Walking Through Latin America

Never having seen Saludos Amigos, I was looking forward to today’s release on DVD.
This particular release contains two of Walt Disney’s films celebrating life in Latin America. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Now I have mentioned Caballeros in an earlier post so I will not go into that one here.

Saludos was the first of the two films. Like Caballeros it contains a selection of short stories. However, the setup and style of this film is different. Prior to each animated section we are treated to live action film clips of the South American locals and of the impressions they make upon the Disney artist.



Following the film clips we are treated to artist sketch work and some narrated details about what it is we are seeing.



Next up is an animated short. In the short, all the previous elements are blended effortlessly together somewhere in the story line. This process repeats itself through out Saludos.



This film is a delightful showcase of the vision that Walt’s animators shared. It also stands as testament to the tried and true documentary history of the studio. When you think about how modern DVD releases often have bonus features attached to them. Isn’t it wonderful to look back and see the vision Walt had of not only preserving his life’s work, but also the work of the talent he surrounded himself with.

Now neither of these films is a true feature film, rather they are a showcase of sorts. A time capsule if you will. And at only $14.99 I would recommend that Disney fans should pick up a copy today.

Tonight’s walk through Latin America. 7.6 miles 114 min

Oh and I leave you with this picture as you think about todays gas prices.