February 6, 1943: The first of the 1940s package films arrives in Saludos Amigos. The Latin-America-inspired production features four segments: Lake Titicaca, Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy, and Aquarela do Brasil. It netted Academy Award nominations for Best Sound, Best Score, and Best Song in the title track.
Sheet music from the final segment of Disney’s first wartime package film
February 3, 1945: Donald takes the lead in the second of the Latin-American-based films, The Three Caballeros. The four short films included are The Cold-Blooded Penguin, The Flying Gauchito, Baia, and La Pinata. The production was nominated for Best Sound and Best Score.
War bond featuring Jose Carioca alongside many other beloved Disney stars
April 20, 1946: Make Mine Music is released, a feature consisting of ten shorts: The Martins and the Coys, Blue Bayou, All the Cats Join In, Without You, Casey at the Bat, Two Silhouettes, Peter and the Wolf, After You’ve Gone, Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, and The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met. It is the first Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film not to receive any formal recognition from the Academy.
Disneyland Records release of one of the most popular segments of the film
September 27, 1947: The second animated feature to include Mickey Mouse, Fun and Fancy Free debuts. The story of Bongo, a lovable escaped circus bear, is followed by the re-worked fairy tale Mickey and the Beanstalk.
This song appears in the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment
May 27, 1948: The third music-centered feature (after Fantasia and Make Mine Music), Melody Time, opens in theaters. The following seven story segments are included: Once Upon a Wintertime, Bumble Boogie, The Legend of Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot, Trees, Blame It on the Samba, and Pecos Bill.
Sheet music for the film’s title track
October 5, 1949: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, last of the Wartime-Era package films, hits screens across the country. As the title indicates, the feature includes two stories: The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
DISNEY COLLECTOR ARCHIVES 