Donne la patte

Well the stereotypical animal dynamic is all over the shop here as a dog rescues an abandoned kitten from the river only for it to follow him home and befriend "Mickey Mouse". That just annoys it's rescuer who plans a revenge that makes matters worse thanks to a goldfish who is kept in a bowl by the mouse before the cat contrives to chase a ball down a well! Nope, it doesn't hang around right from the start as this enthusiastic young kitten causes mischief galore but the real question for the jealous "Pluto" is: does he rescue the helpless little cat from the icy well as his angelic self advises, or does he leave it to freeze as his more devilish persona suggests?

Directed in 1941, "Lend a Paw" has the heart-warming feel of a Christmas special with a white and cold winter as a backdrop and a chimney fire but without any Christmas tree in the background. It's a tale of acceptance, charity and fraternity that transcends the boundaries of animal species, in fact it's a tale of morality centering on Mickey's best friend: Pluto. I wonder by the way why it was not Pluto's face to appear on the title card because Mickey doesn't exactly play a pivotal role in the picture. Anyway is is a very special episode, starting with its dedication to the Tailwagger Foundation which -from what I read- is still around today.

It is also a special episode as the only Mickey Mouse picture that ever won an Oscar. I guess there had to be one. Walt Disney had already swept off all the Oscars during the 30s: the 80s generation might remember that VHS special featuring all the animated films that won an Oscar: "Flowers and Trees", "The Three Little Pigs", "Ferdinand the Bull". I remember it from a pre-school video session in 1988. I also remember a Disney Home Video about Disney's dogs (the one with the golden collar), unfindable on Youtube so I'm glad I still have the videocassette.

Giving honor where honor is due, the program started with Disney's number-one dog: Pluto, it featured clips from "The Moose Hunt", the first moment where Pluto stole Mickey's thunder by playing death, Pluto's finest hour when he saved Fifi the Peke from a fire and then came "Lend a Paw", which I remember was my first introduction to the word 'Oscar'. For an Oscar buff, that's a personal connection if there's ever one. And so I could enjoy a good chunk of the cartoon starting from the moment Pluto gets into the house, bringing an unexpected visitor in the form of a the cute little kitten he just rescued from a floating bag.

To be honest, as much as I enjoy the cartoon, it does lack a little sparkle of originality, it's very traditional in form and content, with a satisfying ending but even as a kid, it didn't impact me like what I consider one of the most haunting Pluto's cartoons: "Pluto's Judgment Day". However I think the presence of the devil and the angel are the reason to watch the cartoon for the way they embody the conflicting feelings of Pluto who's a good dog but not too enthusiastic about sharing the house with the little intruder. His first burst of jealousy, with his eyes turning so green the devil literally erupts from his head, isn't much about hatred but about sharing Mickey's love.

And I must say Pluto is a really special character, he's the only seminal Disney character who's not anthropomorphic so the challenge is to humanizing him without verbalizing his emotions. It's his limitations that make him quite an endearing character and unlike comic-books, you can't just put bubbles that express his thoughts, it's all in the expressiveness of his eyes, his smiles and his voicing by Pinto 'Goofy' Colvig. This is why Pluto is the perfect half of a duo, he let's the other do the talking so we can focus on his reactions. The irony this time is that the guys who talk to him are his own good and self alter-egos, the street-smart cocky devil (John Dehner) and the rhyme-talking well-meaning angel (John McLeish). Mickey is of course by Walt Disney.

The angel and devil is a good trope and works even better in animation as it's an eloquent illustration of one character's duality. But it works even better with Pluto who adopts the same posture with his 'angels' as if they were his master. The bad one is arrogant, calling him 'stupid' and slapping him right after he licked his face, "cut the sentiment", he says while the good one is a sort of Mickey counterpart. Of course, Pluto is more obedient to the one who tickles his temptation and inspires him to frame the kitten by putting him next to the bowl of third Mickey's pet, Cleo's twin sister Bianca, a plot that will backfire and get him thrown out of the house. Pluto's cries are heartbreaking and I like the touch of the devil blaming the fish for snitching on them. Then the cute kitten accidentally gets stuck in the well bucket confronting Pluto to a life-and-death situation.

The climax might be the best part of the film, with the angel finally getting the final word and Pluto risking his own life to save the kitten. And when Mickey got Pluto off the well, breaking the ice he was stuck in and hugged him, calling him "good old boy", I must say I was deeply moved. You could tell no animal would ever take Pluto's spot in Mickey's heart. And so it is a good short with good animation. I liked the opening rescuing sequence which I suspect might have inspired a few key scenes in "101 Dalmatians", I also liked the animation of Pluto's face, his naughty gaze after the first incident or his extreme possessiveness with his bed, as if he was Scrooge McDuck with a bag full of coins. And I liked the cute happy ending with the obligatory reconciliation and the final line: "Kindness to animals, my friend, will be rewarded in the end". Well it was sure rewarded by the Academy in a turbulent year where America was seeking comfort in traditional values.

The following year, America would join the war and it would be Donald Duck getting the statuette after Mickey, with the wackier but superior "Der Fuerher's Face" marking a last triumph for the Disney team before a certain cat-and-mouse duo would dominate the decade.

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

Pluto must LEND A PAW to save the life of a drowning kitten - but is disgusted when Mickey welcomes the tiny feline into their home.

There's much to enjoy in this Oscar-winning little film, with pathos, suspense & good humor all wrapped-up into one tidy package. The use of the Angel-Pluto & Devil-Pluto to express the Pup's thoughts is an amusing conceit. This was the second of only two appearances in a Disney cartoon made by Bianca the Goldfish, the other being MICKEY'S PARROT (1938).

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & 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 comic 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 storm of naysayers, 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 childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Every time kindness to animals is adressed I'm happy, and that's why I like this short.

I just think that it could have been stronger if they had put in two more minutes or so just to add more scenarios to increase the pathos driven message.

It delivers what is is supposed to with the devil and angel method which works very well with how they fight each other. It is amusing while also showing how Pluto handles situations when he feels threatened and making him a multidimensional character and relatable.

He is a good even though he can be a jerk sometimes. I love him.

It took 115 cartoons to get the treasured Oscar, but Mickey Mouse finally received one during the 14th Academy Awards in Best Animated Short Film for his October 1941 "Lend a Paw." The win was a stunner for Mickey, although a well deserved one for the mouse that built the Disney empire. Mickey's voice was none other than Walt Disney's.

"Lend a Paw" was a remake of 1933 'Mickey's Pal Pluto.' In both cartoons, Mickey's dog Pluto has a split conscious in the form of a devil and an angel both vying for him to do either right or wrong in saving a kitten. It's winter time when Pluto rescued a kitten inside a bag floating on a river's ice flow. Pluto's none too happy with the kitten when it follows him home. The canine becomes upset when owner Mickey treats the newfound cat to his dog food. Things go completely off the rails for Pluto and the kitten when both end up inside an outdoor well.

The kitten in "Lend a Paw" was drawn similarly to the character Figaro in 1940's "Pinocchio." In the short's preface the cartoon is dedicated to a charity called "Tailwagger Foundation." This non-profit foundation, established in 1929, has helped save the lives of many sick and injured animals through life-saving treatments. It also assists rescue groups in their efforts to find homes for pets. Actress Bette Davis lent the organization a huge boost in publicity when she was elected president for the Southern California region. Also, huge donations from Howard Hughes and Walt Disney infused well-needed money to get the organization going into high gear.