Such a frustrating disappointment

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Saludos Amigos" (1942) and "The Three Caballeros" (1944) are really dreadful Walt Disney productions, which were made during World War II supposedly to improve relations between the United States and Latin American countries. Luckily in "The Three Caballeros" the action only takes place in Mexico and Brazil. Of course, there are some attractive things, such as the proto-psychedelic animation of Mary Blair that would flourish in "Alice in Wonderland" (Disney's most "stoned" feature, if you ask me), but almost by rule all is offensive: stereotypes, ridiculous characters or cultural mockery. All the plot offers is Donald Duck opening presents on his birthday, from two Latin American friends: Brazilian José Carioca (from "Saludos Amigos") and Mexican Panchito (Villa, I suppose). Each time a box is open you watch an animated sequence of native songs (including a horrendous English version of maestro Manuel Esperón's "Ay Jalisco no te rajes"). Donald Duck (who looks a lot like Donald Trump in his arrogant behavior) even harasses several Latin women, anticipating the days of his namesake. The only thing that seemed fantastic to me (and it's personal taste, of course) was Carmen Miranda's sister, the sinuous Aurora Miranda who sings and dances in a beautiful and colorful musical sequence composed by Ary Barroso. If Disney has kept "Song of the South" out of circulation because of "offensive treatment of African-American" this film could deserve the same medicine. However, the only thing Disney executives seem to find objectionable is that the characters smoke, so in the DVD edition cigars and cigarettes were deleted, except the one in José Carioca's peak... As "Saludos Amigos", it is a schematic, silly and ugly Disney you can ignore.

A lot of things can be said about this movie, but no one can say it is dull. Disney's Donald Duck takes us on a scenic and musical tour of Latin America with episodes in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. It begins in a lively tempo and speeds up until it explodes in fireworks at the end.It was a big and necessary hit for Disney at the time but, in a way, it's too bad the film couldn't have been released about 1968, when so many youngsters were doing acid and weed, because this is one trippy movie. It belongs right up there with "2001: A Space Odyssey." A live figure may begin to dance and sing through a cartoon village. Soon Donald Duck joins the dance. Then the lamp posts begin to sway rhythmically, and soon the buildings are bouncing up and down, and then the moon darts from side to side. The viewer may twitch a bit too, because some of the rhythm is very catchy. America gave the world jazz, and Latin America gave us the samba, the conga, the bossa nova, the tango, Carmen Miranda, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the transplanted Manuel de Falla. And the piñata.It's a pageant of color and music. All but one of the tunes are converted from earlier Latin American songs and they're very catchy. Two made the Hit Parade, which was a big deal at the time -- "Baia", "Brazil", and "You Belong To My Heart." It's unsophisticated cornball resembling nothing real but you can't find the exit.President Roosevelt was all in favor of making a movie like this, for several reasons, none of them musical. He called it "the good neighbor policy." South American countries were a supply source for the Allies. We needed access to airfield like Recife in Brazil to shorten the hop to Europe. And few of us found is a sound idea to encourage the pro-Nazi population of countries like Paraguay and Argentina.See it -- and have yourself an extended myoclonic spasm.

Let me explain my summary. When you are a kid and it's Christmas, think of what it would be like if ALL the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree are actually nothing but underwear! After all, you have very high hopes....only to be bitterly disappointed. As a child, I saw this film and was psyched when it began. The film DID star Donald Duck and like all sane kids, I loved the duck. But then,....it all struck me. It was about as fun as the underwear! Singing, dancing and a travelogue! That was NOT what I'd anticipated. Years later, I rented the film again...assuming my childhood memories must have been wrong. They weren't. The film is a dull and only good to be used as a means to punish misbehaving children. I could imagine a parent saying "If you are good, I'll buy you BEAUTY AND THE BEAST...but if you're bad, THE THREE CABALLEROS!!!". Proof that not everything Disney is good.Aside from nice animation and a catchy theme song, this is dull from start to finish.

The Three Caballeros shows Disney at a rather innovative point combining psychedelic imagery with a catchy South American beat. Years before Yellow Submarine, The Three Caballeros brought psychedelic and surreal animation to the stage. Despite a few rocky segments at the beginning, The Three Caballeros ends with energy and visual beauty.The plot is simple, Donald is opening birthday presents (His birthday is humorously on Friday the 13th.) and meeting his old friend Jose Carioca (the Brazilian parrot) and a new friend Panchito Pistoles (the gun-slinging Mexican rooster). The lack of a strong plot and those opening segments (well, the penguin segment was alright, but really The Flying Burrito?)are more than made up in later segments, which takes the form of a travelogue through Bahia in Brazil and Mexico. First stop is Bahia with Jose where live action and animation combine o form a big pop sequence full of bright colors and rollicking samba music. Carmen Miranda's sister Aurora appears in live action singing Os Quidenes de Yaya (The Cookies of Yaya) followed by a surrealist trip through a dance hall full of brightly colored circles, musical instruments playing themselves, and roosters turning into dancers.The second part is a our tour through Mexico on the magical serape. Here Donald chases girls on the beach, dances in traditional Mexican dances and falls in love with a girl singing You Belong to My Heart in Mexico City's nightlife. Thsi leads to one of the most surreal sequences in animation history, full of bouncing flowers, girls running around in neon colors, and a horse with women's legs. This ends in a big sequence with dancing cacti. All finally ends in a fireworks display full of color, and The Three Cablleros have reprise of their signature song.Overall, style 10/10, visuals 10/10, music 10/10, plot 7/10, screenplay 8/10.