Walt Disney in Latin America: Rare Footage and Stories Shared on DVC Member Cruise
The names Didier Ghez and Theodore (Ted) Thomas are famous amongst Disney history buffs. Ghez is a renowned Disney historian, President of the Hyperion Historical Alliance (HHA), and a celebrated author of books that include Disney Animation’s hidden art series, They Drew as they Pleased, and the long-running interview series Walt’s People. Thomas is the son of Disney Legend Frank Thomas, one of Walt Disney’s famed Nine Old Men, a filmmaker whose directing credits include the Disney documentaries Frank & Ollie and Walt & El Grupo. Ghez and Thomas were special guests aboard the 2025 Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise, hosting an exciting presentation titled “Walt Disney in Latin America."
Along with J.B. Kauffman, Didier Ghez and Ted Thomas are the authors of the 2024 book Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America (part of the HHA’s Academic Monograph Series), and they are also working on a follow-up expected to be released next year titled Walt Disney and El Grupo in Mexico and Cuba (1942 - 1944). The presentation served as a summary of highlights from the first volume, a sneak preview of the second, plus some incredible video footage that can’t be seen elsewhere. A similar presentation was offered at D23: The Ultimate Fan Event, but for attendees like me who missed that panel, it was also a nice second chance to see it.
Walt Disney & El Grupo in Latin America covers Disney’s 1941 goodwill tour, familiar ground for those who have seen Walt & El Grupo (2008) or read Kauffman’s previous book, South of the Border with Disney (2009). However, for this archival reflection of the trip that inspired Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, and an array of animated shorts, Ghez and Thomas went beyond the collections at the Walt Disney Archives, Animation Research Library, and Walt Disney Family Museum.
Through the families of El Groupo’s members, local archives from the places they visited, and private collections of people who interacted with El Groupo, more than 125 never-before-seen photos were found, including a few in color. Another asset they didn’t have access to previously was Disney Legend Herb Ryman’s sketchbook from the trip and Argentinian artist Florencio Molina Campos’ caricatures of the group.
The highlight of this part of the panel was seeing some lost Disney animation, both of which are otherwise exclusive to the 1995 laserdisc release of Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. With a mix of pencil animation and storyboards, "A Brazilian Symphony: Caxanga" featured animation of kids playing the musical matchbox game, followed by storyboards of José Carioca trying to teach it to Donald Duck and Goofy. The second was for a short called "The Laughing Gauchito," the origin of the main character from The Three Caballeros segment “The Flying Gauchito." In the original pitch, the little gaucho had a singing voice that brought him worldwide acclaim for its glass-breaking properties. In the pencil animation segment done by Frank Thomas, we see Gauchito as he discovers his voice has changed mid-performance, disappointing the audience when the mirror doesn’t shatter.
It was surprising to learn that The Walt Disney Company doesn’t have much information about the origins of Panchito Pistoles, the third title character introduced in The Three Caballeros. Thankfully, Kauffman and Thomas were able to find some interesting pieces at archives in Cuba and Mexico that will allow them to tell the story behind this character next year in Walt Disney and El Grupo in Mexico and Cuba (1942 - 1944). That volume will also cover the “Fourth Cabellero" and plans for the scrapped third film in the series, Cuban Carnival. It will chronicle a second research trip that sent Mary Blair, Bill Cottrell, and Fred Moore to Cuba for the film, plus the abandoned projects that were to result from it. For fans of The Three Caballeros, it will also feature Moore’s character development art for Miguelito Maracas, the fourth Caballero.
Teasing more of what’s to come in the next volume, Kauffman and Thomas shared a few found photos of Walt Disney in Mexico with the likes of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, plus Walt on the set of El Circo, a Mexican remake of Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus starring Cantinflas. Plus, from the families of Ken Andersen and Eric Larson, more sketches will be seen in print for the first time in this volume.
The presentation fittingly ended with some rarely-seen home video footage of Walt and Lilian Disney from their vacation to Cuba in 1931. If you’ve heard the anecdote about Walt having “one heck of a breakdown" and going on a doctor-recommended holiday, this is that trip. It was neat to see Walt just being a human, filming trains and roosters, and splashing in the pool with his wife. As guests continue their Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise, it was a reminder of the poignant importance of taking time away from work to reconnect with the world.
Didier Ghez also teased two future volumes of the HHA’s Academic Monograph Series. The first will cover the making of Disney’s live-action classic Darby O'Gill and the Little People, while the second will focus on Mickey Mouse’s evolution in the 1930s. Stay tuned for news about their upcoming releases as it becomes available.