Well, Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros were actually propaganda films to get Mexico and other Latin countries their support towards the allies in WWII(Though yeah, Saludos Amigos was a vacation movie than an actual movie).

To me, Dumbo is the most emotional Disney movie ever made, I always cry at that movie. As for the crows, I don't find them offensive, even as an adult. Glad it was a hit for Disney because if it didn't, Disney would have closed down its studios since they lost a lot of money on Pinocchio and Fantasia(But thanks to re-releases over the years they became big hits). Although Disney did lost a lot of money on Bambi in it's first release, but again it became a hit through re-releases.

Sorry for going too long but I'm a Disney historian and a huge fan of the company, which is the best in the world.

Get ready people, because the next films Doug will most likely be reviewing are the compilation films. Expect them to be similar to the review of Saludos Amigos. Doug, I suggest doing all the compilation films in one video since they're all shorts put together.

Woot! Another Disney buff like me! I never knew that about Saludos Amigos and the Three Callberos but it makes sense.

I never knew Bambi and Pinocchio were flops when they first came out, but I figure Fantasia was since to this day I know people that either don't like it or don't watch it because there's no talking and they find that idea boring.

I'm so excited to see what other videos you will be doing Doug! I love Disney films!

HIGH FIVE FOR BEING A DISNEY BUFF.

I find the history during the Compilation Era(Saludos Amigos, Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) the most interesting, even though the movies are nothing to brag home about. It was the era that contain ideas to make movies out of but were made into shorts instead because the War prevented them to use their full resources.

The only reason I remember Amigos was because when I was watching it, I accidentally burned some plastic in my microwave when Jos'e (the parrot) was created.

Another awesome installment! Yea... that part with Dumbo and his Ma made me cry too. Bambi is one of my favorites. In my nursing school book (Wong's for anyone who is interested), Bambi is actually mentioned as one of the most traumatizing movies for a child to watch! They also mentioned the Wizard of Oz and another one I can't remember. Kind of neat that this came out while I'm going through PEDS and just recently read it. Never did see Saludos Amigos until this review. I also did'nt know it exsisted and I'm sure many of us here are in the same boat. I might go check it out now. Might.

I've seen just about every Disney film made and saw Saludos Amigos as a kid. It made a vhs release as well. My aunt used to work for Disney so we had our education cut out for us :P

I wish you luck on your epic quest, Critic. Hope you don't break down by the end.

Disneycember is such a great idea.We haven't had any positive reviews from you for a long time

I never heard of that last one either.

same here.

I'm soooo glad your doing this. I was wondering if you were going to do something Disney related for quite some time. Growing up with Disney, I know it made an impact on me. Now as I'm an adult, it's nice to see them again and appreciate the artistry of these cherished movies and memories.

WOOOOT! He did Bambi! :D

Now that is out of the way. I have watched the movie and the book which its loosely based on (I say loosely because there are elements in the story that are changed or altered way differently when you watch the movie afterwards) and its given me a appreciation for both.

Bambi 2 however I kinda have a on again/off again relationship with. Yes, it was nice to see what happened after the winter scene where the Great Prince finds Bambi and tellls him his mom is dead. But it took away alot of the mystery and intrigued of what could have happened to Bambi after the death of his mother. That was one of the main things that kept me glued to this movie was the fact that what happened during that time and when he grew up is left up to the audience's imagination.



Of course, it probably would have been obvious to pretty much anyone that knows about animals and studied them would just tell you that the rest of the does in the herd would have taken care of Bambi until he was old enough to leave the herd and fend for himself. But to those that wouldn't know that they do get some closure in Bambi 2.

Even though it fits the storyline in a good continuation way, another bit I had trouble grasping is that it also took way from the mystery of The Great Prince. We don't know much about him, how he met Bambi's mom, or what he was like as a child. I really liked that we didn't know much about him and made him shrouded in mystery. Although I liked that they made him a big more three-dimentional it just ruined the mystery of this noble character for me. But all in all, its a sequel I could take with a grain of salt and enjoy it for what it is.

I haven't seen Dumbo in forever, but the only thing I remember from the movie were the crows cause I loved them as a kid. "When I See and Elephant Fly" is like my first stuck in head song ever :P

as a writer; I find that I identify with Dumbo the most. He's the silent observer with weird stuff happening around him for sure!

Yay! Time for more Disney commentary from Doug!

Dumbo: I like the mouse though I'm sorry to say I've never gotten around to watching this one.

Bambi: So, so sad and yet so, so cute at the same time. Aw- nothing on Thumper & Flower?

Saludos Amigos: Heh, awesome! That's where that Disney story about the Spanish plane came from...

I can't wait to see your thoughts on the next batch of Disney movies, Doug!

Dumbo should have ended when he landed on those power lines. Death by electric shock.

No, he's fine. Birds land on power lines all the time and are fine. You'd only be fried if you touched the pole, thereby grounding you.

