Pluto (formerly known as
Pluto the Pup) is an
animated cartoonAn animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
character made famous in a series of
DisneyThe Walt Disney Company , often simply known as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world, known for its family-friendly products...
short
cartoonsAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways...
. He has most frequently appeared as
Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
's pet
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
. He also had an independent starring role in 48 Disney shorts in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Pluto is unusual for a Disney character in that he is not
anthropomorphizedAnthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Examples include animals and plants depicted as creatures with human motivation able to reason and converse and forces of nature such as...
beyond showing an unusually broad range of facial expressions or use of his front paws at key points; he is actually represented as a normal dog (unlike
GoofyGoofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe, and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during...
who is an anthropomorphic dog). Pluto is a V.I.P. member of the
Mickey Mouse ClubThe Mickey Mouse Club is a long-running American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the American Broadcasting Company, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
.
Concept and creation
Pluto was initially a minor character until 1934, when Disney animator Norm Ferguson gave the dog a key role in the cartoon
Playful PlutoPlayful Pluto is a classic Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Burt Gillett showcasing Pluto. It was the first cartoon in which Pluto was developed as major character.-Plot:...
. Pluto becomes entangled with a sticky piece of flypaper, and Ferguson expanded the sequence significantly. The segment became a classic, demonstrating how Disney artists can take a simple circumstance and build humor through a character.
Pluto is considered one of the first Disney characters to break out of the "rubber hose and circle" formula style the studio had relied on; the dog's design gave him the appearance of actually being round instead of flat. In addition, Pluto is one of the first cartoon characters that is actually shown to have thought processes through the use of
character animationCharacter animation is a specialized area of the animation process concerning the animation of one or more characters featured in an animated work. It is usually as one aspect of a larger production and often made to complement voice acting...
.
Characteristics
In Pluto's own cartoons, his friends included
Fifi the PekeFifi the Peke is a fictional character created by The Walt Disney Company. She appeared as Minnie Mouse's dog and Pluto's girlfriend. In one cartoon Pluto and Fifi even had five puppies together. One of them was eventually named Pluto Junior. She appeared also with Figaro in Figaro and Fifi in...
,
Dinah the DachshundDinah the Dachshund is a fictional character created by the Walt Disney Company. She appears as Pluto's girlfriend although she sometimes dates Butch the Bulldog as well. She first appeared in The Sleepwalker....
, and Ronnie the St. Bernard Puppy. His enemies included Black Pete,
Donald DuckDonald Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers...
,
Salty the SealSalty the Seal was a recurring character in the Pluto cartoons.He was a seal who would show in the most unlikley places , who would usually annoy Pluto into chasing him causing Pluto to drown himself...
,
Butch the BulldogButch the Bulldog is a fictional character created by The Walt Disney Company in 1940. He appears mainly as Pluto's archnemesis. Butch first appeared in the Pluto cartoon Bone Trouble where Pluto tried to steal his bone. Ever since then Butch has been antagonizing Pluto. Sometimes, Butch competes...
,
Figaro the KittenFigaro is a black and white kitten who first appeared in Disney's Pinocchio.-History:He is probably best known as the pet cat of Gepetto and Pinocchio. Figaro has also starred independently in a number of Disney shorts, as the pet of Minnie Mouse, which was a common theme for Disney characters to...
,
Chip 'n DaleChip 'n Dale are two animated chipmunks created by The Walt Disney Company. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale" . This was suggested by Bill "Tex" Henson, a story artist at the studio...
, Spike the Bee, Ol' Benttail the Coyote, and other characters. In Disney's 1942 animated short
Pluto JuniorPluto Junior is a fictional, canine character created by Walt Disney. He first appeared in Pluto's Quinpuplets in 1937 where he was one of five puppies belonging to Pluto and Fifi but he was not named in that cartoon. He then appeared in Pluto, Junior in 1942 where he was without his siblings and...
