The charismatic animated parrot known as Zé Carioca, was Disney’s first Brazilian character, responsible for taking the way we know well to the screens and pages of the content produced by Casa do Mickey.
With his top hat and a stylish umbrella, Zé Carioca has been captivating fans of animation and comics for eighty-one years, and in celebration of the feat, RECREIO separated five curiosities about this iconic figure. Look!
1. National influences
The emergence of Zé Carioca, had two great inspirations, one for the look of the character and another for his incredible personality. The first of these took place in 1941 during a visit by waltz disney to Brazil, where he came into contact with the drawing of the cartoonist J. Carloswhich according to Ezequiel de Azevedo in ‘O Tico-Tico: One Hundred Years of Magazine’, the strokes featured a parrot hugging Donald Duck.
The malandro way was the result of contact with waltz with the musician José do Patrocínio Oliveiraknown as Zezinho. The two met in 1942 in the United States and the way the artist communicated ended up inspiring the personality of the character.
2. Carioca or São Paulo way?
Despite the character’s name (which in English is also another: Joe Carioca) the inspiration for his mannerisms actually came from a man from São Paulo, as the violinist and cavalier called Zezinho was born in the city of Jundiaí, in 1904.
3. A milestone in theaters
With the character already developed, he had to make his big debut, made directly in theaters in 1942 through the film ‘Alô, Amigos’ (named ‘Saludos Amigos’, in English). In the plot, Zé Carioca — voiced by himself Zezinho — receives Donald Duck in Brazilian lands.
It is worth remembering that in addition to being well accepted by the public, the feature film was well regarded by the American authorities, since it was released in the middle of the Second World War, where there was the so-called Good Neighbor Policy, launched in the 30s by american president Franklin Roosevelt, whose objective was to bring Latin American countries closer to the United States and to remove communist and fascist influence.
4. First comic book appearance
Still in 1942, Zé Carioca appeared in the pages of comics, marking his first appearance in “O Rei Do Carnaval”, where he always used the famous Brazilian way to escape from the most diverse situations.
5. New stories?
The character has made several appearances over the years in productions of his studio colleagues, however, it is possible that he will return starring in a new work soon alongside Donald Duck and the Mexican rooster Ponchito, already known as ‘The Three Knights’ .
The information was provided by Tony Anselmovoice actor of Donald Duck, who in March revealed, during Comic Con in Ontario, Canada (via Pure Break), that Disney+ will launch the cartoon “Legend Of The Three Caballeros” in its catalog.
Source: Recreio
