The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Pablo and the Dancing Chihuahua: Part 1 (1968) User Reviews

I was there!

[dchristiansen1 · 7/10 · 19 November 2010]

This Disney show was made in Nogales, Arizona, in 1967. We lived there, and I was in first grade. My dad was in the Border Patrol, and my parents knew several of the minor cast members because Disney used real Border Patrol and Highway Patrol officers to play the parts. There is a scene where Pablo and the dog encounter a mountain lion. The animal trainer for the lion lived down the street from me and sometimes kept it chained to a tree in his from yard. We would stop and look at it on the way home from the school bus stop. He also drove around in his station wagon with the lion lounging across the top of the front bench seat. (In those days, cars had bench seats with no head rests in the front.) That was pretty startling when you first saw it. By the time the show aired, we had moved back to Texas, and it was fun to see familiar people and scenery from Arizona on TV!

I remember the ocarina

[KarenSDR · 8/10 · 16 October 2009]

I saw this in the 1960s when I was in grade school, and was fascinated by the ocarina that Pablo played as the chihuahua danced. I wanted an ocarina like that so bad, but at the time they weren't readily available. My mom gave me her old "Tonette", and I figured out the two tunes that Pablo played. A few years later I got a plastic ocarina for my birthday, and played those tunes on it. I still remember them all these years later, though I don't remember much of anything else about the movie. I do remember the little boy trying to get across the border, and the dog dancing in the desert. And I remember that he found sanctuary at last, though I didn't remember until I read he summary that he didn't actually find his family. I'd love to see this again, but it looks like it's hard to find.

Another story of survival, Disney style.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 22 August 2023]

Young Armando Islas has a handful of childhood credits, appearing in this Disney TV movie, initially shown in two parts, but equally as much a TV original film as all those movies of the week. He's an orphan across the border in Mexico trying to find an uncle he's never met in Tucson and desperate not to get caught by the border patrol. His constant companion is a chihuahua who ran away from its owner and can dance to the music from Islas's pipe.

Made to be heartwarming and promote international tolerance, this is your typical Disney feel good drama, complete with narration, few actors, and plenty of adventure. Islas is easy to take, feel sorry for and hope someone adopts. Islas and the cloying pup encounter nasty desert pigs, a rattle snake and the desert heat, and it's a fast moving family adventure that is still pretty timely. In fact moreso than when first made.

Pablo and the Dancing Chihuahua

[jiggintheriggin · 10/10 · 15 November 2007]

I remember seeing this film in England on one of the satellite channels.

It was really good and did make us laugh as my Grandma has a chihuahua.

The story is about a Mexican boy who is crossing the border to the US (probably not legally) but in the spirit of the film it is overlooked as he is so young. Somehow he meets this Chihuahua who escapes from the ladies car and follows Pablo around.

The reason the dog follows Pablo is because Pablo plays an instrument on a pan pipe I think. Every time Pablo would play this one tune the dog would then stand on it's hind legs and dance to the tune. The Chihuahua would spin around (pirouette) etc.

They encounter various situations with the dog being the center of attention whilst traveling in the hot desert sun through cactus plants(cacti).

He does try and cross the border through the border guard station using various methods which probably would be something of a talking point on the O'reilly factor today.

The movie is a good film and I would like to buy it if they release it on DVD.

From Disney's Wonderful World Of Color (in the 1960's)

[guitartec · 6/10 · 22 December 2006]

I remember seeing this two part(?) movie in the 1960's when I was a small child (I'm 46 now). It was on Disney's 7:00pm Sunday night show called The Wonderful World Of Color (a few years before they renamed it the Wonderful World Of Disney, I think).

It had something to do with a small Mexican boy and his chihuahua crossing a desert in great heat, and a woman or parents who were to adopt the boy, but for the life of me, I cannot remember the exact plot..

I do remember the Disney-sponsored McDonalds and Gulf gasoline commercials that were something to look forward to during the show, but that's all I have on this flick!

I gave it a 6 rating because I remember I liked it. Sorry, I wish I had more to share on this movie.

Main character lived across the street from me

[ddc3323 · 28 November 2012]

Armando Yslas, the little boy who starred in the movie lived across the street from me when I lived there with my parents on Liberty Street.

He used to bring film scripts and professional photos of himself dressed up as an Indian and was going to make a movie with John Wayne which was going to be filmed at Old Tucson,a western movie location which is about 15 miles outside of Tucson and was built for the first movie filmed there titled "High Noon" starring Gary Cooper and where hundreds of westerns and commercials were filmed there and continue to do so.

I never heard why the movie with John Wayne didn't happen and don't know what happened to Armando with his career in the movies. I heard if true...that he got in trouble with the law and could've been the demise of his movie career.