, Pluto has a son who is simply referred to as "Pluto Junior." In the 1946 animated short
Pluto's Kid Brother, Pluto has a younger brother named K.B.
Although Pluto does not normally speak, like his anthropomorphized companions, he communicates in a series of dog barks, facial expressions and body movement. The only words Pluto ever spoke, were "Kiss me."
Naming
The pup first appeared in Walt Disney's short
The Chain GangThe Chain Gang is a Mickey Mouse animated film produced in 1930 by Walt Disney for Columbia Pictures. In this film Mickey is shown in a prison as an inmate performing jobs like smashing rocks. During a prison riot, Mickey manages to break out. Pluto makes his debut in this film as one of the...
, released in the USA on August 18, 1930. However, the dog had no name. In the next appearance on October 23, 1930, in
The Picnic the dog is named not Pluto, but Rover. It was in
The Moose Hunt, released on May 8, 1931, that the dog is called Pluto the Pup, the studio's original name. A September 1931 model sheet for the character with that name is illustrated in Barrier's
Hollywood Cartoons.
Several months had passed between the naming of what was believed to have been the ninth planet,
PlutoPluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-largest body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
, on March 24, 1930, and the attachment of that name to the dog character.
Venetia BurneyVenetia Katharine Douglas Phair was the first person to suggest the name Pluto for the object discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh in 1930. At the time, she was 11 years old and lived in Oxford, England....
(later Venetia Phair), who as an eleven-year-old schoolgirl had suggested the name Pluto for the planet, remarked in 2006: “The name had nothing to do with the Disney cartoon. Mickey Mouse's dog was named after the planet, not the other way around.”
Although it has been claimed that the Disney studio named the dog after the planet (rather than after the mythical god of the underworld), this has not been verified. Disney animator Ben Sharpsteen has said: "We thought the name [Rover] was too common, so we had to look for something else. [...] We changed it to Pluto the Pup, [...] but I don't honestly remember why. I think we were stoned."
Popularity
Once Pluto became an important member of the
Mickey Mouse universeThe Mickey Mouse Universe is the setting where Mickey Mouse and the characters associated with him live. Characters in this universe use many Ajax brand products, similar to Looney Tunes, Felix the Cat universe and other Warner Brothers characters using Acme products...
he has been one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time. Pluto is seen in almost every type of merchandise. He has also been listed as the fifth most popular Disney character of all time after
Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
,
Donald DuckDonald Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers...
,
Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is an animated character created by The Walt Disney Company. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minerva has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress, Russi Taylor...
and
GoofyGoofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe, and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during...
. By the early 1950s audiences have been more interested in Pluto than rival animated pet Sylvester the Cat from
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Warner Bros. Pictures, or simply Warner Bros.—the shortened form of the former official, sometimes still used, formal corporate name: Warner Brothers
. Pluto was awarded the #1 in The 100 Greatest Animated Pets of all Time.
Appearances
Two unnamed bloodhounds which are seen in the 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoon The Chain GangThe Chain Gang is a Mickey Mouse animated film produced in 1930 by Walt Disney for Columbia Pictures. In this film Mickey is shown in a prison as an inmate performing jobs like smashing rocks. During a prison riot, Mickey manages to break out. Pluto makes his debut in this film as one of the...
resemble what would in later cartoons appear as Pluto the Pup, Mickey's pet dog. The Picnic, another Mickey Mouse cartoon from the same year features a pet dog of Minnie, referred to as "my little rover". The same canine appears as Mickey's pet dog in the 1931 cartoon The Moose Hunt and is named as Pluto for the first time. From then onwards, Pluto has joined the Mickey gang as a permanent character.
His first comics appearance was in the Mickey Mouse daily strips in 1931 two months after the release of The Moose Hunt. Pluto Saves the ShipPluto Saves the Ship is a comic book story scripted by writers Carl Barks, Jack Hannah and Nick George from a plot devised possibly by a publisher, and drawn by an unidentified illustrator. It was originally printed in Large Feature Comics #7 in 1942, and is one of the first American Disney comics...
