Mickey's Pal Pluto

When a careless pair of kittens are swept downriver, eager Pluto dives in and brings them to safety, only to be met with cold shoulders when Mickey blames him for the trouble that follows. Pluto is torn, seeing visions of an angelic and a mischievous version of himself argue over how he should behave. After being shoved outside the house, the kittens tumble into a well, and Pluto has to decide what kind of dog he really is. The short plays out with slapstick, simple emotional beats, and a clear focus on Pluto's loyalty, without revealing any unexpected twists in the plot.

Directed by Burt Gillett, this 1933 Disney cartoon features Pinto Colvig as Pluto, with Walt Disney voicing Mickey and Marcellite Garner as Minnie, all uncredited. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released as part of the studio's regular theatrical shorts program.

As a theatrical short subject from the 1930s, it ran ahead of feature films in cinemas. No reliable box office totals are available for individual Disney shorts of that era, so commercial numbers for this cartoon aren't documented.

The film helped shape how Pluto was portrayed in subsequent shorts, giving him more personality beyond being Mickey's pet. The little angel and devil on the shoulders gag became a recurring visual shorthand in animation, and the cartoon contributed to early practice of giving supporting characters emotional arcs and physical comedy that other studios would copy.

Modern responses are mixed, reflected in a modest online rating near 5.8 out of 10 from a small number of voters. Critics and fans tend to praise the expressive animation and comedic timing while noting the story is simple and rooted in 1930s slapstick. Themes include loyalty, misunderstood intentions, and conscience, all conveyed through action rather than dialogue.