Lend a Paw
1941
Action / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy
Lend a Paw
1941
Action / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy
Plot summary
Jealous over Mickey's attention to a kitten, Pluto's devil-self argues with his angel-self over whether or not to rescue the kitten when it falls into a well. The angel-self wins, and Pluto is treated like a hero. In the end, he and the kitten become friends.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Well the stereotypical animal dynamic is all over
The strongest bonus cartoon on my 'Oliver and Company' 20th Anniversary Edition DVD
I first saw this short upon purchasing the DVD I mentioned in the summary and it is very fitting due to its inclusion of Pluto and an abandoned kitten. While it has the cliché of the angel and devil situation, the devil is green rather than red, which makes it somewhat new.
The snowy background is lovely and is reminiscent of two other Disney shorts where various characters go ice skating and Donald Duck's nephews cause havoc in the snow, both of which were childhood favourites. The musical score is pleasantly nostalgic and the story is more wholesome in comparison to that in 'Puss Cafe' due to including spoken dialogue. While Pluto appears to be jealous of the kitten at first, I like it when he rescues it from the well and it reminded me of the nursery rhyme 'Ding Dong Bell' in which a naughty boy puts a poor cat down the well but a good boy pulls her out. The animation is on the same level as that in similar Disney shorts such as the ones I have already mentioned. I might have seen a clip from this cartoon before (the part where Mickey pulls a frozen Pluto from the well) during a song on one of the Disney Sing-A-Long Songs videos (possibly 'Friendship' on 'Friend Like Me').
Overall this is a lovely if somewhat distressing cartoon that is definitely the best bonus cartoon on my 'Oliver and Company' DVD. 8/10.







