This Disney classic film is a series of shorts with a Latin American theme tied together in a package; a birthday package, that is. We start the movie with Donald Duck receiving a huge birthday gift from his friends in South America. He opens it to find a film projector and screen, complete with home movies.
The first movie is about “The Cold-Blooded Penguin,” a poor little guy who can’t seem to stay warm no matter what he does. His best friend is a pot-bellied stove, and they live together in an igloo. He has dreams that someday he will travel to a tropical island, but every time he tries to leave home, he’s half frozen before he gets more than a few yards away and his friends are getting mighty tired of throwing him going away parties just to have him return five minutes later. But then he has the idea to sail instead of walk, and he makes a boat from the ice on which his igloo sits. Together, he and his stove float off to the perfect island. The only problem is, now he’s starting to miss the snow.
Another segment in the film tells us about a darling flying donkey, who helps his friend win a race. The face on this donkey is priceless and worth watching the movie for, even if you turn it off after this point.
The remainder of the presents Donald receives all tie in to South America in some way, and he learns about the people and the culture. I like this film for the way it gives American children a taste of life in Mexico and then the southern countries; it’s a great social studies tool because it’s presented in a fun way. My two-year-old especially liked the music and shook his little hips every time the maracas were played.