As 2018 comes to a close I thought it would be a good time to share my favorite physical releases of the year. I am a big supporter of physical media and will continue to support it. I like owning my movies that I can hold, not in some cloud somewhere. I love box art. This year was a great year for exclusive Steelbooks at Best Buy. Some of them will make my list. In deciding the number I fell on the most obvious one, 18.

The countdown begins with number 18, the double feature of Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros!

As a big Disney Animated Feature fan, several films have eluded the jump to high definition. An exclusive to the Disney Movie Club, Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros finally samba dances their way onto Blu-Ray. I joined the Disney Movie Club just so I could own a childhood favorite. I can remember many times growing up the individual segments would be shown on the Disney Channel, giving me a love for these films. The love hasn’t dissipated over the years, in fact it’s only grown.

The first of the double features, Saludos Amigos is a fun trip to South America with Donald Duck and Jose Caricoa. The film blends the beauty of South America with the whimsy of Disney animation and it is a winning success. The film is broken into four different segments, the first Lake Titicaca follows Donald as he is an American tourist to the famous lake. The second feature is Pedro, a cute little mail plane that encounters trouble in the air as he delivers the mail. Up next is another famous Disney character, Goofy as travels through Argentina. And lastly Jose Caricoa and Donald take you on a colorful adventure titled, Aquarela do Brasil.

After the success of Saludos Amigos, Disney returned to Latin America, this time with The Three Caballeros. Divided into seven segments, The Three Caballeros stars Donald Duck, Jose Caricoa and making his debut Panchito Pistoles. Each of the characters represent their respective countries, Donald represents the USA, Jose, Brazil and Panchito, represents Mexico. As the boys celebrate Donald’s birthday, they find themselves put into several different stories, whether Donald is watching a movie or reading a book, his adventures into Mexico are colorful and fun. They also feature a fun little Aracuan Bird that causes mischief in most stories. I like The Three Caballeros slightly more than Saludos Amigos as it is basically a sequel and makes everything a little better. Plus the live action mixed with the animated characters are pretty impressive, even though the films are 75 years old.

Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros looks amazing in high definition. Having seen these films many times on TV and DVD I was amazed on the colors and details that where missed. Colors pop, detail is outstanding this is a great looking Blu-Ray.

The sound is solid. Of course any film that is 75 years is not going to push your sound system to the limits but the music and dialogue are crisp and lively. Everything sounds as it should.

Sadly the Blu-Ray debut of these films do not have any extras, not even the old DVD extras.

I love these travelogue movies. The characters of Donald, Jose and Panchito make each film a magical journey through Latin America. If you are a Disney Movie Club member this is a must own. As a Disney Animated fan, this is a must own disc. My hope is that this release is popular enough that we will soon see the high definition release of other forgotten gems like Make Mine Music and Melody Time.

Film: Saludos Amigos: B+/ The Three Caballeros: A-

Video: Saludos Amigos: A/ The Three Caballeros: A

Audio: Saludos Amigos: B/ The Three Caballeros: B

Extras: Saludos Amigos: F/The Three Caballeros: F

Overall: Saludos Amigos: B+/ The Three Caballeros: A-