Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Classic Caballeros Collection: Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Walt Disney's love letter to '40s Latin America.

Movie G 1943 113 minutes
Classic Caballeros Collection: Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

murphrosa
murphrosa Adult
January 6, 2021
age 8+

Dated Cultural Depictions, but Still a Classic.

*NOTE* If you decide to stream these films on Disney+, a “content warning” screen will be displayed for 15 seconds to inform the viewer that the cultures mentioned aren’t always treated with the greatest respect. Please use discretion with young children if you are teaching them about cultural diversity. I have personally grown up with these films, enjoyed the animation and music, but I will say that the portrayals of Chilean, Brazillian, Argentinian, Peruvian and Mexican peoples and their cultures are heavily dated and shouldn’t be taken at face value. Donald is still his loveably grumpy self; plenty of hilarious tantrums throughout! However, he does do more than his fair share of hitting on women (“Oh boy! Hot Stuff!” “Hiya, Toots!”), especially during the “Baia” and “Finale” scenes in 3 Caballeros. Here, his reactions are (ahem) energetic (as this was a subtle way at the time to show the audience his arousal once he meets pretty ladies). Aside from this, the music is splendidly composed, and animation is top-notch. Everyone will get a kick out of seeing the animated characters dancing and singing with live action performers. ¡Viva la Fiesta!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
December 17, 2018
age 5+

I remember seeing it and owning it on VHS but I can't remember anything else...

This cartoon is forgettable. I remember seeing it multiple times as a child owning both of them on VHS tapes growing up in the 90's and watching them multiple times until around 2002 when I upgraded to a DVD player and ditched most of the VHS collection and I cannot remember anything at all about either of them. I even had to watch them in highschool in Spanish language for Spanish class and I still remember nothing about it other than it seems to be a fact that "twirking" has existed in cartoons years before the term came into popular usage and long before people started complaining about it...

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the 1940s, Walt Disney took a plane with 18 artists, musicians, and writers on a tour of South America and Mexico. The result was SALUDOS AMIGOS, a mix of travelogue, animated shorts, and live dance numbers mixed with animation. In the follow-up, THE THREE CABALLEROS, Donald Duck gets a big birthday box from Latin America. Inside he finds travel guides that he literally jumps right into -- and proceeds to meet up with two other caballeros: Jose Caroica the samba-ing parrot and Panchito the Mexican rooster. More traditional dancing, bird watching, and Latin American travel ensue, mixed with more animated shorts featuring both familiar Disney characters and new ones like Pedro the baby mail plane.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (8 ):

These two films offer delightful armchair travel for absolutely everyone. There's dancing, singing, bird watching, fine arts, native dress, rodeos, mountains, beaches, the pampas, big cities, and even wilder sights like flying donkeys in horse races and baby planes that deliver the mail. And somehow the eclectic mix works -- a bit better in The Three Caballeros, but they're still both enjoyable.

One of the best shorts is Jose Caroica the parrot dancing with live samba dancers. It's a loving tribute to Rio with simultaneous kid appeal. Some dance numbers drag on a little long, but then the Disney artists come up with new animated inspiration, working llamas, gauchos, penguins, and the treacherous mountains of Chile into their stories. These love letters to Latin America are classics worth revisiting with the next generation. Don't forget your dancing shoes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about things they learned about Latin America. Also, what kind of music did you like best? If you could go to a different country and bring your sketchpad, what would you draw? Families can also discuss what makes these cartoons seem older than current Disney movies. What things in these films would you be surprised to see in modern ones? Why?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate