The Three Caballeros

The Three Caballeros is a 1945 American live-action animated musical package film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film it was released in the United States on February 3, 1945 and in the UK that March. The seventh Disney animated feature film, the film plots an adventure through parts of Latin America, combining live-action and animation. This is the second of the six package films released by Walt Disney Productions in the 1940s, following Saludos Amigos (1943). It was also the first feature length film to incorporate traditional animation with real life, live-action actors.

Donald Duck

• [meeting some women on Acapulco Beach] Hello, my sweet little bathing beauties!

José Carioca

• [laughing] This Donald! Did you ever see such a fast worker?
• You are very funny fellow!
• You kill my head! [laughs harder]

Panchito Pistoles

• [seeing Donald and José for this first time] Aha, my friends! ¡Bienvenidos, cuentos! [shakes their hands wildly] Welcome to Mexico! Son of a gun, it's a pleasure to see such fine gentlemen in Mexico. [pulls out two sombreros from atop his own and tosses them to Donald and Jose] Here Amigos! Donald, José... [they put the sombreros on their heads; laughs] Caramba! Now we're three gay caballeros.

• [talking about Las Posadas] This custom takes place on each of the nine days before Christmas. Each evening, the children gather at the village church and form a procession, symbolizing the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The little ones carry images of the saints from house to house, singing a plea for shelter, or posada. A reply comes from within, "No posada. No shelter." Looking sad and downhearted, they try again. But the reply is still the same: "No shelter. No posada." They repeat the song time after time, and always they are refused, until at last they finally reach a house, and the door is open. "Come in, come in, holy pilgrims. This humble home is yours." And now, Mary and Joseph have found shelter at last. Then the rejoicing begins, the feasting, the celebrating, and finally, the biggest surprise of all, breaking the pinata.

• Did you know that the history Mexico is in her flag? Oh, yes. You see, many hundreds of years ago, the god of the Aztecs commanded them to build a big city where they would find an eagle destroying a serpent. But when they find this eagle, he was sitting on a cactus, on top of a rock, way out in the middle of a lake. Caramba, to build a city here would be almost impossible. But they built and built and built some more, until today, believe or not, the lake is full of Mexico City.

Dialogue

Donald Duck: [referring to a pinata] What's this?

Panchito: What's this? [laughs] This is your gift from Mexico, Donald: a pinata!

Donald Duck: Oh, boy, oh, boy, a pinata!... What's a pinata?

Panchito: A pinata is full of surprises. Presents. It's the very spirit of Christmas.

Donald Duck: Christmas! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...

Panchito: [laughing] Oh, no, no, Donald! For goodness sake, not "Jingle Bells". In Mexico, they sing "Las Posadas".

---

José Carioca: But tell me, Donald, have you ever been to Baia?

Donald Duck: No, I haven't.

José Carioca: No? Oh, I am so sorry for you. Ah, Baia. It is like a song in my heart. A song with love and beautiful memories. Que saudades que eu tenho. Ah, Baia. I close my eyes, and I can see it now. I can see the beautiful twilight in the sky. I can feel the breeze from the bay. And I can hear the music, the music of Baia.

---

[Pablo the penguin has fulfilled his dream of moving to a warmer, more tropical climate]

Prof. Holloway: And so, as the warm, tropical sun sinks slowly in the west, we leave little Pablo, a bird in paradise, a picture of health in his new coat of tan. He should be the happiest penguin in the world.

[Pablo looks at some photographs of penguins back at the South Pole]

Prof. Holloway: Only, sometimes he gets to thinking...

Narrator: [laughs] Never satisfied. Well, that's human nature for you, even if you're a penguin.

Donald Duck: You're absolutely right.

---

[Donald is about to watch a movie on rare birds, one of his birthday presents]

Narrator: [on movie] Aves raras.

Donald Duck: ¿Aves raras?

Narrator: Si, señor. That means "strange birds".

Donald Duck: Oh, sure, sure! I know! Birds!

[Donald forms his hands together and flaps them like the wings of a bird]

Narrator: Yes, amigo, your feathered cousins. You know, Donald, you have more relatives here than there are coffee beans in Brazil.

---

José Carioca: What do you feel about Baia? Tell me the truth.

Donald Duck: Oh, swell! Marvelous! Romance! [puckers up lips as if kissing] Moonlight!

[A crescent moon falls out the sky, landing next to Donald]

Donald Duck: Beautiful girls!

[Donald pretends momentarily to look like a girl]

José Carioca: Sim, senhor. Voce e um grande pirata. Or, as you say, you are a wolf!

Taglines

• Walt Disney's miracle musical FEATURE
• UTTERLY FASCINATING! ENTIRELY DIFFERENT! (original print ad - all caps)
• A CARTOON FIESTA of FUN and FANTASY! [1977 re-release]
• Amazing! Real People With Disney Characters!
• Newest Idea Since "Snow White"
• Wondrous Technicolor Feature!

Cast

• Clarence Nash as Donald Duck (also dubbed the Spanish, German, Portuguese and Italian versions)
• José Oliveira as José Carioca (also dubbed the Spanish, German and Italian version)
• Joaquin Garay as Panchito Pistoles (also dubbed the Italian version and the songs in the Spanish version)
• Aurora Miranda as Yaya
• Dora Luz
• Carmen Molina
• Sterling Holloway as Narrator (Pablo The Cold-Blooded Penguin)
• Frank Graham as Narrator
• Fred Shields as Narrator (The Flying Gauchito)
• Francisco "Frank" Mayorga as Mexican Guitarist
• Nestor Amaral
• Trío Calaveras
• Trío Ascencio del Río
• Padua Hills Player
• Carlos Ramírez as Mexico