Cold Turkey

A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon.

All Pluto & Milton the cat can think about is the COLD TURKEY sitting unguarded in the refrigerator.

Milton and Pluto make a fine partnership in this funny little film, rather like a silent movie comedy team. However, Milton only appeared in a tiny handful of Disney cartoons before disappearing from the screen. The spoof of old-time TV wrestling and food commercials is especially humorous.

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.

When Pluto makes Milton the Cat fall down the trash can, Milton does a famous Goofy holler which is my favorite part in the film. Milton the Cat is a very funny character to see in the classic Disney cartoon series. Milton only did the high pitched Goofy scream which is reused from Food for Fuedin. It almost looks like Milton the Cat wears a shirt, but has bright fur on his tummy. Milton is presumably Mickey Mouse's cat, except in Milton's debut as a stray cat along with Richard. Milton the Cat would not appear again until the Inside Out book learning about Bing Bong that shows a cameo of him.

Cold Turkey is not much different concept-wise from Pluto's other cartoon shorts and the fighting over the turkey may be tiring for some, when the solution is so easy. However, The gags that aside are still hilarious fun to watch, especially the ones the commercials, the garbage can and cooler. The gag with things melting is potentially repetitive but the different objects still make it varied and funny. The animation is colourful and nicely drawn, while the characterful and lush orchestration and lively energy- also succeeding in enhancing the action- of the music is still maintained. The jingle Lurkey Turkey is very catchy, though not in an annoying way, and it is very hard not to love it. Cold Turkey is very well-paced and Pluto and the cat Milton are a delightful pairing, not just because their chemistry makes sense but they are treated equally in the writing department, there isn't the one-character-making-a-better-impression-than-the-other vibe as other Pluto cartoons have done. Pluto is still cute and likable and Milton is slightly funnier but also crafty and endearing.

In conclusion, a little on the routine side but Cold Turkey is colourful, has great chemistry between Pluto and Milton and provides a lot of laughs, definitely leaves one hungry for turkey. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Pluto the Dog and Milton the Cat sleep through a wrestling match on TV, but then is awaken by a TV commercial featuring a turkey dish. As a result, the two pets raid the kitchen to find a frozen turkey inside the fridge, and they fight over it.

There's some silly moments in the story - not much laughs or humor, mostly slapstick stuff. Their quest to get their paws on the turkey does, though, make you go hungry for the dish. Just don't let either Pluto or Milton prepare it for you, as they turn on the heat on the turkey just a little too much at the end.

Grade B-