Playful Pluto

Playful Pluto (1934) 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

While Mickey Mouse is working in his garden Pluto keeps bothering and interrupting him. After a while Pluto swallows a flash light and gets stuck on a piece of fly paper.

Legacy

The cartoon is well known for a classic scene where Pluto gets stuck on a sticky piece of flypaper. This scene, animated by Norm Ferguson, has been described as vital in the history of character animation, because for the first time an animated character really seemed to think and have a mind of his own. The segment is also classic because it demonstrated how Disney artists were able to take a simple circumstance and build humor through a character.

Clips of the cartoon were used in Preston Sturges' movie Sullivan's Travels (1940). In this film, the title character realizes that having fun is important in life, when he laughs along with his comrades in a movie theater watching this cartoon.

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