In the early 1940’s, an extraordinary event happened in the life of Walt Disney, and it had nothing to do with Mickey Mouse.
“Walt & El Grupo” is a documentary on an event that very few people, even Disney fans, know about. Just prior to the start of World War II there were troubled times at the Walt Disney Studios – a strike! Walt needed a way to escape the troubles and get his studio back on track. At the same time, the U.S. government was looking for a way to make South America friendly with our side in the upcoming war, and keep the Nazi’s out.
So, the government paid for Walt and 13 other artists from the studio (the El Grupo) to take a trip to South America, which lasted for 3-months. The documentary chronicles the trip through letters, old pictures and movie footage and the words of relatives of the people who made the trip, which resulted in two movies: “Saludos Amigos” and “The Three Caballeros”.
This is an engaging story, directed by Theodore Thomas, the son of famed Disney animator Frank Thomas, who was on the trip. I interviewed Thomas following the screening of the film I attended in Hollywood last summer and he told me of the tremendous amount of research that went into making the film and that the original cut was over 5-hours long!
If you are a Disney buff, this film is a must.
“Walt & El Grupo” is rated PG for historical smoking. That’s right, HISTORICAL SMOKING. The movie is appropriate for all ages, though most kids will be frustrated that there is very little animated footage and a lot of the film is in subtitles.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Walt and El Grupo” gets a B+. It’s entertaining, educational and the music is great! Two other documentaries about the studio: “The Boys” and “Waking Sleeping Beauty” have also been released. This is the perfect triple-feature for all Disney fanatics.