In the early 1940s, the U.S. government was concerned about Nazi influence in South America. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's , Nelson Rockefeller (Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs) asked Walt Disney to embark on a "goodwill tour" of South America.
Saludos Amigos (1942) is a landmark entry in Disney’s filmography, serving as the first of six "package films" released during the 1940s. More than just a collection of animated shorts, it was a piece of cultural diplomacy commissioned by the U.S. Department of State to bolster U.S.-Latin American relations during World War II. Historical Context: The "Good Neighbor" Policy
: Walt Disney and a team of 18 artists, musicians, and writers traveled through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
: The team set up temporary studios to sketch local landscapes, study traditional music, and capture the local culture.