Pluto's Christmas Tree

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE arrives in Mickey's living room with Chip 'n' Dale still living in it...

This enjoyable little Holiday film matches the frustrated Pup against the cunning Chipmunks, with all the props & paraphernalia of Christmas Eve adding extra interest. Mickey has only a supporting role; Goofy, Donald & Minnie have a quick cameo at the end of the cartoon as carolers singing `Deck The Halls.'

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 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 childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.

The Walt Disney cartoons have always been the best at creating atmosphere. The Looney Tunes shorts really lacked in this regard, as their backgrounds were usually somewhat more generic. So obviously the Xmas-themed Disney cartoons are perfect to get you in the mood. Pluto's Christmas Tree also has an even more vibrant detailed color pallet than usual.

This one has Mickey living in a mountain cabin with hyperactive Pluto. The go out one snowy night to find their Xmas tree. The tree that they just happen to pick is the one that is home to Chip and Dale.

Once inside Mickey's cabin the chipmunks play tricks on Pluto and taunt him, all while Mickey thinks it's just his imagination. In the end, Mickey decides to keep them because hey...it's Xmas.

Just went on YouTube and rediscovered this classic cartoon from Walt Disney starring Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and Chip 'n' Dale that I first saw on "The Wonderful World of Disney" on December 25, 1977 when the episode was the all-animated "From All of Us to All of You". In this one, Mickey and his dog live in a cabin near the tree that the chipmunks reside in. C 'n' D have some mischief with the yellow dog before master Mickey chops their tree down. Since the mouse is oblivious to the little rodents, Pluto risks trouble in pursuing them...Directed by usual Donald Duck helmer Jack Hannah, Pluto's Christmas Tree shows nice timing in many visual gags especially of the chase variety though they do pale somewhat compared to the kinds of pacing that abound in the Warner Bros. and M-G-M cartoons of this period. Still, it's enjoyable enough and well worth seeing for Walt Disney enthusiasts of all kinds.

When the episode begins, Mickey and Pluto are out in the woods chopping down a tree for Christmas. What they don't realize, however, is that this was Chip 'n Dale's home....and the pair stow away in the car in order to stay with their purloined home. Soon Pluto discovers the pair and spends most of the show chasing them about...with the chipmunks consistently getting the upper hand on him.

This is a cute and funny cartoon. And, like so many of the Mickey cartoons of the 1950s, Mickey is barely in the thing and it's really more a Pluto short. Well worth your time...and a Christmas favorite.

This is another case of Mickey's dog getting too involved. When MIckey cuts down a Christmas tree, he doesn't realize that Chip and Dale live in it and end up in the house. When Pluto realizes they are there, he begins to attack. Unfortunately, they are much smarter than he is, and they torment him, knowing he will overreact. This has lots of charm and a nice Christmas message. It is colorful and filled with some really fun moments.