Latin America 2: Electric Boogaloo

The Three Caballeros (1944)

Rated: G

Runtime: 72 minutes

Princess/Heroine: none

Prince/Hero: Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, Panchito Pistoles

Sidekicks: Burrito, Pablo

Villain: none

Music: “Baia”, “Mexico”, “The Three Caballeros”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 2 ½ ears. 1 for Donald Duck/Jose Carioca/Panchito Pistoles, 1 for Burrito/Pablo, ½ for basically being the same movie as Saludos Amigos.

This movie has no princess/heroine; and no villain! Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles do an ok job traveling around live-action Latin America. Burrito the donkey and Pablo the penguin are cute and fun. The music (like in Saludos Amigos) is forgettable. And don’t get me started on the weird stuff involving Donald Duck “drunk” and dancing women in bikinis ...

No princess. No villain. Not much to say. This movie will definitely follow the same fate as Saludos Amigos in the bracket. If you want to watch a movie that has cool characters traveling around different countries, skip these and check out this cool website: travelingbyfilm.wordpress.com

Vote for Pedro

Saludos Amigos (1942)

Rated: G

Runtime: 42 minutes

Princess/Heroine: none

Prince/Hero: Pedro

Sidekicks: Donald Duck, Goofy, Jose Carioca

Villain: Aconcagua

Music: “Aquarela do Brasil”, “Saludos Amigos”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 2 ½ ears. 1 for Pedro, ½ for Donald Duck/Goofy/Jose Carioca, and 1 for Aconcagua.

This movie is really short and has no princess/heroine. Pedro the airplane was my favorite part of the movie, and he succeeds in beating the thunder and lightning of Anconcagua! Donald Duck, Goofy, and Jose Carioca are ok in their small parts. The music was forgettable. The movie sprinkles in some live-action footage of Latin America, which was kind of fun.

Not much to say about this one because ... well, there wasn’t much to work with. I much prefer me a classic Disney princess movie. This one probably won’t stick around in the bracket for long.

Mommie Deerest

Bambi (1942)

Rated: G

Runtime: 70 minutes

Princess/Heroine: Bambi’s mother

Prince/Hero: Bambi

Sidekicks: Thumper, Flower, Faline

Villain: Man

Music: “Let’s Sing a Gay Little Spring Song”, “Little April Shower”, “Looking for Romance (I Bring You a Song)”, “Love is a Song”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 3 ears. 1 for Bambi, 1 for Bambi’s mom, and 1 for Thumper/Flower/Faline.

This movie is super cute and extremely sad all at the same time. Bambi goes all “George McFly” at one point to protect Lorraine ... I mean Faline, but then disappears at the end like his dad when it comes to being a father. Bambi’s mother is a great single mom. Thumper and Flower are great friends to have around. Man sucks with his killing things and starting fires. The music doesn’t offer much and is forgettable.

The movie has lots of fun characters but the plot is a bit simple. It is very cute and sad and I am glad I watched it with my cat Gizmo. It will be a popular pick in the bracket and should do well because it reminded me of Back to the Future and that is always a good thing.

Pink elephant in the room

Dumbo (1941)

Rated: G

Runtime: 64 minutes

Princess/Heroine: Mrs. Jumbo

Prince/Hero: Jumbo Jr. aka “Dumbo”

Sidekicks: Timothy Q. Mouse

Villain: The Ringmaster

Music: “Baby Mine”, “Pink Elephants on Parade”, “When I See an Elephant Fly”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 4 ears. 1 for Dumbo, 1 for Mrs. Jumbo, 1 for Timothy Q. Mouse, and 1 for the music.

This movie was shorter than I had expected, but is exciting from start to finish. Dumbo is awesome and doesn’t let anything get in his way of becoming a success. Mrs. Jumbo is a super mom, Timothy Q. Mouse is a great friend, and The Ringmaster is a big jerk. The music hits on all levels; "Baby Mine” makes you cry (especially when Mrs. Jumbo and Dumbo touch trunks) and “When I See an Elephant Fly” is a lot of fun (those crows can totally jive).

Where this movie sets itself apart is its big “WHAAAAAT?” moment: “Pink Elephants on Parade” is just mind-blowing. I can’t even begin to explain it. You just have to watch it. A sneaky good movie that could go really far in the bracket, with solid performances in each category.

Fantasiastic

Fantasia (1940)

Rated: G

Runtime: 125 minutes

Princess/Heroine: none

Prince/Hero: Mickey Mouse

Sidekicks: broomsticks

Villain: Chernabog, T-Rex

Music: “Ave Maria”, “Dance of the Hours”, “Night on Bald Mountain”, “Nutcracker Suite”, “The Pastoral Symphony”, “Rite of Spring”, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”

Rating—out of 5 Mickey Mouse ears: 4 ears. 1 for Mickey Mouse, 1 for the broomsticks, 1 for Chernabog/T-Rex, and 1 for the music.

This movie was hard to judge because it is a collection of segments/shorts. There was no princess/heroine. Mickey Mouse wasn’t really a prince/hero, but The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was so awesome I had to give him recognition. There were several “sidekicks” in the movie (fairies, centaurs, various animals), but the broomsticks were the best of the bunch. There were two villains: T-Rex was a bully, and Chernabog was absolutely terrifying.

The star of the movie is definitely the music. All the biggies are here: Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky; but Dukas steals the show with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. Mickey Mouse rules. I recommend the movie based on him. Even with its unevenness, it will fare well in the bracket.