Walt & El Grupo

This is a highly nostalgic look back at a very long goodwill tour Walt Disney took along with a group of artists from his studio. Apparently, there was an animators strike going on and no work was being done, so Walt accepted an offer from the State Department to go on a visit of several South American nations--and to get inspiration for some projects incorporating South American culture. Unfortunately, there are some major problems with the film even though in some ways the documentary can be engaging. First, the people involved in this tour are mostly dead and the sources are almost exclusively second-hand and third-hand. Second, the pacing was slow...glacially slow. The film could easily have had half an hour trimmed, as so much of the film was filler. Too many long musical sequences where nothing is being said. And, thirdly (and this will surely ruffle some feathers), the projects inspired by the trip were incredibly bland. I know some Disney-philes out there might be having palpitations when I say this, but I have always hated "Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros". So, as the people in the film are reminiscing fondly, I am left feeling a bit confused--because what they are talking about sounds great but the films certainly were not! As a result of all this, the film is one I'd recommend only to the staunchest Disney fans. Otherwise, it's slow going and not nearly as interesting as you might expect.

By the way, one of the video extras on this new release is "Saludos Amigos". I gave it another watch to see if it was as bad as I remembered. It was.

America sending Disney as an ambassador to Central America during WWII is certainly fascinating but this profoundly dull bit of brown-nosery never captures that. Normally access is a positive, but this is just TOO in-depth. I care about the strike, the war, the government intervention, the trip footage & the films that came from this. I DON'T care about every travelers' descendant & their individual thoughts on how their grandparent had a fun trip.

Wonderfully entertaining documentary from writer-director Theodore Thomas, working alongside the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distribution arm, chronicles a turbulent time in Mr. Disney's life: the years 1940 and 1941, when an animators strike and the looming threat of a dominant union threatened to tear the Disney Company apart. With the war in Europe putting a financial damper on Disney's output overseas, "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia" fell into the red, causing Walt to owe the bank four million dollars. An invitation, then, from President Roosevelt for Disney and his hand-picked team to make a good will tour of South America came as a godsend, although Disney was initially reluctant to travel through Latin America "just shaking hands". He turned the trip to his advantage, however, and released two pictures dedicated to the culture of our neighbors and their people, "Saludos Amigos" in 1942 and "The Three Caballeros" in 1944. Looking back, the movies, though certainly entertaining, were just a stop-gap while Disney came up with bigger ideas, but the underlying notion here--that Walt felt utterly betrayed by his employees--lends this documentary a tough emotional core. Walt also lost his father during the trip, and one senses the emotional weight on him as he is photographed on boats and emerging from planes, waving at the crowds. This is a beautifully-produced sentimental journey, wherein still shots come to life and (now-aged) witnesses and relatives recount this fascinating chapter in Disney history. *** from ****

Like many documentaries, the documentary seemed to lack a specific point. It comes across as interesting as watching someone's home movies. It talks about the various staff who travelled with Walt Disney to South America and people who they met with.

But it's just an info-dump with no real focus as to any goal. There's some mention as to why Disney travelled there and how some of the materials gathered were used in Disney films, but it would have been better if the documentary had shown more of the connection with how specific material had been used in the films.

There was also no mention of the Tiki Bar Lounge in Disneyland, however after seeing the documentary it's obvious that it must have contributed to it's creation.

When I heard this film was being made, I could hardly wait to see it. I was a story artist at Disney Studios for many years and the trip to South America was that of legend. Having know Frank Thomas and an admirer of his work and that of the group that went to South America, I found the film inspiring and thoughtful. I didn't want to rush through the film and savored how it took it's time and revisited each location. I would say that if you are unfamiliar with Disney history then this film will not hold the same meaning.

I have a painting from that trip hanging in my sitting room painting by one of the Blairs. I look at it with different eyes now. I'd say as a Disney fan, it's a film I'll be watching again.