Pluto Junior

A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon.

Constantly getting into mischief, PLUTO JUNIOR finds trouble with a bouncing ball, rubber balloon, caterpillar, bird and clothesline.

Well animated & humorous, this was still to be the little puppy's only film. Various canines would come & go through the years, but Pluto always remained Disney's top dog.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

I like Pluto Junior, while not among Pluto's best it's a long way from among his weakest. The story is routine and not that much surprising, and while very sweet and quite likable Pluto's son is not the most compelling or unique of characters basically just being a mini-version of Pluto himself. Pluto is more of a secondary character, but he does steal the show, just doing what he does best. The animation is colourful and fluid, and the music is upbeat and enhances the action very well. The gags are done with energy and are very funny, I liked the balloon gag but the funniest moments come from Pluto trying to save his son.

All in all, while it is not really an exceptional Disney short I do like Pluto Junior quite a bit. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Pluto, along with his pal and master Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, is one of my favorite characters. I find it surprising that, considering my love for cats, Pluto's adorable, playful, and amusing traits draw me in, much like his representation in cartoons. At first, I had never seen this cartoon, but I have since watched it online. Now it is one of my favourite Pluto cartoons. Also, I had no idea Pluto had a son in this cartoon; I'm curious who the mother is.

Pluto Junior is so much like his dad, with his curiosity and knack for getting into trouble. I loved the scene with the balloon; it was hilarious. Junior, like most other youngsters, enjoys playing with his father. But Dad just wants to relax and nap. So anyway, I really love this cartoon.

Pluto Junior (1942)

*** (out of 4)

Pluto and his son are sleeping by one another, which leads to some misadventure since Pluto snores way too much and too loudly. From here father and son get into one messy situation after another. While this isn't the greatest short ever created by Disney it's at least an entertaining one and one that I'm sure fans will enjoy. The highlight of the film is without question Junior and his rather lovable bark that he is constantly giving. There are several good jokes scattered throughout the short as well as the typical great animation that you'd expect. I really loved the colors and look of the film as the entire thing comes across extremely warm.