Robert Reynolds This is the sixth animated feature done by the Walt Disney animation studio. There will be spoilers ahead:Prior to US entry into World War II, the US Department of State got Disney to go on a goodwill tour of South America due to the popularity of Disney's characters in Latin America.Material gathered there was used to make this film, which proved to be sufficiently popular that Disney made a second film (The Three Caballeros) in the same vein.At just over 41 minutes in length, this is just barely of feature length. Composed of live action footage and animation, it covers visits to the four countries of Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Each section of the film describes what the Disney artists found in each country as inspiration, followed by short animated sequences based on the visits. Brief live action/animated transitions of flights are used to lead into the sections.The first animated segment, "Lake Titicaca", shows Donald Duck visiting Peru as a tourist and interacting with a boy and his llama. It's typical Donald Duck and is rather funny. The highlight is Donald and the llama crossing a suspension bridge.The second segment, "Pedro", concerns a little plane named Pedro and his flight to carry the mail over the mountains in Chile. It's a fairly standard short of the "small hero faces adversity and wins through" variety and is the weakest segment, mostly because the other three are more entertaining. It's still fairly solid.The third segment is Argentina and its gauchos. The live action footage of gauchos leads into a Goofy short, "El Gaucho Goofy" and it follows the pattern of other Goofy shorts. The best part here is the slow motion footage of Goofy in action at the tail end of the short.The fourth and by far the best animated segment is "Aquarela do Brasil" ("Watercolor of Brazil") which is the most lushly beautiful animation of the film. Donald makes his return in this and it also introduces Jose Carioca. The animation starts out as a series of watercolor drawings which become animated and things morph from one thing to another. The animation is fantastic and the music is marvelous. Donald meets Jose, who is awed at meeting "Pato Donald" and takes Donald out to see the sights and to dance the samba. Thje segment is too short and leaves me wanting more.This is available on DVD and is well worth watching. Recommended.

petersj-2 I think the reviews of the other posters has been pretty accurate. It is very nice in the era of pixar to see the lush animation of Disney. The special feature South of the Border is fascinating. I hope these Disney travelogues are preserved and digitally enhanced because it would be a great shame to lose them. The picture quality is poor but it is better than not having any recollection at all. The narration is pure Disney and its all about the research that went into the main feature. Of course its testimony to history that seen through the eyes of middle upper class Americans its not really as accurate as Walt thought it was. Some of the facts are not facts at all. They call one creature a rabbit in the documentary but its certainly not a rabbit. It is a capybara. In the cartoon they even have an ostrich in South America!! Still despite the flaws the documentary is a charming bonus with some nostalgic images. Saludos is a pretty good cartoon although I thought the little aeroplane story was quaint it is anthromorphism gone crazy. Everyone's favourite duck with a speech impediment is fun. I never understood a word Donald said but loved his attitude. Goofy steals the movie. It took me years to realise Goofy was a dog! Its a pleasant Disney movie while not being a great one.

movieteen91 "Saludos Amigos", is a short (but, at the same time, long) Disney film featuring four animated shorts set in South America. Surprisingly, I found myself LAUGHING throughout the film (I'm a Looney Tunes guy, not a Mickey Mouse guy. What gives?!). The Donald and Goofy segments in particular provide good insight into the customs of these Spanish-speaking people. The cartoon about the plane had good animation, yet it was a little too "cutesy" for me. By the last segment, however, I had grown tired of this film. Donald and Joe Carioca (who both appeared in "The Three Caballeros", one of my childhood favorites) appear in a dull and tacked-on short that can't seem to decide if it's supposed to be a pretty cartoon about the scenery of Brazil or a comedic cartoon full of Donald-style gags. Then, without warning, the film abruptly ends, leaving me even more disappointed. To wrap it up, this film is a nice time-waster, but see it for the first and third cartoons, and the live-action segments.

Ronald-Philip Tanner (GWMJedi) When I first heard that Disney was going to release a number of films from the early years which had been "almost forgotten," I was very intrigued. Would there be another Sleeping Beauty or Fantasia hiding out there?Sadly, Saludos Amigos falls very short of "Disney classic" status. It is basically forgettable.There are a few smile-inducing moments, but overall the piece really does feel like a "keep the Sudamericanos on our side against the Nazis" period piece from the WW2 era. It's strange to watch a movie made in 1943 with live action sequences of South America looking so peaceful and unaffected by the world's events. Sure, the region was less involved in WW2 than many other regions... but, it is still strange to watch.Anyway, I'd sum it up thusly: 1. Worth buying if you are a Disney collector and 2. Worthy of note simply to see live shots of Buenos Aires, Lago Titicaca, and Rio de Janeiro, filmed almost 60 years ago.Other than that, you can skip this one.