Walt and El Grupo Page #2

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Frankly, it was a surprising event,

in that kind of political climate,

to see Mr. Walt Disney in Santiago

with his colleagues,

with this big smile,

joking with everyone,

with a stupendous sense of humor.

The line of investigation I followed

was simply to sit

at the printing press of the time.

When Disney arrived it was not

treated as an official state visit.

And for this reason it focused

on contacting and interacting

with artists, intellectuals,

painters, and sculptors.

My father was a young man

when Walt Disney arrived in Chile.

He must have been twenty years old,

and immediately had a good relationship

with Walt Disney.

He thought my father was an interesting

young man since he was studying cinema

and producing some films

with his father.

This caused Walt Disney to tell him,

"Why don't you come

with me to see Santiago?

Accompany me on this trip,

we can talk about many things."

My father was touched by this friendship

or affection that Walt Disney

showed toward him.

Conversations, comments...

One of which

was what character to choose,

on behalf of Chile,

for this film they were making.

And a year after Walt had come to Chile,

my father found himself

in the offices of Walt Disney.

He received him as an acquaintance,

a friend from South America.

And, well, this is when he showed

my father the small surprise,

which was the letter the airplane

was carrying in the film.

As the camera zooms in to the interior.

Well, after World War II ended,

my father, trying to continue the work

he had left behind in the United States,

returned to Hollywood

to pursue those activities.

However, what he found

was a totally different panorama

than during the Second World War.

Things had changed.

The studios had changed their politics,

and because of this,

my father was forced

to go into a different field.

But, he kept these memories with him

and shared them with me

from time to time.

And he always approved of my dedication

to film, animation,

and anything related to it.

Did you see the movie, Saludos,

when it premiered here?

- Yes.

- Yes.

- Good!

- Fantastic! Really Good!

I did not like the pan about Argentina.

I did not like it.

It is just with a gaucho that

only does a couple of gags.

The truth is they really nail

the part about the gauchos

when they eat the barbecue with

the knife and all that. It's clever.

In the case of Chile,

the character was a little airplane,

and the only thing he did was carry

a letter for Mr. Jorge Delano.

And that was all.

So Pepo, an artist

who worked at Topaze magazine,

as a way to praise a Chilean character,

created "El Condorito" representing

the most typical things in our country.

It is the condor that appears

on our National Shield.

And it was also a clear response

to the little consideration

that Disney gave

our country in the film.

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