On the back of slowing overseas earnings, the company was slammed with a labor strike led by the Screen Cartoonists' Guild. Despite providing artists with the best working conditions and best pay in the industry, many artists felt they weren't being given their due. The pay structure at the studio was a patchwork quilt and many artists were rewarded with pink slips for completing Snow White rather than their promised bonuses.
In the midst of all the studio's troubles, the U.S. Government asked Walt to become a cultural ambassador to South America. The Nazi Party was well on its way to earning the country's allegiance and, concerned for America's security, Franklin D. Roosevelt decided a film about South America by the famous Walt Disney seemed like a good way to help court their favor. Although the studio was in a dire financial situation, the U.S. Government underwrote the trip and any projects that would come from it, allowing Walt to take a hand-picked team of artists, writers and musicians (nicknamed "El Grupo") on a tour of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
Walt's trip would result in two films, The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos. Walt & El Grupo is, for lack of a better label, a travelogue of the trip. Although you'll see glimpses of elements from both South American films scattered throughout the documentary, the focus is the people who went on the trip and their adventures through the "A-B-C Countries."
The film is made up of vintage 16mm footage of Walt and his team as well as letters and interviews from friends and family. Each section focuses on a different member, offering a unique window into their travels. Everyone had a different focus on the trip - some music, some art, some story - and each vignette shows how their focus led to their experiences. The film offers a fascinating journey, but stumbles. With all the original members long passed, the story is told in a second-hand fashion. Rather than getting production reports on the process and film, we're instead presented with the information contained in letters home.
As a result, the trip's real purpose is lost in a sea of personal musings. The political climate, which served as the backbone for the entire trip, is dismissed with one line. Additionally, while glimpses of both animated films are shown, but there's never any commentary on production. You'll see the makeshift studio space, but never get an idea of how anything was produced in it. For viewers interested in the personal lives of Walt and many of the studio's early luminaries, the angle is great. But, for viewers - like me - who are interested in the animation and creativity over the personalities, it's not as satisfying.
The original theatrical cut of Saludos Amigos is included as an extra. Although both films were released as a double set a year or two ago, the original cut is worth watching just to see Goofy smoking, footage that hasn't been seen since the 60's and has been cut from every other version of the film. Theatrical trailers for both Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros as also included.
Audio commentary is provided by director Theodore Thomas (son of animator Frank Thomas, who was part of the trip) and animation historian J.B. Kaufman, author of the film's companion book. The commentary is great, though only for viewers who are interested in how the film was structured and want some extra anecdotes about the trip.
Deleted scenes detailing different aspects of the trip compliment the commentary. It's easy to see why each was deleted, though on their own, they stand as interesting glimpses into the trip. The most interesting of the three, at least for me, was a scene detailing the use of 16mm cameras. The original intent was to provide reference material for artists, but nearly every reference movie ended up becoming its own short narrative film.
Walt & El Grupo is an interesting documentary, though the extent of that interest will depend mostly on the interests of the viewer. Disney fans who are hungry for information on Walt and the studios early roots will find Walt & El Grupo holds more interest than it does for fans who want to know more about the studio's creative process.
