Once Upon A Disney #6: Saludos Amigos

Yup, we've hit a weird spell in the Disney canon. Six weeks of weird. That being said, I'm strangely fascinated to see what the next few instalments bring, having hit a run of movies I've never watched before. And judging by this first one, we are most definitely going off-piste. 

Saludos Amigos (1942 / 1943) 

First thing's first – the reason for the two different release years. Saludos Amigos was released in Rio De Janeiro in August 1942 and the USA in February 1943. We can assume that this was both to honour the subject of the movie, and to test the waters with the Latin American audiences that were represented in it. After all, this film is a pure exercise in goodwill between the Americas, and it shows. 

'Do you know Joe Joe stumped his toe?' 

In the heart of WW2, Walt Disney Studios (along with the rest of the world) was going through some turbulence. Having lost a chunk of staff to fight in the war, and another load on strike, the studio was not well resourced. On top of this, many Latin American governments were linked with Nazi Germany, apparently. Never one to be defeated, Walt addressed these issues with some careful decisions. Firstly, the traditional 90-minute, heavily-resourced feature length animation was scrapped for a 45 minute mixed media film. Secondly, the movie would act as gesture of goodwill to win over Latin American officials to the USA side of WW2. 

After the opening titles of Saludos Amigos, which are actually quite similar to the beginning of Dumbo (love an animated map), it soon becomes clear that this movie isn't quite what we're used to. Rather than one linear story that runs throughout, Saludos Amigos is made up of four sections, representing four different locations that the animators travelled to. And speaking of the animators, this is the first – and possibly only – Disney movie where we get to see them in the flesh. 

'They've totally stopped staring at you now, Gary, don't worry'

Between cartoon sequences, Saludos Amigos acts as a kind of educational tourist guide, using documentary footage of Walt himself and his team of animators as they fly to different parts of South America, observe local culture, and get their inspiration for each animated clip. 

Firstly, Donald Duck visits Lake Titicaca, in a sequence which is surprisingly self-deprecating on the American tourist, pointing out all their annoying habits and ignorance of Peruvian culture. This section and the later part starring Goofy both play on the character's existing slapstick personalities, and act as a gateway to understand the unusual concepts the audience is being introduced to (we can assume very few USA citizens have visited Latin America at this point). Goofy's Texan cowboy is comically compared to an Argentinian gaucho, in a short segment that could run as a TV spot on its own. 

Bros before Gauchos

The Chilean section of the movie keeps to a more traditional Disney-style narrative, albeit in a much shorter timescale. Pedro the plane (which looks a lot like the characters in Pixar's Planes) goes on a perilous mission to deliver mail, which sees him caught in a storm. Just when we think he's run out of fuel and 'died,' he comes chugging back to his mother and father plane parents. What can be more Disney than that? 

When you haven't paid for extra luggage on Easyjet

Saludos Amigos leaves its most proud section til last – Aquarela do Brasil. Introduced as the finale segment, it's a graceful celebration of Brazil, from the beautiful wilderness, all the way to the party atmosphere of Rio De Janeiro. The opening of this section begins with some very clever animation which captures the process of painting, creating a moving watercolour of the Brazilian jungle. The story then revolves around Donald Duck as he meets a new character that Disney will carry forward into their next movie – the cigar-smoking parrot José Carioca. Donald and José proceed to get on like a house on fire, drinking together and enjoying the Rio carnival. 

Saludos Amigos is a departure from previous Disney movies, but it's truly fascinating to see the animators at work, and the documentary footage is so well restored that it's almost impossible to imagine that it was made over 75 years ago. The movie succeeds in celebrating Latin America with reverence (even if a little advertorial at times) and educating audiences about a world just beyond their state lines. And looking at next week's movie, there's more where that came from.

This is gonna get messy

Villain rating: N/A

Best Song: Saludos Amigos title song (by default, as the only original song in the film) 

Disney Detail: This is the first movie in the Disney animated canon to include Donald Duck and Goofy (obviously Mickey was previously included in Fantasia). 

Why it's a Classic: It opened US eyes to the sophistication and beauty of Latin America in a way that hadn't been done before. Film historian Alfred Charles Richard Jr.Saludos said that 'Amigos did more to cement a community of interest between peoples of the Americas in a few months than the State Department had in fifty years.'

Once Upon A Disney #5: Bambi

From elephants flying to deer... well, y'know... we're taking a hop, skip and a jump into this week's Disney Classic: 

Bambi (1942)

Savage.

Yes, it's a downer this week. I normally try to avoid Bambi for its tear-inducing plot, but it wouldn't be a challenge unless we went through some tough times together. To be honest, I'm more apprehensive about our next streak of films (Saludos Amigos anyone? Yeah, I thought not). 

The last of a Disney's first string of absolute bangers, Bambi has a dreamlike, almost balletic quality, far removed from Dumbo and more akin to Fantasia. The opening sequence, which sets the secluded forest setting through a series of nature vignettes, reminded me of Fantasia's Nutcracker segment, each animal and plant offering its characteristics to the music. 

In fact, Bambi is the first Disney movie not to include any human characters – at least not on screen – focussing entirely on the natural world. The story disarmingly simple (deer is born, loses mother, grows up and takes his place as Prince of the Forest), it instead focusses on the passing of time in nature, namely the seasons. The movie could almost be told without any dialogue at all, and long stretches of the film do just that. 