Birds are only okay because they usually land on *one* power line. You've never heard of stories of bigger birds like eagles and vultures being electrocuted because they touched more than one line? Realistically speaking (which, granted, is rather pointless, given that this is a Disney film with talking crows and flying elephants and all), Dumbo landing on separate lines like that should have fried him.

so um...if this is part two...where's part one?

Dude, it's still on the friggin sidebar. Scroll up and look to the right of the screen. Or go to the menu bars and click the one this entry is under. HOW IS THIS HARD??? :|

Fun fact: Dumbo was losely based on a real circus elephant that was part of the PT Barnum Circus. He was born in Africa in 1861 and died in 1885 in Canada when he was run over by a train. Reportadly he was saving the life of another elephant that he had pushed out of the way.

You know, when I was a kid, with the exception of Fantasia (and, probably rather bizarrely, though I've not gotten to the Saludos Amigos one on this page yet, The Three Caballeros) I was never really fond of the earliest Disney movies. The biggest concentration of the ones that I watched a lot were in the 50s to 70s era. Now that I'm older, I really ought to go back and rewatch some of these older ones. I bet I'd be able to appreciate them more than I did back then.

Interesting interpretation of Dumbo. I haven't seen the film in a long time, but from what I do remember, that does seem like a fairly apt description. Concerning the crows, I've never found them offensive; like you, I found them kinda cool... nowhere near the level of my more favourite films, but nothing that bugged me. Also, the Pink Elephants sequence is SO fun! That, everything following it, and the intro sequence until they leave the train are the moments I remember the most.

Bambi... I too didn't watch this one very much. The second half, following the death of Bambi's mom, was the only part that held my interest. As for the death of Bambi's mom, it didn't bother me at all. The only film to ever successfully make me cry was the direct-to-video "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin"... specifically, the "Wherever You Are" song.

Never even heard of the last one before.

Being of Hispanic birth I was lucky enough to see the Saludos Amigos when I was a child since it was kind of shoved to me. But it relly was a nice movie too watch

This was one of my all time favorites as a kid! And sadly like Doug sort of mention here I can't recall the story of what all happened in this movie to save my life! All I can recall is a little elephant with big ears that flies and the Crows! Who I liked personally as characters and as a kid born in the 80s and raised in the 90s I didn't get that they were an old 30s-40s era stereo-type of black people till I was in my teens! So I don't personally care what people think it's nothing to get all upset over! I've seen a lot worse from Warner Brothers!
I need to see this movie again some day!

Also, I'm a guy and I cried at the Dumbo with his mother scene too as a little kid! Must mean I'm a momma's boy!

The racism accusations around the crows usually centers somewhat around the fact that the leader crow is named, "Jim." It's making a joke out of the Jim Crow laws.

I'm not sure referencing something is a "joke." It's not funny and no one necessarily gets it. How is that a joke?

"It's not funny and no one necessarily gets it."

You just described half the jokes on the internet.

this is a lot more like Cinemassacre's monster madness,good stuff anyway

I take it you haven't seen part 1 yet, he blatantly admits it is.

Dumbo: While it wasn't as strong as most of the others, this movie still did have an impact on me, mainly with the fact that I too, like Dumbo, am usually more of an observer on most stuff than taking an active role. Of course, with the song "Baby Mine", I have no regrets in admitting that every time the song comes on, I always cry. Despite what I may feel or whatever goes on with the family, it brings back to joy and comfort that I cry in a good way for loving my family.

Now as far as the crow debate goes, as being a halfer myself, I never had any problems with them at all since in turn, they were integral to Dumbo's growth in the end.


Bambi: Unfortunately, it's been TOO long since I've seen this one, and every time I try to catch it, it's right in the middle of it all, so I can't really give a proper view of it. Only thing I can remember is that the first time I've watched it was in the theaters when I was about 3-4 years old, and then watching it when it came out on VHS.


Saludos Amigos: The movie itself was an introduction of their "good will visits" to visit other countries like Brazil and such in South America. It was pretty good for me where the first time I've seen it was on the Disney Channel when they showed stuff like this more often than anything before it's current format. Other than that, as a movie, it was "meh", but still cool to see what it's like for visiting other countries back in the day.


This was the kind of "lull" of movies for me, where I did enjoy them, it's not really something that I actively pursue to watch, with Dumbo being a bit of an exception from time to time. Can't wait to see the next set of Disney movies soon.

Doug, I want to thank you for doing this series. I'm a huge Disney fan, but I only remember vague details of watching the earliest films in the Disney animated canon (except for Snow White, but let's not go there). I'm being exposed to films I've never seen (like Fantasia and Saludos Amigos), and re-exposed to films where I only know generalities (like Bambi and Dumbo). This has been really interesting, and it's great to hear some insights on the films that I wouldn't get from reading about them on Wikipedia or even seeing them myself. Thanks again.

