The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) Three Without Fear: Lost on the Baja Peninsula (1971) User Reviews

based on the book

[ttholt-1 · 8/10 · 14 January 2008]

Disney did a wonderful job adapting youth fiction books for his series "The Wonderful World of Disney" and "Disneyland". Many of these productions are under-appreciated because they lack that Disney "Cuteness" that tended to permeate his bigger productions. Anything that wasn't "cute" or lacked that Disney charm has been rejected, dismissed, and overlooked by too many critics, this production included. The original book has been hard to find. The story is about a boy, traveling with his father by plane to Mexico, whose plane crashes and survives. He is found by two Mexican children running away from their cruel uncle searching for the home of their grandmother, and must travel by themselves on foot hundreds of miles on the Baja Peninsula surviving thirst and starvation in the desert. That they survive is a miracle, how they survive is what made the book and the movie so interesting. The movie and the book show their mistakes as well as their successes, and the fear of the uncle is downplayed to show more of the children's resourcefulness in trying to survive, which I guess made the movie less appealing due to lack of serious "action". Still, I have been looking for the title of this movie and book, now I can find the book at used bookstores to add to my collection. It would be wonderful to find copies of the series now and refresh my memories of these old shows and find the books they were based upon.

Language is no barrier when it comes to survival.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 14 June 2023]

A touching Disney semi-documentary narrated by Roy Disney himself focuses on a young California kid flying to Mexico to meet his father when plane problems strand him and the unconscious pilot on the beach. By chance, he befriends two Mexican orphaned children and their dog, and after helping them escape from their evil guardian, they set out to find his father's home, facing storms and possible starvation, but it's quite a journey to get over the hills to the local civilization to find help.

Never try to upstage children or dogs, but the sea lions nearly do in an amusing sequence. This two part "Wonderful World of Disney" episode is a fun made for TV movie that will please adults and kids alike, although there are several frightening moments such as when the white boy gets bitten by a scorpion and the little Mexican girl wounds her leg. But as darkly themed as this Disney movie is, you know that all work out just fine, and it's sweet to see how these three children from two different backgrounds bond. No forced acting by amateur kids. They make the situation believable just by doing what they are directed to do.