The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros is a 1944 animated feature film, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The seventh animated feature in the Disney animated features canon and a sequel to 1942's Saludos Amigos, the film is an adventure through parts of Latin America, combining live-action and animation.

Produced as part of the studio's goodwill message for South America, but less obviously propagandistic, the film again starred Donald Duck, who in the course of the film is joined by his old friend Jose Carioca, the cigar-smoking parrot from Saludos Amigos representing Brazil, and later makes a new friend in the persona of pistol-packin' rooster Panchito Pistoles, representing Mexico.

Several Latin American stars of the period appear, including singers Aurora Miranda (sister of Carmen Miranda) and Dora Luz, as well as dancer Carmen Molina.

The film is plotted as a series of self-contained segments, strung together by the device of Donald Duck opening gifts from his Latin American friends.

The film premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944. It was released in the USA on February 3, 1945.

Worldwide release dates

 * Mexico: December 21, 1944 (Mexico City)
 * Spain: February 17, 1947
 * Sweden: March 28, 1947
 * France: April 21, 1948
 * Italy: July 14, 1949
 * Finland: May 18, 1951
 * West Germany: December 14, 1954
 * Japan: March 10, 1959

Film segments
The film's segments include:


 * The Cold-Blooded Penguin involved a penguin named Pablo, who is so fed up with the freezing conditions of the South Pole that he decides to leave for warmer climates.


 * The Flying Gauchito involved the adventures of a little boy from Mendoza in Argentina and his winged donkey.


 * Bahia involved a pop-up book trip through Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahía, as Donald Duck and José Carioca meet up with some of the locals who dance an interesting samba and Donald starts pining for the females in the group.


 * Las Posadas was the story of a group of Mexican children who celebrated Christmas by re-enacting the journey of Mary and Joseph searching for room at the 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 the piñata as well.

Titles in different languages

 * Chinese:      三骑士 sān qí shì ("Three riders")
 * Dutch:          De Drie Caballeros
 * Finnish:      3 Caballeroa
 * French:        Les Trois Caballeros
 * German:        Die Drei Caballeros (also Donald Erobert Mexico)
 * Italian:      I Tre Caballeros
 * Maltese:      It-Tliet Kaballeros
 * Portuguese: in Brazil: Você já foi à Bahia? ("Have you ever been to Bahia") (also "Os Três Caballeros"), in Portugal: A Caixinha das Surpresas ("The little box of surprises")
 * Russian:      Три кабальеро
 * Serbian:      Три кабаљероса
 * Spanish:      Los Tres Caballeros
 * Swedish:      Tre caballeros (also Kalle Anka i Sydamerika)

Trivia

 * The song "You Belong To My Heart" was featured in a Disney short called Pluto's Blue Note (1947). It was later recorded by Bing Crosby. The songs "Baia" and the title song became popular hit tunes in the 1940s.
 * Clarence Nash also provides the voice of Donald Duck in the Spanish-dubbed version.
 * Some clips from this film were used in the "Welcome to Rio" portion of the Mickey Mouse Disco music video.

Cast

 * Clarence Nash - Donald Duck
 * José Oliviera - José Carioca
 * Joaquin Garay - Panchito Pistoles
 * Aurora Miranda - Herself
 * Carmen Molina - Herself
 * Dora Luz - Herself
 * Sterling Holloway - Narrator (The Cold-Blooded Penguin)
 * Frank Graham - Narrator
 * Fred Shields - Narrator
 * Nestor Amarale - Himself
 * Almirante
 * Trío Calaveras
 * Trío Ascencio del Río
 * Pinto Colvig - Aracuan Bird