June 7, 1946 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Squatter’s Rights Premieres in Theaters
“Pluto, you put some logs in the stove and we’ll build a nice, big, roaring fire.”
On June 7, 1946, the Mickey Mouse short film Squatter’s Rights premiered in theaters. Although labeled as a Mickey Mouse short, it had been labeled by Disney as a Pluto short film, as Pluto is the main character. This was the second short to feature the characters of Chip and Dale, although they have still not been identified, and are still drawn similarly. The short was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to MGM’s The Cat Concerto. It was directed by Jack Hannah.
It’s a snowy day at Mickey’s “Hydout,” which has been locked up for quite some time, and inside, Chip and Dale are sleeping peacefully inside the cabin’s stove. The two get ready for the day when they hear the strange sound of barking. Pluto and Mickey enter the cabin, startling the chipmunks, especially when Mickey asks Pluto put logs in the stove so he can start a fire. The chipmunks start distracting Pluto from his task, but after he tries to attack them, he is told off by Mickey, who thinks the pup is just goofing off. Pluto finally gathers the logs, and Mickey attempts to build a fire. Every match he lights, however, is blown out by the chipmunks. When they see Pluto grab the kerosene, they take the drastic action of using a match to light Mickey’ shoe. Pluto catches the pair under the stove, but they plant the used match in Pluto’s mouth, making Mickey believe that Pluto was the culprit. Mickey can’t stay mad at Pluto, and goes out to chop more wood. The moment he leaves, Pluto starts chasing the chipmunks around the cabin, leaving a mess in his wake.
Mickey holds Pluto, thinking that the dog is dying from a gunshot wound
At one point, Pluto gets his nose stuck in the shotgun on the mantle, and as he triest remove it, he realizes that the trigger will be activated, and he will be shot. Pluto falls from the mantle and the gun goes off, luckily missing the dog; however, the butt of the gun hits Pluto on the head, knocking him unconscious. The chipmunks get an idea to get Pluto to believe he has indeed been shot, and use ketchup to resemble blood. Mickey enters the cabin again and, seeing Pluto lying on the ground covered in “blood,” rushes to his pal’s side. He picks Pluto up and rushes him out of the cabin, leaving Chip and Dale to celebrate their victory.
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