The flying gauchito

When you hear the words ‘The Three Caballeros,’ more often than not thoughts turn to Donald, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles, but the 1944 animated feature actually featured a plethora of characters in various shorts focusing on the culture and folktales of Central and South America. At Coronado Springs, it is Panchito who is the proprietor of the gift shop, but that doesn’t mean some of the other characters can’t get in on the action!

This jolly little fellow, who is pulling a cart to sell his wares in the shop, is Burrito, sometimes known as Flying Burrito or Little Burrito. He comes from the second scene of The Three Caballeros, which is entitled The Flying Gauchito. A little boy from Uruguay, known as Little Gauchito, dreams of being a big, tough hunter and goes out in search of ostriches. On his journey, he comes across the flying donkey, Burrito. Comedic antics are combined with cultural details while Little Gauchito attempts to tame his new friend. In the end, the pair enter the fiesta day race. Burrito’s wings are discovered after the duo had won the race and, facing an angry mob, they fly away. So the story goes, they were never seen or heard from again.

The next time you visit Panchtio’s at Coronado Springs, be sure to say hello to Burrito, but remember, don’t blow his cover! There may still be some angry gauchos out there looking for him!