So today we are up to part seven in our series about Disney legend Mary Blair, the person

who many believe was Walt's favorite artist. When we left off last time, Mary Blair had been

rehired by Walt to go on the South American Goodwill trip. This happened while picket lines were

still moving across both of the gates at the Disney

studio, and shortly later she found herself with a group of highly skilled artists taking a series

of flights over many days that eventually brought her to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This trip would begin a multi-year connection between the Disney

studio and the American War effort. And that is exactly where we pick up our story today.

For the Disney artist moving through Latin America, the trip was planned with three separate legs of travel.

The first would be spent in Rio, the second in Buenos Aires, and for the third, small subgroups

traveling independently would explore

different sections of South and Central America as well as Mexico.

The countries of Brazil and Argentina and to a lesser extent Chile were considered the most

important objectives for the CIAA due to rising Nazi influence through newspapers,

radio and film presentations in those countries. Brazil at this time had not yet formally joined

the Allies and Nazi agents were allowed to operate freely in Argentina, sending radio

communications back to Germany. The political goal of the Disney's

CIAA effort in Rio was to establish strong feelings of political and economic connection

between the two countries, enticing citizens there, away from German influence to create

hemispheric unity against the Nazis.

This might be partially achieved, through Disney cartoons that showed famous characters

typically considered to be residents of the U.S., such as Donald Duck, enjoying South American

locations and making friends there.

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