Tag Archives: 1930s

February 18, 1933 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Pal Pluto Premieres in Theaters

“Go chase them kittens out of here, or you’ll get thrown out on your ear.”

On February 18, 1933, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Pal Pluto premiered in theaters. This is one of the few shorts that was later remade, much like the Academy Award winning Silly Symphony The Ugly Duckling. It was remade in 1941 and renamed Lend a Paw which, like The Ugly Duckling, won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The original short was directed by Burt Gillett.

Pluto is outside in the snow, sniffling around, when he finds a sack floating on a patch of ice. He retrieves it and brings it back to Mickey and Minnie, who open it to reveal a sack full of abandoned kittens. The three take the kittens home to dry them off and give them some milk. As Pluto follows the kittens, he is scolded by Mickey and Minnie as they worry that he is hurting them. As Pluto sulks, a devil version of Pluto appears, and tells him he needs to chase the kittens away, or he’ll be sent away. The angel version of Pluto soon appears and warns him not to listen to devil Pluto. Pluto decides to follow the angel’s advice and play nice, but when he tries to get Mickey’s attention, he is ignored. The devil Pluto comes back and tries to persuade him again, especially after Pluto sees the kittens eating his dinner and tearing up his bed.

Mickey sends Pluto outside after accusing him of making a mess

A kitten knocks into the goldfish bowl on a nearby pedestal, spilling water on the floor before leaping under the couch. As Pluto chases the kitten, Mickey sees the water and assumes Pluto is to blame. He then rubs Pluto’s face in the water before sending him outside. Minnie then rocks the kittens to sleep, but they escape the crate through a hole in the corner and start tearing up the house again before disappearing under the floorboards. As Pluto sits outside, he is surprised to see the kittens running outside and leaping into the bucket for the well. The kittens get stuck in the well, and Pluto rushes to save them, although devil Pluto tells Pluto to let the kittens drown. Angry, angel Pluto beats up devil Pluto and throws him into the trash. Pluto saves the kittens, but ends up falling down the wall himself. Minnie and Mickey pull the kittens to safety, unaware that Pluto is trapped in the well. When Mickey hears Pluto’s cries, he runs back and quickly saves his pal. Inside, everyone warms themselves by the fire, and Pluto is rewarded with a giant roast chicken for his bravery.

January 28, 1932 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film The Duck Hunt is Released to Theaters

“Not a duck in sight!”

On January 28, the Mickey Mouse short film The Duck Hunt was released to theaters. It was directed by Burt Gillett.

Mickey and Pluto are out duck hunting in the woods, and all the ducks are playing in a nearby pond. When they hear Mickey’s whistling nearby, the quickly disguise themselves in the pond, leading Mickey to believe there are no ducks around. Mickey then calls Pluto over, but when Pluto shows up covered in mud and jumps on him, Mickey gets angry and orders Pluto to sit, then stand. Mickey is then amused that Pluto is able to walk on two legs, and whistles Yankee Doodle Dandy while Pluto marches like a soldier. Mickey then marches with Pluto right behind him, and Pluto is followed by a swarm of marching fleas. The fleas attract the ducks, who march out of the water and quack in time with the song while trying to eat the fleas. Mickey soon spots the ducks, the ducks fly away as Mickey chases after them.

Pluto hides in the pond with his disguise, hoping to lure enough ducks for Mickey to hunt

Pluto wears a wooden duck on his head and hides in the water to attract the ducks while Mickey watches from the reeds. Unfortunately, Mickey sneezes, giving up the ruse, and the ducks fly away. One duck returns to flirt with Pluto’s fake duck, and as Mickey takes aim, he realizes his gun isn’t working. As he checks it, the gun fires while pointed at the air, shooting off a tree branch that damages the gun, making the barrel point down. Mickey fires again, this time shooting a hole through his boat. As the boat sinks, Mickey calls out for help, and shoots the gun again, this time with the barrel flying off and landing on Pluto, destroying his outfit. The ducks then band together to attack the pair, picking Pluto up by the ears and taking him off into the air. Mickey grabs on to Pluto’s tail to pull him down, but he is no match for the ducks. They finally let Mickey and Pluto fall to the ground, landing in some long underwear left out on a laundry line.