The Three Caballeros facts for kids

The Three Caballeros is a 1944 animated movie produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The movie premiered in Mexico City on December 12, 1944. The 7th animated movie in the Disney animated features canon, it shows an adventure through parts of Latin America, combining live-action and animation. This is the second of the Disney package movies of the 1940s.

The movie is made up as a series of self-contained segments, strung together by the device of Donald Duck opening birthday gifts from his Latin American friends. Several Latin American stars of the movie's time appear, including singers Aurora Miranda (sister of Carmen Miranda) and Dora Luz, as well as dancer Carmen Molina. It again starred Donald Duck, who in the course of the movie is joined by old friend José Carioca, the cigar-smoking parrot from Saludos Amigos (1943) representing Brazil, and later makes a new friend, a rooster, Panchito Pistoles, representing Mexico.

The music of the Mexican part of the movie was written by Mexican composer Manuel Esperon, who wrote the score for over 540 Mexican movies in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Walt Disney, after having seen his success in the Mexican movie industry, called him personally to ask him to participate in the movie. The main song for the Mexican part is "Ay Jalisco, No Te Rajes!", one of Esperon's most famous songs. The movie received two Academy Award nominations for Original Music Score and Best Sound.

Plot

It is Donald Duck's birthday. He receives three presents. The first present is a movie projector, which shows him a documentary on birds. The next present is a book given to Donald by Jose Carioca himself. This book takes them to Bahia. The third present is a piñata given to Donald by Panchito Pistoles. In the piñata, there are many surprises. The celebration ends with Donald Duck being fired away by firecrackers in the shape of a bull (the firecrackers are lit by Jose with his cigar).

Throughout the movie, we see a voiceless character called the Aracuan Bird at random moments. He usually bothers everyone, sometimes stealing Jose's cigar. His most famous gag is when he re-routes the train by drawing new tracks. He returns three years later in Disney's Melody Time.

Cast

• Clarence Nash - Donald Duck (also dubbed the Spanish and Portuguese versions)
• José Oliveira - José Carioca
• Joaquin Garay - Panchito Pistoles
• Aurora Miranda
• Carmen Molina
• Dora Luz
• Sterling Holloway - Narrator (The Cold-Blooded Penguin)
• Frank Graham - Narrator
• Fred Shields - Narrator
• Nestor Amarale
• Almirante
• Trío Calaveras
• Trío Ascencio del Río
• Padua Hills Players
• Carlos Ramírez (singing voice) - Mexico

Worldwide release dates

• Mexico: December 12, 1944 (Mexico City)
• Brazil: February 4, 1945
• Australia: December 7, 1945
• Canada: January 17, 1946
• U.K.: March 18, 1946
• Kowloon Lok Sin Tong: September 12, 1946
• Spain: February 17, 1947
• Sweden: March 28, 1947
• France: April 21, 1948
• Netherlands: October 7, 1948
• Hong Kong: March 17, 1949
• Italy: July 14, 1949
• Finland: May 18, 1951
• Argentina/Chile: August 20, 1954
• West Germany: December 14, 1954
• Austria: September 2, 1955
• Philippines: December 13, 1956
• Japan: March 10, 1959
• Senegal: May 9, 1967
• Kuwait: November 22, 1989
• Central African Republic: October 16, 1994
• Armenia: December 24, 1996
• Mandarin Chinese: July 12, 2001
• Cuba: November 31, 2004
• United States: February 24, 2006
• Greek: April 18, 2007
• Croatian: October 31, 2008
• Serbian: January 24, 2009
• Turkish: December 13, 2010
• Greek: September 31, 2011
• Slovak: March 15, 2012
• Danish: May 23, 2013
• Hindi: February 6, 2014

Titles in other languages

• Chinese: 三骑士
• Dutch: De Drie Caballeros
• Finnish: 3 Caballeroa
• French: Les Trois Caballeros
• German: Die Drei Caballeros (also Donald Erobert Mexico)
• Italian: I Tre Caballeros
• Japanese: 三人の騎士 (San'nin no Kishi)
• Portuguese: Você Já Foi à Bahia? (Have you ever gone to Bahia?)
• Russian: Три кабальеро
• Spanish: Los Tres Caballeros
• Swedish: Tre caballeros (also Kalle Anka i Sydamerika)

Images for kids

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  Singer Aurora Miranda in The Three Caballeros.

See also

In Spanish: Los tres caballeros para niños