Dave Smith, that the piece was not written originally for the film, but was instead licensed to Disney; however, he is unaware of any evidence that proves this opinion. The piece was developed by Charles Wolcott, and Lacerda went uncredited in the film.[22][23]
"Os Quindins de Yayá" was written by Ary Barroso and first released in 1941. Unlike Barroso's other song to be featured in this film,"Os Quindins de Yayá" was left in its original Portuguese. The song is sung byAurora Miranda in the film.
"Os Quindins de Yayá" is briefly interrupted byNestor Amaral singing a small portion of"Pregões Cariocas" which was written byBraguinha in 1931. This song was first recorded under the name"Cena Carioca" and came to be known as"Pregões Cariocas" in 1936.
"Mexico" was composed by Charles Wolcott with lyrics by Ray Gilbert and was sung byCarlos Ramírez. It is the only song in the film to be completely original.
The"Jarabe Pateño" was written by Jonás Yeverino Cárdenas in 1900. It is considered one of the most famous compositions from the Mexican state ofCoahuila.[24]
"You Belong to My Heart" based its melody on the Mexican song"Solamente una vez", which was written byAgustín Lara. Like"Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!" and"Na Baixa do Sapateiro", new English lyrics were written to the song by Ray Gilbert.
"La Zandunga" (also spelled"La Sandunga") is a traditional Mexican song and the unofficial anthem of theIsthmus of Tehuantepec, in the Mexican state ofOaxaca. The melody is believed to have originated fromAndalusia and was rearranged by Andres Gutierrez. Lyrics were written to it by Máximo Ramó Ortiz in 1853. It was arranged for this film by Charles Wolcott.
The instrumental composition which plays while the cacti are dancing is"Jesusita en Chihuahua", a trademark of theMexican Revolution which was written by Quirino Mendoza y Cortés in 1916. Over time this piece has also come to be known under the names "J.C. Polka", "Jesse Polka", and "Cactus Polka".
The instrumental composition"Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") written by Mexican songwriterJuventino Rosas and first published in 1888 can be heard in the film's score during "The Cold-Blooded Penguin" segment while Pablo the penguin is sailing to the Galápagos Islands. A small portion of "Jingle Bells" is briefly sung by Donald Duck.
"Babalu" by Desi Arnaz is used briefly.
The title song fromSaludos Amigos is heard instrumentally when Donald first opens his presents.
The Aracuan Bird later made an appearance in the 1947 short filmClown of the Jungle, where it constantly interrupts Donald's attempts to photograph birds in a South American jungle.[26]
Agustín Lara's song "You Belong to My Heart" was featured in a Disney short calledPluto's Blue Note (1947). It was later recorded byBing Crosby.Ary Barroso's song "Bahia" and the title song became popular hit tunes in the 1940s. The complete "Bahia" sequence was cut from the 1977 theatrical reissue of the film.[27]
One of the scenes of the formerMickey Mouse Revue features Donald, Jose and Panchito in the show, performing the film's theme song. In the queue forMickey's PhilharMagic, there is a poster for"Festival de los Mariachis", which also features the three protagonists. They also appear in some of Disney's themed resorts, such asDisney's Coronado Springs Resort where one can find topiaries of the trio, andDisney's All-Star Music Resort where a fountain depicting the trio is the centrepiece of the Guitar-shaped Calypso Pool.
Some clips from this film were used in the "Welcome to Rio" portion of theMickey Mouse Disco music video.
In February 2001, José and Panchito performed with Donald in theHouse of Mouse episode "The Three Caballeros", voiced byCarlos Alazraqui (Pistoles) andRob Paulsen (Carioca), appearing as recurring characters after that. In 2015, also makes an appearance inMickey Mouse episode"¡Feliz Cumpleaños!" as performers at Mickey's birthday. The pair later appeared in theMickey and the Roadster Racers episode "Mickey's Perfecto Day", in which they are former bandmates of Donald's who perform a concert withDaisy Duck after Donald is unable to take part.
In September 2006, Panchito and José returned to Walt Disney World where they appeared for meet and greets. They were only found outside the Mexico pavilion inWorld Showcase at Epcot. Donald also appeared with them.
Along with many other Disney characters, Panchito, José, and Donald appear in the updatedIt's a Small World ride atDisneyland during the section portrayingMexico.
^ab"Richard B. Jewell's RKO film grosses, 1929–51: The C. J. Trevlin Ledger: A comment". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Volume 14, Issue 1, 1994.
^Smith, Dave."D23 Presents Ask Dave: June 12, 2012".Disney D23. Archived fromthe original on June 15, 2012. RetrievedJune 14, 2012.While written by Lacerda (1903–1958) and licensed by Disney, it was developed by Charles Wolcott and Lacerda was uncredited. The piece appears at the end of the Baia train sequence and just before the 'Os Quindins de Ya-Ya' sequence. A pandeiro is a Brazilian version of a tambourine.
^Smith, Dave."D23 Presents Ask Dave: July 19, 2012".Disney D23. Archived fromthe original on July 22, 2012. RetrievedJuly 22, 2012.It is the flute piece played during the train sequence, according to the film's music cue sheet, running for one minute, three-and-two-thirds seconds. It is followed by silence, then 'Os Quindins de Ya-Ya'. I have assumed it was not written for the film, but was simply licensed, though I have not seen evidence to back up that assumption.
^Dave Smith."Ask Dave Lilongo". D23. Archived fromthe original on January 5, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2012. 'Lilongo' was written by Felipe 'El Charro' Gil, and copyrighted in the U.S. by the music publisher Peer International Corp. in 1946. It is in the Son Jarocho style, a traditional musical style of the southern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Gil was born in Misantla, Veracruz, in 1913, into a family of musicians, and he made a study of the music of the area.
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