Pluto, Ol' Pal!

Pluto, also known as Pluto the Pup, is Mickey’s most popular and longest lasting supporting role.

He first appeared in the  Mickey short Chain Gang  in 1930 where Mickey escapes from jail and Pete is sent after him with two bloodhounds, both looking extremely similar to the character we know and love as Pluto. A month later that dog was then changed around and made into Minnie’s dog, “little Rover” in the short The Picnic. In the short, Minnie insists she brings little Rover along her picnic with Mickey. Mickey ends up tying Rover to the back of their car and dragging him behind them, but once Rover sees some very lively rabbits, he chases after them and ends up pulling the car behind him. The Pup is first referred to as Pluto and Mickey’s canine pal seven months later in the short The Moose Hunt, released in 1931.

Walt was never quite clear on where he came up with the name Pluto, some theorize he was named after the Roman God of the Underworld, but most others believe it was after the small dwarf planet which had only been discovered just over a year earlier and do not think it is a coincidence that the name Pluto was in all the papers while the pup was being created.

Pluto is unique, unlike most of Walt’s characters, he does not walk upright on two feet and he does not speak but he is very easy to understand without dialogue. In the short Playful Pluto (released 1934), Pluto gets stuck on a piece of flypaper and struggles to get unstuck for quite a while.

This scene is considered groundbreaking in the animation studios. It is known as brilliant for the way Pluto conveys his feelings through his actions and facial expressions and does not have to rely on dialogue to display what he thinks or feels. In fact, Pluto is very human like besides his appearance. His birthday is September 5, 1930. He also falls in love very quickly and will do anything to win the heart of the girl, just like any man.

Pluto has fallen for many pups such as Fifi the Peke, Dinah the Dachshund, and Tiki but no pup, no matter how pretty, will ever beat his love and loyalty to Mickey. Besides the human like qualities he possesses, he is still a dog, and he hates cats. His least favorite cat is Figaro, Minnie Mouse’s cat, they are enemies as they fight for Minnie’s love, but have learned to get along more and more through the years. Another dog like quality is Pluto’s sense of smell. Mickey sometimes says Pluto can find anyone and anything with his nose, he can do this because he is actually a mix breed bloodhound and pointer.

Pluto was voiced by Pinto Colvig for about 30 years of his career.

Pluto starred in the black and white short Lend a Paw which was released in 1933. This short won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1941 over the nine other nominations, including another Disney short starring Donald Duck.

Pluto can now be seen in the Disneyland and Disney World parks as well as on the children’s television show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Sources: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Pluto

http://trueclassics.net/2012/02/18/hey-pluto/