Tag Archives: Pluto

February 28, 1942 – Pluto Short Film Pluto, Junior is Released to Theaters

Pluto, Junior, a Pluto short film, was released by the Disney Studios on February 28, 1942. Directed by Clyde Geronimi and with the voice talent of Pinto Colvig, the short shows a different side of Pluto as a father to a rambunctious puppy that is so much like him in curiosity and ending up in precarious situations.

The short opens on a sunny day, and snoring is heard as the audience sees a ball rolling back and forth across the lawn. As the camera zooms out, we see Pluto and Junior, fast asleep in their respective doghouses, with the ball rolling in between their snores. Pluto’s snore is a bit too strong, and pushes the ball straight into Junior’s nose, startling him awake. Eyeing the ball bouncing up and down, Junior decides that it’s playtime, only to end up being more bullied by the ball than actually playing with it. The ball slips and lands in Pluto’s mouth, who ends up choking on the toy. Seeing his father awake, Junior barks enthusiastically, hoping his father will want to play. Pluto, however, is too tired, and angrily growls at the puppy, scaring the poor thing.

Junior ends up stuck to a stray balloon in the yard

As the puppy rolls backward from trying to get away from Pluto, he ends up rolling onto a balloon, which sticks to him and causes his ears to stand up from the static electricity. Curious, he turns around to sniff the balloon, and ends up trying to attack it, only to pull away the string and let the balloon fly across the yard, landing in Pluto’s mouth. Pluto unwittingly fills the balloon with air as he snores, and Junior, now thinking the balloon is an enemy, tries to sneak up on it, only to be scared of his own growing reflection in the balloon. Junior finally gets the courage to bite it, and it explodes. The sound makes Pluto shoot through the roof of his doghouse.

Junior, meanwhile, ended up in a patch of dandelions from the force of the explosion, and when he sneezed away the dandelion fluff, a worm landed on his head, and is not happy about his new location. Junior tries to pull the worm from his face, only to have it stuck in more humorous positions, such as around his eye like a monocle. Junior finally flings the worm away, and goes after it like a shot, determined to fight it. The chase goes all over the backyard and up a tree, where a hungry bird is waiting to devour the worm.

The hungry bird comically welcomes the worm to walk straight into his mouth

As the bird tries to chase the worm, it accidentally grabs a hold of Junior’s tail, and Junior angrily chases the bird in revenge. The bird flies around with Junior on its tail, until the puppy falls and lands into a sock on the laundry line, with only a feather as his spoils of war. He looks down to see that the ground is so far away, and begins yelping helplessly. Pluto wakes to see Junior in his precarious position and rushes to try and save him.

As Pluto pulls on the laundry line, the line stops when a knot prevents it from moving. Pluto tries his best to get the line to move, and finds himself being carried out on the line and having to walk it like a tightrope. After one daring swing, he ends up flying through the air and landing in some socks, only to have the socks snap away from their pins. Pluto then uses his tail to stay on the rope, and Junior, impressed, begins to cheer his father on. Still trying to rescue the pup, Pluto tries to pull his way down the laundry line, until Junior is right on top of him. Unfortunately, Junior’s enthusiastic wagging hits Pluto’s nose, and he lets out a mighty sneeze, sending both of them into the laundry tub.

February 21, 1947 – The Pluto Short Pluto’s Housewarming is Released to Theaters

On February 21, 1947, audiences were shown a new Pluto short, Pluto’s Housewarming. Charles Nichols directed the film, from a story by Eric Gurney and Bill de la Torre, and with music by Oliver Wallace. This is one of the few shorts where Pluto does battle with his nemesis Butch the Bulldog, who was introduced in the 1940 short Bone Trouble. As with many of the Pluto stories that dealt with Pluto and another critter, the short relies on charm to carry it through, with much success and usually a new friend for Pluto.

Pluto’s doghouse on the beach has been completed, and shines in the summer sun. Excited about the prospect of moving, Pluto takes all of the bones he’s collected from his dilapidated old shanty, and gives his old house a haughty snort after he and his possessions are out the door. He moves into his new house, giving his bones a quick clean before pushing them inside, and begins to organize them by type into little cubbies built beneath his bed. Realizing that he’s forgotten something, he dashes back to the old place to grab his “Home Sweet Home” sign, kicking dust at the old shack before trotting to his new home.

Pluto's enticing new doghouse attracts wildlife, including this tiny turtle

As Pluto heads back, however, he notices that his bones have been tossed out, and is astonished to see a tiny turtle having taken up residence in his new home. The turtle gives Pluto a wave, and continues to set up house. When the turtle tries to push out Pluto’s bowl, Pluto takes a stand against this. Pluto ends up winning this non-aggressive fight by pushing the tiny turtle out onto the beach, only to have the turtle turn around and walk right back in. Pluto ends up carrying the turtle with his teeth in order to dispose of him, throwing him under a crate and leaving him trapped there.

A bit later, Pluto is seen gnawing on a rib bone, when the turtle knocks on the window. As Pluto angrily goes out to dispose of the unwanted squatter, the turtle sneaks in and decides to curl up on the bed, only to find Pluto carrying him away once again. When Pluto comes back, he finds another unwelcome visitor: Butch, the bulldog, who has been chewing on Pluto’s bones in the few moments Pluto was disposing of the other pest. Although Pluto is ready to deal with Butch, Butch seems unconcerned that Pluto is angered by his presence. When Pluto bites Butch, however, Butch goes on the attack.

