Theodore Thomas wrote and directed the documentary Walt and El Grupo which had its theatrical debut on Sept. 9, 2009. This film archives the 1941 magical ten week journey that Walt Disney and a selected group of artists and filmmakers (to later be branded “El Grupo”) took to South America. This magnificent journey was taken as a request from the US Government, falling under the Good Neighbor Policy. While America dealt with surmounting Nazi and Fascist concerns in South America and beyond and the world was falling faster and faster into war, Walt Disney studios had fallen on hard times as well. Within only a few years of the colossal success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney Studios started to have one financial calamity after another, which eventually led to the notorious animators strike.
However, as one of the most trying times in American history unfolded, this group was on a trip of a life time. Disney and his group spent their time primarily in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile all while exploring many South American cities on a trip brimming with discovery and hope. Although this group was busy gathering story material, they also reveled in the culture, met with local artists and politicians and attended numerous functions. Their trip was a de facto diplomatic mission as well, with The Three Caballeros and Saludos Amigos studio productions being a direct result of it all.
Walt and El Grupo was shot in three countries and is a story that is still felt in numerous places. The film uses spectacular artwork from the expedition, personal letters, tales from the survivors and descendants along with never-before-seen video recordings to create a magical film. Walt and El Grupo showcases a forgotten era, entwines art with politics and relives a legend’s trying times.