Walt & El Grupo (2009)

About Walt & El Grupo

"Walt & El Grupo" is an invigorating documentary that casts a spotlight on an untold chapter of Walt Disney's career. In 1941, Walt Disney and a group of his artists, dubbed 'El Grupo', embarked on a goodwill tour of South America at the US government's behest, seeking to bolster relations with Latin American countries during World War II. The movie, directed by Theodore Thomas, uses plentiful archive footage, personal interviews, and diary entries to depict this remarkable journey and the profound impact it had on Disney's later works.

Making / Production

The making of "Walt & El Grupo" is as intriguing as the content itself. The film, produced by Theodore Thomas and Kuniko Okubo, required an enormous amount of research to revive this lesser-known chapter from Walt Disney’s life. Including unseen archival footage and personal interviews with the original trip members, the documentary brings an unforgettable past back alive.

Actors

• Don Novello as Voice of Walt Disney: Novello recreates the legendary Disney in audio, narrating his journey with elan.
• Joaquin Garay as Voice of Himself: Garay plays himself, reminiscing his experiences from the forgotten journey.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The journey marked the birthplace of characters like José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles.
• The goodwill mission resulted in two feature films - "Saludos Amigos" and "The Three Caballeros".

Quotes

• "We believed in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have fun- together." - Walt Disney
• "You don't work for Disney, you work for the mouse." - Sergio Olivares

Music, Soundtrack

• The original score was created by Greg Smith and carried the enchanting Disney theme throughout.
• Reflecting the South American tour, much of the soundtrack is influenced by Latin American music styles.