#7 The Three Caballeros

Serving as a spiritual sequel (if not necessarily a direct one) to Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros is similarly themed around Latin America, spotlighting Brazil and Mexico. Despite being a package film, it manages to do a better job than its predecessor of tying its separate pieces together into a cohesive whole. The overarching story revolves around Donald Duck receiving a package from Latin America for his birthday. The various things he discovers within provide the impetus for the segments that make up the film. As a result, Caballeros feels a bit like a cross between Saludos Amigos and an extended Donald Duck cartoon.

As for the segments themselves, they're decidedly middling. The opener has Donald viewing a film reel, which recounts the story of a penguin named Pablo leaving Antarctica for the Galapagos, a humorous depiction of various exotic South American birds, and a story of a young "Gauchito" and his flying donkey. It's diverse, charming, and easily the best part of the film. Next, Jose Carioca returns to take Donald on a tour of Baia, Brazil, in a bit that seems a bit too similar to "Aquarela do Brasil." We're also introduced to some live-action dancers interacting with the animated cast, though the live-action elements have aged far less well than the animation.

Following the arrival of Panchito, a Mexican rooster, the three Caballeros are taken on a tour of Mexico through some live-action footage that feels decidedly like a travelogue. Eventually, they arrive on Acapulco Beach, where Donald proceeds to run around chasing women in swimsuits, in a scene that feels more than a bit uncomfortable today. In the final sequence, Donald falls in love with the floating head of Mexican singer Dora Luz, with the animation abandoning all logic and diving headfirst into abstract surrealism. By the end of the film, it's devolved into merely a series of things happening, with virtually no cohesion or consistency.

Needless to say, The Three Caballeros has not aged well. Saludos Amigos is at least interesting for its historical value and manages to work in a fair amount of charming animation and creative ideas. The Three Caballeros, by comparison, quickly squanders its strong beginning on dated live-action material and concepts recycled from its predecessor, and ultimately winds up being rather boring. Saludos Amigos is enjoyable when viewed from a certain perspective; The Three Caballeros is simply a weak entry in Disney's canon.