Primitive Pluto (1950)

Pluto is a series of American animated comedy short films produced by Walt Disney Productions. The series started in 1937 with Pluto's Quin-puplets and ended in 1951 with Cold Turkey. The series stars the titular character Pluto, introduced in the Mickey Mouse film series as Mickey's pet dog, in addition to having recurring appearances by previously known characters such as Minnie Mouse, Figaro the Kitten, and Mickey Mouse, and also introduced well-known characters such as the chipmunk duo Chip 'n' Dale.

Production

The short films were produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures (later shorts being distributed by Buena Vista Distribution in re-releases). Like other Disney animated shorts in the golden age of American animation, the shorts begin with a starburst with a close-up of the star character's face (in this case Pluto), followed by the title "A Walt Disney Pluto".

Most of the shorts were directed by Charles Nichols. Another director of a considerable number of shorts in the series was Clyde Geronimi.

Being Pluto a dog and most of supporting characters being also animals without dialogue, the plot of most shorts is understood through their expressions, gestures, and actions. This made Pluto short films pioneering cartoons in animation, counting on characters who express personality through physical actions rather than dialogue.

List of films

The following is a list of Pluto short films.

This list does not include shorts from other series in which Pluto appears, such as those from the Mickey Mouse series, the Donald Duck series, or other Disney short films that are not part of the Pluto series, nor shorts of Pluto made as part of the episodes of the television series Mickey Mouse Works.

1937

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

Home media

The films have been released in various forms of home media, with selected films released on VHS, laserdisc, and DVD. Starting in 2010, some of the cartoons were made available on the iTunes Store as digital downloads.

The only complete re-release of the entire series has been in the "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD sets in two two-disc sets: "The Complete Pluto" (2004) and "The Complete Pluto, Volume Two" (2006).

Legacy

The television series Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000), as well as its spin-off series House of Mouse (2001–2003), included several shorts starred by Pluto, mainly inspired by his classic short films, also including some of the shorts' recurring characters such as Butch the Bulldog and Dinah the Dachshund. These shorts also includes a series titled Pluto Gets the Paper, in which Pluto experiences all kinds of situations after Mickey sends him to pick up the newspaper in front of the house.

See also

Silly Symphony

Just Dogs

Mother Pluto

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Firing Line

Mickey Mouse (film series)

Pluto's Judgement Day

Donald and Pluto

Lend a Paw

Pluto's Party

Pluto's Christmas Tree

Donald Duck (film series)

Mickey Mouse Works

Notes

References

External links

"Pluto" at D23 - Disney A to Z

"Pluto" at The Encyclopedia Of Disney Animated Shorts