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July 1, 1924 – The Alice Comedy Alice and the Dog Catcher is Released to Theaters

“So we must set those poor dogs free.”

On July 1, 1924, the Alice Comedy Alice and the Dog Catcher was released to theaters. It was directed by Walt Disney, and starred Virginia Davis as Alice.

The short begins with a meeting of a secret society, where Alice is the leader. The meeting is interrupted by a latecomer, who warns them of the city dogcatcher rounding up all the strays in the neighborhood. Alice then thinks about her own dog being turned into sausages and starts to cry. Resolved to protect the dogs, she orders the society to sit down as she tells them of her dream. The scene then moves to the cartoon land, where all the dogs are following the dogcatcher as he tricks them with music. The dogcatcher catches all but one, but the dogcatcher finally triumphs and heads off with the dogs. Alice is distraught as she tells her tale, and the boys in the society also cry at the news. She continues with her story, where she comes across parents of the pups, who are beside themselves with worry. Alice heads straight for the pound, where she is sent away immediately. Alice hears the dogs cry for help, and grabs a nearby bomb to blow up the pound, setting all the dogs free. The society then decides to go and rescue all the dogs, much to the annoyance of the dogcatchers. They then drive off with the dogcatcher’s wagon, nearly crashing several times. In the end, the dogcatchers chase after their own car after Alice and her friends jump out, and the society is proud of what they have done to save the dogs of the neighborhood.