Directed in 1941, "Lend a Paw" has the heart-warming feel of a Christmas special with a white and cold winter as a backdrop and a chimney fire but without any Christmas tree in the background. It's a tale of acceptance, charity and fraternity that transcends the boundaries of animal species, in fact it's a tale of morality centering on Mickey's best friend: Pluto. I wonder by the way why it was not Pluto's face to appear on the title card because Mickey doesn't exactly play a pivotal role in the picture. Anyway is is a very special episode, starting with its dedication to the Tailwagger Foundation which -from what I read- is still around today.
It is also a special episode as the only Mickey Mouse picture that ever won an Oscar. I guess there had to be one. Walt Disney had already swept off all the Oscars during the 30s: the 80s generation might remember that VHS special featuring all the animated films that won an Oscar: "Flowers and Trees", "The Three Little Pigs", "Ferdinand the Bull". I remember it from a pre-school video session in 1988. I also remember a Disney Home Video about Disney's dogs (the one with the golden collar), unfindable on Youtube so I'm glad I still have the videocassette.
Giving honor where honor is due, the program started with Disney's number-one dog: Pluto, it featured clips from "The Moose Hunt", the first moment where Pluto stole Mickey's thunder by playing death, Pluto's finest hour when he saved Fifi the Peke from a fire and then came "Lend a Paw", which I remember was my first introduction to the word 'Oscar'. For an Oscar buff, that's a personal connection if there's ever one. And so I could enjoy a good chunk of the cartoon starting from the moment Pluto gets into the house, bringing an unexpected visitor in the form of a the cute little kitten he just rescued from a floating bag.
To be honest, as much as I enjoy the cartoon, it does lack a little sparkle of originality, it's very traditional in form and content, with a satisfying ending but even as a kid, it didn't impact me like what I consider one of the most haunting Pluto's cartoons: "Pluto's Judgment Day". However I think the presence of the devil and the angel are the reason to watch the cartoon for the way they embody the conflicting feelings of Pluto who's a good dog but not too enthusiastic about sharing the house with the little intruder. His first burst of jealousy, with his eyes turning so green the devil literally erupts from his head, isn't much about hatred but about sharing Mickey's love.
And I must say Pluto is a really special character, he's the only seminal Disney character who's not anthropomorphic so the challenge is to humanizing him without verbalizing his emotions. It's his limitations that make him quite an endearing character and unlike comic-books, you can't just put bubbles that express his thoughts, it's all in the expressiveness of his eyes, his smiles and his voicing by Pinto 'Goofy' Colvig. This is why Pluto is the perfect half of a duo, he let's the other do the talking so we can focus on his reactions. The irony this time is that the guys who talk to him are his own good and self alter-egos, the street-smart cocky devil (John Dehner) and the rhyme-talking well-meaning angel (John McLeish). Mickey is of course by Walt Disney.
The angel and devil is a good trope and works even better in animation as it's an eloquent illustration of one character's duality. But it works even better with Pluto who adopts the same posture with his 'angels' as if they were his master. The bad one is arrogant, calling him 'stupid' and slapping him right after he licked his face, "cut the sentiment", he says while the good one is a sort of Mickey counterpart. Of course, Pluto is more obedient to the one who tickles his temptation and inspires him to frame the kitten by putting him next to the bowl of third Mickey's pet, Cleo's twin sister Bianca, a plot that will backfire and get him thrown out of the house. Pluto's cries are heartbreaking and I like the touch of the devil blaming the fish for snitching on them. Then the cute kitten accidentally gets stuck in the well bucket confronting Pluto to a life-and-death situation.
The climax might be the best part of the film, with the angel finally getting the final word and Pluto risking his own life to save the kitten. And when Mickey got Pluto off the well, breaking the ice he was stuck in and hugged him, calling him "good old boy", I must say I was deeply moved. You could tell no animal would ever take Pluto's spot in Mickey's heart. And so it is a good short with good animation. I liked the opening rescuing sequence which I suspect might have inspired a few key scenes in "101 Dalmatians", I also liked the animation of Pluto's face, his naughty gaze after the first incident or his extreme possessiveness with his bed, as if he was Scrooge McDuck with a bag full of coins. And I liked the cute happy ending with the obligatory reconciliation and the final line: "Kindness to animals, my friend, will be rewarded in the end". Well it was sure rewarded by the Academy in a turbulent year where America was seeking comfort in traditional values.
The following year, America would join the war and it would be Donald Duck getting the statuette after Mickey, with the wackier but superior "Der Fuerher's Face" marking a last triumph for the Disney team before a certain cat-and-mouse duo would dominate the decade.
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