Saludos Amigos (1942)
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Saludos Amigos Movie Review
Saludos Amigos is a 1942 animated package film which is Disney’s sixth animated feature. It is their first package film effort and overall passable, but quite slight.
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“So, adios, Hollywood, and saludos, amigos“
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Saludos Amigos is the shortest Disney film ever clocking at just forty two minutes, barely qualifying as a feature film and it is the first in the series of six so called package films that came from Disney in the postwar era. They basically consist of many segments and are not a coherent whole.
A little bit of history – Walt Disney was forced to make propaganda films during this period and as they wanted to spread goodwill with Latin America, they at first made films in that continent. The later films are all going to be ‘Fantasia’ influenced musical segments. So basically the budget was low and the marker was very much in flux during the war leading to the animators spending less money on the production and making short films put into one as that is much easier than making a full feature film with a story.
First off, the animation. It is, as expected, worse from any of the previous Disney’s efforts, but it also has its strengths mainly in Aquarela do Brasil segments which has some beautiful abstract and inventive imagery. I honestly found the animation pretty good, especially great for a low budget, as it looks very polished with good character design and pleasing colors.
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The soundtrack is solid, but it only has two full songs in it. Aquarela do Brasil is a catchy Latin tune, very fun and atmospheric. Saludos Amigos is pretty good for what it is which is a typically grand, traditional opening number from the studio. Both of these songs are actually pretty solid, but highly forgettable in the bigger scope of things. But I do have to compliment the score for being faithful to these Latin American countries and thus sounding authentic.
The film consists of four segments – Lake Titicaca, Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy and Aquarela do Brasil. Lake Titicaca is the weakest segment in the film owing to the overall excessive documentary style and live-action footage, but it is also interesting to see Walt and the animators working on a feature film and Donald is cute and funny as always. It is okay for what it is which is a dated travelogue, but the action and the cartoony elements and humor did not work all that well plus it’s easily the slowest, most uninvolving segment in the film.
Pedro is a typical and clichéd story about a little plane going on a mission because his parents could not and it has a typical ending. It is not particularly engaging, though there are some solid animated landscapes. But the narrator is what ruined this segment for me as he narrated it in such an annoying way that only toddlers cold enjoy that talking down to. That was very childish for sure. It’s an okay short for what it is which is a kid’s flick and the animation can be inspired with those mountains, but I wanted better humor and more adventure in it.
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El Gaucho Goofy is a Goofy segment in which he learns about horse riding and gear. I am not particularly fond of Goofy here as he is nowhere near as funny as he could be, but the meticulous approach clearly tells you how much time they spent learning about South America which makes you appreciate the effort and which is the chief reason why the film is, if anything, a great travelogue and historical artifact. I just wish this segment was more fun and funny.
Aquarela do Brasil is the last and easily the best segment. Colorful and abstract animation in the ‘Fantasia’ style is a nice touch and it features one of the most underrated Disney characters – Jose Carioca. He is very good – greatly animated and cast and very funny. I loved his funny Portuguese speech and his sense of humor. His encounter with Donald is hilarious in the best sequence of the film – the scene at the streets. They are a great duo with good chemistry owing to Donald’s charm and cuteness and Carioca’s fast talk, an always present (and controversial) cigarette in his mouth and his tourist-friendly approach.
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So Saludos Amigos is definitely pretty good in the last segment, but all of the previous three are just okay and nothing more than that. The direction is fine and the live-action segments are intriguing, though very overwhelming. I would say that this is a successful travelogue for its time, but dated by today’s standards. It is in the end in the middle when it comes to the ranking of the package films.
Disney’s first package film Saludos Amigos is an okay, but mostly forgettable effort. The animation is actually pretty good for its small budget, the score is fitting the location and the last segment Aquarela do Brasil is the highlight of the film as it features artistic animation and terrific humorous interactions between Donald Duck and ever amusing Jose Carioca. But all of the other segments are pretty uninspired and far from memorable unfortunately leading to a slim, pretty dated travelogue.