I find it halarious how much you love bambi. Because I saw the history of disney by Crashshortsofevil (fantastic youtube video, no crappy youtube bad quality sound or anything) and I find it funny how different both youre oppinions are. He found it crap because of how bland bambi was. Arguably Dumbo saved disney, if disney would make it, he would make it way too expensive and artsy. Dumbo was pretty cheap and actually made alot of money.

Films like Bambi and Dumbo inspired a young Osamu Tezuka who formulized mainstream manga in Japan post WW2. Show some respect. Disney impacted alot of people worldwide!

Bambi kind of has alot of cliches used in later Disney films and children's animated stuff in general though... like the vapid one-dimensional female love interests who seduce the male leads with their fluttering eyelashes. Hurrghh

This one I watched a looot as a kid, but I wouldn't say it's one of my absolute faves as it's very depressing for me most the time!
I think I and a few others actually truly know what happened to Bambi's mom more than others! I am a hunter and I know that the cleaning and processing that goes into turning a dead deer into dinner! :'D
But, I can say this as a hunter the hunter in this movie is the worse kind of hunter! It's a rule basically YOU DON'T KILL MOTHER DOES! And, you can't claim he didn't see her with her fawn!
well, for the whole his father wasn't there thing that is basically a real things deer do the fathers have little to nothing to do with their offspring! I know it's an animated movie but the most human trait thing they did was give the animals the ability to talk they didn't give them the full anthropomorphic treatment!

Damn is deer meat good! :'D (I'm crying on the inside)

Ah, I think Bambi was the one that I watched the most along with Beauty and the Beast, Oliver and Company, and 101 Dalmatians. (Of course, these days I seriously question WHY that hunter killed his mom - it's basically a fact that hunters aren't allowed to kill a doe. Unless I'm missing something about different hunting laws in that time period.)

…That Saludos Amigos one just sounds weird, though. :|

You can kill does but like with buck there are guild-lines! Like she's got to at least be over a year or more old! And you can't kill them if they have a fawn with them or they're clearly already bred! Actually this year on my license it said I can take 2 does and one buck!

It's not illegal to shoot doe, but they have their own segment of the season, usually a week or so mid-November. It never specifies exactly when she's shot, so it could have been legal, or the hunting season may have been different then. Hope that helps =)

Saludos Amigos is awesomely weird. In one liveaction/partly animated segment, the song this girl sings in spanish forever gets stuck in my head. And it's in spanish! Disney's good for making up catchy songs.

I just know Cinderella will be showing up soon and I have to admit I'm a bit nervous. I LOVED Cinderella as a child, and it almost defined a lot of the things I want as an adult as well. I know a lot of people use Cinderella as a classic example of a useless heroine, but I don't think that's the case at all. For the time period, her situation was one she was very much stuck in. Cinderella is about more than just wanting to be a princess and marrying a prince, it's about being caught in a situation you have no way out of. I think that's a message that's familiar to everyone, and part of the reason it's so timeless.

I really can't wait to see the next movies, especially when you start moving into the 90's. I wonder if you'll do Princess and the Frog and Tangled? Those say so much about the way Disney has changed through the years and I really hope you get to them. I love this series and I can't wait for the rest!

"left with just one little friend, a circus mouse."

. . . Brentalfloss?

The best part of that movie was when Mama Elephant beats the crap out of that guy. I could have sat through two hours of nothing but that.

~~"left with just one little friend, a circus mouse."

~~. . . Brentalfloss?



This might be the most awesome comment ever left. Ever. I'm just sayin.

Partly because I was actually kind of obsessed with that mouse as a kid. XD

Fun facts about Bambi:

1: It's based on a book series. Bambi, A Life In The Woods (which is rather dark. Lots of character deaths) and Bambi's Children (which isn't quite as brutal)

2: In the books Faline is his COUSIN. That's right. Bambi falls in love with his COUSIN!

Bonus fun fact: The script for Bambi was only about 3 typed pages long, if I'm recalling my Disney coffee table book trivia correctly. The rest is all art. There really is minimal dialogue.

In the animal kingdom, things like that don't really matter. Only in the Human world is it considered incest.

In fact, many animals prevent mating with relatives, so that for example, lions and elephants chased the young males from the pack, and herds.

My wife sings "Baby Mine" to our daughter. That bit from Dumbo never made me cry until she started doing that. :P

As a Spanish teacher,I find Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros great and helpful in a classroom setting, even if they are excruciatingly dated. I like this one much better because of the footage (especially showing their traditional outfits, which have changed very little in all this time), but they're both great to show that last day before a break when you know the students won't do any work any way. Outside the classroom, though, I really wouldn't choose either of them to watch for my own amusement. They're in my collection strictly for classroom use.
This is a great series, Doug, I look forward to seeing what you have to say about the rest!