Doctor DeSoto

Just watched this Oscar-nominated Western Woods animated short of William Steig's (you know, the creator of Shrek) children's book directed and animated by Michael Sporn on YouTube as linked from the Cartoon Brew site. This is the story of a dentist mouse title character who treats all animals, well except dangerous ones. But when a fox comes by with a toothache, DeSoto and his wife decide to risk it...This was quite charming with the British humor especially when they solve their dilemma of what to do when the fox is cured. The score by Ernest Troost was an added treat for me. And the line animation by Sporn was just the icing on the cake. So on that note, I highly recommend Doctor DeSoto for anyone interested in these animation rarities.

This short was nominated for an Academy Award and deservedly so. The good doctor is a dentist. He also happens to be a mouse. The short revolves around how he manages to treat a fox's tooth without becoming the main course! Good script and voice characterizations make this an enjoyable effort for not only children but adults as well. Worth the effort to track down. Recommended.

DOCTOR DeSOTO is as wryly delightful in animated form as William Steig's original story -- and when I ordered books from Scholastic for my child, I was pleased to discover that our copy of Steig's PETE'S A PIZZA would be accompanied by a videotape of animated short films based on PETE..., THE AMAZING BONE, and DOCTOR DeSOTO. We enjoyed them all -- every one of them is a treat, and all have excellent narration, too. PETE... is narrated by Chevy Chase, ...BONE is narrated by John Lithgow -- but who is doing that crisply witty, very British narration for DOCTOR DeSOTO? It's not mentioned anywhere in the short or on the videotape packaging or even in the IMDb write-up! Maybe that means the narrator simply isn't anybody famous, but hey, everybody deserves credit for good work, don't they? If anyone can identify the narrator of DOCTOR DeSOTO, let the gang at IMDb know, won't you? In any event, you might try ordering this videotape through scholastic.com, just so you can see that excellent animated versions of William Steig's urbanely witty, warm, inventive tales didn't start with the Oscar-nominated SHREK! :-)

William Stieg is a children's book author and illustrator. This isn't any great shakes but has a clever mouse dentist who treats big animals as well as small. But here his compassion could be his undoing. Pretty ordinary animation but a good lesson nevertheless.

The book "Dr. DeSoto" is a sweet kids' book that I have read to my own kids. While not among the greats in children's literature, it's a good story and was translated well to the screen--with decent animation, music and pacing. The only thing is that while it is very good, it never seemed magical or unique enough to merit its being nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar. Perhaps it was just a slow year--especially since animation was in a bit of a slump at the time and wouldn't begin to pick up for another few years (with the re-introduction of good Disney animated films and better TV fare for kids in the late 80s and into the 90s).

If you are a kid, it's worth a look. If you are an adult, then watch it with your child--otherwise, this one is skip-able. Instead, try watching the winner that year--CHARADE. It's a very funny film though the ending isn't the most family-friendly I've ever seen!