, a comic book published in 1942, is one of the first Disney comics prepared for publication outside newspaper strips. However, not counting a few cereal give-away mini-comics in 1947 and 1951, he did not have his own comics title until 1952.
Pluto has also appeared in the television series Mickey Mouse WorksMickey Mouse Works is a television show that features the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks....
, Disney's House of MouseDisney's House of Mouse is an American animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television, that originally aired from 2001 to 2003.-Premise:...
and Mickey Mouse ClubhouseMickey Mouse Clubhouse is a children's television series, that premiered in prime time on Disney Channel on May 5, 2006. The program is part of the Playhouse Disney daily block of shows intended for preschoolers....
. Curiously enough, however, Pluto was the only standard Disney character not included when the whole gang was reunited for the 1983 featurette Mickey's Christmas CarolMickey's Christmas Carol is a twenty-four minute animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released in the United Kingdom on October 20, 1983 by Buena Vista Distribution...
, although he did return in The Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
in 1990 and Runaway BrainRunaway Brain is an Academy Award nominated 7-minute animated short-subject produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation Paris, and starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse...
five years later, and was also spotted in Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Steven Spielberg and based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures, under the Touchstone banner and co-produced by Amblin Entertainment...
in 1988. In 1996, he made a cameo appearance in the Quack PackQuack Pack is an animated television series made by The Walt Disney Company. The show debuted in September 1996 as a part of the Disney Afternoon weekday afternoon programming block. Unlike other Disney Afternoon shows, it was aimed at teens over the age of 12...
episode "The Really Mighty Ducks".
Theatrical cartoons
- Bone Trouble (1940)
- Pantry Pirate (1940, with Mammy Two Shoes)
- Pluto's Playmate (1941, first appearance of Salty the Seal
Salty the Seal was a recurring character in the Pluto cartoons.He was a seal who would show in the most unlikley places , who would usually annoy Pluto into chasing him causing Pluto to drown himself...
)
- Lend a Paw (1941)
- Pluto Junior
Pluto Junior is a fictional, canine character created by Walt Disney. He first appeared in Pluto's Quinpuplets in 1937 where he was one of five puppies belonging to Pluto and Fifi but he was not named in that cartoon. He then appeared in Pluto, Junior in 1942 where he was without his siblings and...
(1942)
- The Army Mascot (1942)
- The Sleepwalker (1942)
- T-Bone For Two (1942)
- Pluto At The Zoo (1942)
- Private Pluto
Private Pluto was a cartoon made by The Walt Disney Company in 1943. In this cartoon Pluto is in the army and he gets antagonized by two chipmunks...
(1943)
- Springtime For Pluto (1944, musical
The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...
)
- First Aiders (1944, with Minnie and Figaro)
- Dog Watch (1945)
- Canine Casanova (1945)
- The Legend of Coyote Rock (Academy Award Winner for best cartoon) (1945)
- Canine Patrol (1945)
- Pluto's Kid Brother (1946)
- In Dutch (1946)
- The Purloined Pup (1946, first appearance of Ronnie)
- A Feather In His Collar (1946, commercial short)
- Pluto's Housewarming (1947)
- Rescue Dog (1947, second appearance of Salty the Seal, later third appearance in only Mickey Mouse cartoon, also later appearance in Mickey Mouse Works
Mickey Mouse Works is a television show that features the cartoon character Mickey Mouse and his friends in a series of animated segments. It is somewhat of an update of Mickey's Mouse Tracks....