Butch is surprised to see such a creature challenging him for squatter's rights

Pluto manages to hide in his old shack while Butch gets stuck in the doorway. Convinced that Pluto will stay there, Butch returns to the new house and spies the turtle in the doorway, with crossed arms and a glare on his face. The turtle shows Bruce he’s ready to fight, and ends up biting the bulldog on the nose. When Butch tries to retaliate, the only thing Butch can get his teeth around is the turtle’s shell. Butch tires himself out trying to bite the turtle, and the turtle slips out of his shell when Butch isn’t noticing, giving him a nice bite on the foot. The turtle retrieves his shell and uses it to trip up the bulldog.

Meanwhile, Pluto watches nervously from the old shack, and is amazed to see that the tiny turtle has bested Butch. The turtle gives Butch one last present – a bite on the tail – that sends Butch flying down the beach whimpering. The turtle lands in front of Pluto, limp, which causes Pluto to think the poor creature has died in the line of duty. As he begins to cry, one teardrop falls from Pluto’s snout and revives the turtle. The two hug and decide that they both can live in the new doghouse amicably.

February 9, 1951 – Pluto Short Film Cold Storage is Released to Theaters

On February 9, 1951, the Pluto short film, Cold Storage, was released. The short was directed by Jack Kinney, with the story by Dick Kinney and Milt Schaffer. It was the 46^th Pluto short released, the first in 1951, which was the last year of the Pluto short films.

The scene opens on a pond in winter, where a stork is shivering in the cold as his feet are frozen in the pond. He manages to extract himself, and is on the search for somewhere warm to stay, when he spies a doghouse. He quickly takes over, preparing to hibernate. Unfortunately, just as he has found a place to stay, a shivering Pluto makes his way into the yard, hoping to get warm inside his doghouse. He tries to fall asleep in the house, only to find that the stork has pushed him back out into the cold.

Pluto wakes up, alarmed to find himself in the elements again, and attempts to walk back inside. The cunning stork, however, lifts the doghouse so the sleepy Pluto walks right through it without noticing. Pluto, alarmed again at being outside, runs around to the entrance to once again get warm and as he settles down, the house gets up (thanks to the stork) and walks away. Pluto’s anger grows as he finds he cannot enter his own doghouse, no matter how hard he tries. He sees that the house seems to be moving on its own, and fears he’s become ill or crazy.

Pluto, checking to see if he's sick, ends up seeing his house walk across the yard

As Pluto checks his vitals, he notices in the reflection of his bowl that the house seems to have sprouted legs and is moving across the yard. He goes into attack mode, but is stopped when the stork’s beak appears in the doorway. As he watches the stork take a drink from the water bowl, Pluto can’t take it any more and begins to bark profusely at the intruder. The stork replies by stepping on Pluto’s snout, silencing the poor pup. As Pluto looks around for his house, he is alarmed to see that the stork has decided to fly away, house and all. When the stork perches on the fence, Pluto knocks him into the yard, only to discover that the stork is now using the house as a cradle, and lulls himself to sleep singing “Rock-a-Bye-Baby.”

As the stork lulls himself to sleep, Pluto decides to implement a sneak attack

Pluto begins to sneak up on the stork, but the stork is unfazed by the dog, until Pluto attacks him. After Pluto thinks he’s won the fight, he goes inside the doghouse and settles on the pillow, hoping to finally get to sleep. The “pillow,” however, has other plans, walking outside the house and dropping Pluto into the frozen pond. Another fight ensues between the stork and the dog, with each fighting for dominance. Suddenly, the sun bursts out from behind the clouds, quickly signaling the beginning of spring. Just as the two were fighting to get in the doghouse, now the two are fighting to get out, as the temperature rises to an uncomfortable level. Fortunately for Pluto, he is able to come up with a compromise that allows both of them to find relief from the heat..

January 6, 1950 – Pluto’s Heart Throb Released to Theaters

In this 1950 short film—directed by Charles Nichols, with story by Roy Williams and music by Oliver Wallace—Pluto tries to win the affections of Dinah, a dachshund, but has to compete against a bulldog named Butch. Although Butch tries to convince Dinah that he and Pluto are friends, he will stop at nothing to attack Pluto when Dinah isn’t looking.

Dinah the Dachshund

Dinah first appeared in the 1942 short The Sleep Walker, replacing Pluto’s former romantic interest Fifi the Peke. Butch had been Pluto’s antagonist since the 1940 short Bone Trouble, when Pluto tried to steal his bone. Dinah is often a source of contention between Pluto and Butch as they try to win her fickle affections.

Pluto’s Heart Throb is a prime example of the physical comedy that the Pluto shorts were known for.  In most films Pluto said very little, if anything at all. The physical comedy is exaggerated for comic effect, first seen when Pluto begins to fall for Dinah. The music is synchronized with the actions of the characters, from woodwinds playing in rhythm when Pluto is waving his paw at Dinah, to trumpets when Pluto and Butch are squaring off.

Pluto and Butch square off behind Dinah's back

In the end, the good-natured and steadfast Pluto wins the heart of Dinah (this time), after she sees how Butch has been bullying Pluto, plus Butch is too afraid to save her when she accidentally falls into a pool. This is not one of the standout shorts in Pluto’s library, but it is rather a humorous look at how the good guy can win the girl in the end.

Bonus Fact: Heart throb indeed – there were 183 hearts used in this short.