Review of The Three Caballeros (1944) by Alice L — 16 Jan 2015

No real story here. Donald has three presents from his friends of south america for his birthday and this is an excuse to discover the country with colors and abstration. Beautiful animation, first attempts of interactionsbetween real life actors and animated characters (no, Alice Comedies doesn't count.

It was just a reel which showed cartoons on a screen while a girl moved in front of), who even if they aged today remain really impressive for tthe ime (the fourties) and furthermore, we see the animators passion in it because it is really fast.

Everything is incredibly filmed well and beautiful to see. The short films and the short histories are at the same time funny and tounching, the characters are very likeble with their different personnalies and this abstracted movie gives a feeling to see the traditions of the South America by having fun but however in the style of disney, so it's attractive and not too realistic but it's a children movie after all yet very smart about the traditions (like the pinàta) and some of the places.

But we have to admit that the movie also has its flods. The song os quindins de ya ya even if it's nice to hear is a bit too long and could have been shorter. After all, it happened to Disney to cut some pieces of their songs when some were too long, why didn't they do it in this movie? One other scene in the movie slows down everything and doesn't bring anything.

More of that, it ruins a scene that remembered the side WTF of the pink elephants in Dumbo. It should have been cut to make the movie better and not ruin the fun. And the biggest flod: the end. No real conclusion.

We just see the words "The end" in the sky whithout understand why the movie ends at this moment. Even in Fantasia that was a sort of abstract movie, we knew when it was going to be the end because we had a voice that said before that the musicians were leaving after the last short "we choose for the final of fantasia" and here "no".

It could have end in a very different way: Panchito who decide to say that he shows a last land, Donald who say that he is satisfied with his birthday and say goodbye to his friends or invite them to stay with him for the rest of the day.

Even in Saludos Amigos which wasn't a good movie, the end was more logical because the camera was leaving the set at the last song. They could have done the same here and not that botched ending. But yet, it's stil a good movie to enjoy with funny, beautiful moments, a Donald Duck who, for some reason, really wants to spend time with women, José Carioca, good singer and wise and Panchito Pistoles savage but smart.

We wish we could be on the places with them and also be in the movie. A Disney worth to be seen.