, movies and Disney's Magical Things)
- Mail Dog (1947)
- Pluto's Blue Note (1947)
- Bone Bandit (1948)
- Pluto's Purchase (1948, with Mickey Mouse)
- Cat Nap Pluto (1948, with Figaro)
- Pluto's Fredgling (1948)
- Pueblo Pluto (1949, second appearance of Ronnie with Mickey Mouse, later third appearance of Ronnie in 2007)
- Pluto's Surprise Package (1949)
- Pluto's Sweater (1949, with Minnie and Figaro)
- Bubble Bee (1949)
- Sheep Dog
A sheep dog or sheepdog may be:*Livestock guardian dog, a dog used to guard sheep and other livestock*Herding dog, a dog used to herd sheep and other livestock*Sheepdog , a song from the album Bring 'Em In by Swedish band Mando Diao...
(1949)
- Pluto's Heart Throb (1950)
- Pluto & The Gopher (1950, with Minnie Mouse)
- Wonder Dog (1950)
- Primitive Pluto (1950)
- Puss Cafè (1950, first appearance of Marvin the Cat, later in Plutopia and Cold Turky, also later in movies and Disney's Magical Things)
- Pests of The West (1950)
- Food For Feudin (1950)
- Camp Dog (1950)
- Cold Storage
Cold Storage may refer to:* Refrigeration* Tim Wright , alias CoLD SToRAGE* Cold Storage , a supermarket found in Singapore and Malaysia* Cold Storage * COLD...
(1951)
- Cold Turkey
"Cold Turkey" is a song written by John Lennon, and recorded by The Plastic Ono Band. Its first public performance was recorded and released on the Live Peace In Toronto 1969 album by The Plastic Ono Band which included Lennon , Eric Clapton , Klaus Voormann , Alan White and additional vocalizing...
(1951)
- Hot Dogs! (2009, with Mickey Mouse)
Movies
- Mickey's House of Villains
Mickey's House of Villains is a direct-to-video film produced by The Walt Disney Company. It is a film adaptation of the Disney Channel animated television series Disney's House of Mouse, starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy Duck and Disney Villains that have appeared in...
- Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse is the first direct-to-video movie spin off from the Disney Channel animated television series House of Mouse.-Plot:...
- Totally Minnie
Totally Minnie is a 1987 musical television special on NBC hosted by Suzanne Somers and starring Minnie Mouse. It was the first film to feature Minnie Mouse in the lead role, and, until the premiere of Mickey Mouse Works in 1999, this was the only time Minnie had any starring role.- Plot :The film...
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Steven Spielberg and based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures, under the Touchstone banner and co-produced by Amblin Entertainment...
- Prince and the Pauper
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Great Clubhouse Hunt
Kingdom Hearts Series
In the Kingdom Hearts video game series, Pluto is still Mickey's pet and acts as somewhat of a messenger, assisting in his master's plans. For most of Kingdom Hearts IIis an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, Pluto stays by Kairi's side (even when she has been kidnapped), as he has apparently taken a liking to her. Strangely, throughout the series, Pluto appears and disappears at random moments, and none of the other characters are surprised by his sudden absences.
Disney Parks
In the various Disney theme park resorts around the world, Pluto is on two legs, and much more similar to that of the other main Disney characters.
Fifi the Peke
FifiFifi the Peke is a fictional character created by The Walt Disney Company. She appeared as Minnie Mouse's dog and Pluto's girlfriend. In one cartoon Pluto and Fifi even had five puppies together. One of them was eventually named Pluto Junior. She appeared also with Figaro in Figaro and Fifi in...
is Pluto's first original girlfriend and the pet of Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is an animated character created by The Walt Disney Company. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minerva has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress, Russi Taylor...
. She has starred in cartoons alongside Pluto, Figaro the Kitten, Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is an animated character created by The Walt Disney Company. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minerva has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress, Russi Taylor...
and Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
.
Dinah the Dachshund
DinahDinah the Dachshund is a fictional character created by the Walt Disney Company. She appears as Pluto's girlfriend although she sometimes dates Butch the Bulldog as well. She first appeared in The Sleepwalker....
replaced Fifi the Peke as Pluto's girlfriend in the later Disney cartoons.
She appears as Pluto's girlfriend although she sometimes dates Butch the Bulldog as well. She first appeared in The Sleepwalker.
External links