Me when I go near a cold swimming pool 

The way that the movements and colours of the forest are accompanied by the romantic orchestral score is where Bambi truly shines. From the percussive, reflective Little April Shower, to Bambi's first time on ice, to the tense, Jaws-like score when the hunters come for his mother, the music and animation are perfectly in tune, lulling us into this dream of a movie. 

Keeping the kids awake are Flower and Thumper, who, along with the owl and some of the other woodland creatures, inject some humour and lightness into what might otherwise turn into a dangerously serious film.  Much like the Timon and Pumbaa effect on Disney's later re-imagining of the story, The Lion King. Their adorable antics remind us that we're meant to be having fun, as well as bawling our eyes out. That, and Disney obviously got the 'insert cute baby animals' memo after Dumbo.

Thumper had too many mulled wines

THAT heart-wrenching moment aside (no, I'm not going into details), even as Bambi ends on a triumphant note, there's a stoicism about it that left me with a bittersweet feeling. Maybe it's the knowledge that the seasons will change again, and more tragedy will come, or it could be the awareness of the sinister threat that still lurks out on the meadows. Either way, Bambi catches an elusive, melancholy atmosphere that I haven't felt in any of the Classics so far. 

Villain rating: 2/5

Best Song: Little April Shower 

Disney Detail: Whether this was deliberate or not, there's one scene where Thumper is ROFLing, and it looks like he goes through the exact same sequence of movements as one of the girl bunnies in a much later Disney movie – Robin Hood.    

Why it's a Classic: Setting the blueprint for The Lion King, Bambi's mother dying is a classic Disney moment and showcases the studio's mastery to bring us to tears through animation. Also, Thumper. 

No caption needed

Once Upon A Disney #4: Dumbo

From one of the longest Disney Animated Classics to one of the shortest – this week we're heading to the circus and taking flight with... 

Dumbo (1941) 

I remember watching Dumbo on repeat as a kid, literally wearing out the VHS, so there must have been something there that I really connected to. I'm not sure whether it was the bright colours, Dumbo's cuteness, or simply that my attention span was best suited to a maximum of 1 hour and 4 minutes of entertainment. Whatever the case, I was not alone. 

After the traditional period pieces of Snow White and Pinocchio, Dumbo is Disney's first feature-length story with a contemporary, American 1940s setting. From the jazzy opening number, 'Mr. Stork,' sung in fashionable close harmony, to the stylised animation of the circus workers as they prepare Casey Jr. to puff down the track, Dumbo evokes the feeling of the time in simplistic style. 

When your dirty laundry situation gets out of control

This simplicity is largely down to Dumbo being an tactically economical piece, to try and make up for Pinocchio and Fantasia losing money at the box office (who'd have thought kids wouldn't be flocking to watch abstract shapes dance to classical music?!). But it seems this sparing nature was a blessing in disguise. Dumbo's succinct, fast-paced story captured audience's hearts to become Disney's highest grossing film of the decade. 

The fresh, optimistic vibrancy of Dumbo was just what was needed at the time, when the real world was getting darker by the day. Beginning with new life (and adorable animals) as the Stork delivers babies to grateful mothers from across America's zoos and circuses, we hone in on a circus in Florida and a particularly sympathetic-looking elephant. You guessed it – Mrs. Jumbo. 

Having longed for a child for years, Mrs. Jumbo's prayers are answered when the Stork delivers her a parcel. When Dumbo first appears and unfurls his unusually large ears, he instantly becomes Disney's most adorable character to-date and you just want to reach through the screen and give him a big hug. Watching him bond with his mother is one of the most charming scenes of the movie, perfectly scored to convey their pure love for one another without a word being spoken. 

I'm crying, you're crying, we're all crying

So when Dumbo is met with mocking adversary from the other elephants, and Mrs. Jumbo is unfairly separated from her son by the circus owner, Disney manages to build up and break our hearts within about 30 minutes. 'Baby Mine,' when Mrs. Jumbo cradles her baby through the gates of her elephant prison, just gets more tragic every time I watch it. Like, I think it might even top Bambi for saddest Disney moment (but I may review that next week). 

After the weird trippy pink elephant acid-trip (which all goes a bit Fantasia again) Dumbo gets right back on track to hit home with its key message: 

This line, delivered by Timothy Mouse, who is basically the Jiminy Cricket equivalent for this movie, underlines the reason that Dumbo was seen as such a morale-boosting film at the time. The down-beaten underdog, Dumbo realises he has all the tools he needs at his disposal – his wing-like ears that literally tripped him up can act as wings. With his naturally aerodynamic anatomy, some encouragement, and a catchy song, he can turn his luck around and put all the wrongs right. Mainly setting his mum free and getting her first class treatment while the haters ride in coach. Boom. 

As well as being a colourful and fascinating reflection of 1940s America (including the not-so-subtle portrayal of pre-Civil Rights black people), Dumbo is pure heart, and proof that sometimes less really is more.

Pure nightmare fuel

Villain rating: 3/5

Best Song: When I See An Elephant Fly 

Disney Detail: This week, it's a lack thereof – nearly every human character in Dumbo is faceless, throwing the characterisation to the animals (and perhaps symbolising the faceless force that exploits them for entertainment). Or maybe that's just 2019 talking.

Why it's a Classic: The image of Dumbo flying through the air is up there with Tinkerbell for the most classically Disney, even inspiring one of the first rides at Disneyland.