Vimacone

Pluto had been a supporting role in the Mickey Mouse cartoons since around 1932. He had a small handfull of solo shorts in the 30s, which were released as Silly Symphonies or in one case under his name. These all had a gap of a few years in between.

This is the first official short in the Pluto series that would be released on a regular basis. It also introduced the theme music which would be used in the main titles until 1946.

Some might dismiss the Pluto shorts as uninteresting, but there is a lot if great pantomime acting and comedy. Here, Pluto attempts to steal a bone from his neighbor bulldog, who does not take kindly. A chase through a mirror hall in an amusement park follows.

While somewhat predictable by today's standards, considering that this premise would be utilized again and by rival studios (compare the WB short BONE, SWEET, BONE from 1948), it is still very funny, even though Pluto doesn't exhibit good behavior.

The bulldog design would also be utilized by rival studios. Namely Spike in the Tom & Jerry series at MGM. WB also used the same design all throughout the 40s and 50s, which eventually culminated in Hector in the Tweety and Sylvester series. Another example how all the studios influenced each other at one or another.

A quintessential Pluto short. Available on the Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto and coming soon to Disney Plus.

Ward Kimball was truly a one of a kind artist. His sensibility, on the surface, looked at odds with the Disney sensibility. Yet, Walt really valued him throughout the course of their lives. Kimball contributed a sense if comic flair and wackiness that no one else did. And it really came out after Disney's death.

Kimball had directed Disney cartoons before and they were highly successful, despite Disney himself not being a fan of the aesthetics. This title, similar to the educational featurettes that were put out earlier in the decade blends satire and irreverent humor. The animation looks like a mesh between the Sesame Street characters and Monty Python (both shows coincidentally premiered the same year). All these elements combined feel like a film produced by a studio other than Disney. The template is still there though. And at the same time, Kimball honors his Disney roots by juxtaposing a few clips from some classic Disney cartoons, with birds, with the absurdism.

Not suprisingly, few Disney executives and veterans were not crazy about this film, but the critics praised it and it won an Oscar. Despite the success, this film has fallen into obscurity, never having seen an official media release of any kind. Perhaps the Disney execs are still put off by it? Or perhaps it's too much a product of the late 60s?

A highly unusual Disney film, but one of Kimball's greatest achievements.