Movies

Walt Disney, Nazis, and ‘El Grupo’

By  · Published on September 9th, 2009

When I tell you that Walt Disney was charged by the United States government in the early 1930s with going down to South America in order to spread American goodwill and ward off the growing National Socialism movement there, you’re immediate thought is that you wish someone would make a documentary about it, right?

Don’t be freaked out. I’m not psychic or anything. I just know stuff.

And if you are freaked out, let me change your mood instantly by assuring you that there is such a documentary. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, director Theodore Thomas has put together personal writings, interviews and photographs to create Walt & El Grupo, a film that follows the path Disney took while traversing our neighbors to the south.

I would check out the full article for some cool details, but suffice it to say that Disney undertook the journey during a dark time in his company’s history and saw it as an opportunity to get fresh ideas for stories and characters. And, ya know, to stop those damned Nazis. Where did you think The Three Caballeros came from?

As we mentioned in our Movie Watcher’s Guide to September, the film isn’t coming to a theater near you anytime soon, but they are releasing it this Friday (September 11th) in a limited, independent way. Go to the flick’s official website to see if it’ll come near you in the coming weeks and to find out whether it’s rolling out wider.

I’m snagging the trailer I have snagged the trailer and will have it up on the site a bit later right now:

Also, you should check out the poster:

What do you think?

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Movie stuff at VanityFair, Thrillist, IndieWire, Film School Rejects, and The Broken Projector Podcast@brokenprojector | Writing short stories at Adventitious.