Primitive Pluto

A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon.

Primo, Pluto's 'primitive instinct,' comes alive and instructs the clumsy Pup in the ways of tracking food - including a ferocious bear...

PRIMITIVE PLUTO is a humorous, but routine, Pup film. Voice Master Paul Frees does the honors for Primo.

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.

Of the 1950 Pluto shorts Primitive Pluto came across as one of the cleverest and one of the best as well. You do have a relatively good idea of how the short's going to end, but Primitive Pluto still had a great idea(Pluto exploring his long-gone wild side, after being so content indoors) that comes off excellently. The animation is bright and colourful with each character design and frame moving fluidity and with attractive backgrounds. The music still bursts with energy and synchronises with the visuals with no problem at all, that it's beautiful to listen to as well is another bonus. Primitive Pluto, how Pluto deals with his conflict between his reason and primal pursuits is the driving force in a way of the story and it is very humorous to watch. The funniest moments were with Primo's commentaries, which are both hugely entertaining and a little educational as well. Some may consider Primitive Pluto routine, not to me it wasn't, in fact it's the most different a Pluto short has been in quite a while. The encounter with the bear is somewhat nightmarish albeit not in a too scary way. Primitive Pluto is actually plays to Pluto's strengths as well as stretching them, he's still very physical and as cute and likable as ever but you'd be hard pressed to see Pluto this wild in any other of his shorts, it's brilliant. He counterpoints wonderfully with his instinct Primo(voiced by one of the greatest voice actors Paul Frees, and he doesn't disappoint here). In conclusion, the idea is great, the execution is as well. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Pluto gets a visit from his "wolf's instinct," a sort of conscience that emerges and scolds him that he is a dog with too "soft" of a manner. Therefore, he takes Pluto on a hunting trip in hopes of "toughening" him up.

Paul Frees does a great voice-over of Pluto's wolf instinct, and Pluto trying to chase down the animals give a tad of laughter, but that's about it. Not a very fun cartoon - more like a documentary in Pluto's life. Unique, though.

Grade C+