Private Pluto is a Pluto cartoon released on April 2, 1943. In this cartoon, Pluto is in the army and he gets antagonized by Chip and Dale. The cartoon marks the first appearance of Chip and Dale.
Synopsis[]
This short showcases Pluto as a soldier. Pluto is a guard dog on a military base. He's told there are saboteurs and is assigned to guard a pill-box (gun emplacement). First, Pluto tries to follow marching orders, contorting himself into quite a mess. Then, he engages in hijinks with Chip and Dale, who are using a cannon to store and crack their nuts, and a war of wits naturally ensues.
Characters[]
- Pluto (voiced by Jimmy MacDonald)
- Chip (debut; Norma Swank)[1]
- Dale (debut; Dessie Flynn)
Creation of Chip 'n' Dale[]
Chip 'n' Dale were first drawn by Bill Justice and introduced in the 1943 Pluto short Private Pluto, directed by Clyde Geronimi. In the short, they fight with Pluto about whether they can store their nuts in a military base cannon. Three years later, director Jack Hannah decided to use them as co-stars in Donald Duck shorts. Hannah said:
I believe Gerry Geronimi did a picture with two impish little chipmunks that just squeaked and chattered with a speeded-up soundtrack but no words. He used them with Pluto… I wanted to use them with the Duck but with a little more personality in them. So we decided to put words into their mouths but speed 'em up so you could just barely understand them… We gave them both the same personality—but something was missing. Bill Peet came up with the suggestion of making one of them a little goofball to give them two different personalities. Immediately I saw the advantage of that and took the suggestion.
Of the two, Chip is portrayed as being safe, focused, and having a mind for logical scheming. Dale, by contrast, is more laid-back, dim-witted, and impulsive, and has a very strong sense of humor. Originally the two had a very similar appearance, but as a way to tell them apart, some differences were introduced: Chip has a small black nose and two centered protruding teeth, whereas Dale has a large dark red nose and a prominent gap between his buckteeth. Chip is also depicted as having smooth hair on top of his head while Dale's tends to be ruffled.
Trivia[]
- The Pluto VHS release of the cartoon uses the original opening and closing titles, while the remastered DVD version of the cartoon uses the reissue opening and closing titles.
- First appearance of characters who would later evolve into Chip and Dale. Although in this short, they are both identical in appearance and are similar in personality.
- In the following decade, a majority of the two chipmunks' dialogue would be reused lines from this short (notably "He's a big baboon of an ape! C'mon an' take a look!").
- Chip and Dale's voice actors were unknown to people for some years.
- This was the only animated short cartoon in the Pluto series that was released in 1943.
Releases[]
Television
- Walt Disney's Mickey and Donald, episode #27
- Good Morning, Mickey, episode #67
- The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.4: "Disney Firsts"
Home video
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Pluto (VHS/Laserdisc)
- Pluto's Greatest Hits (VHS)
- Walt Disney Treasures: On the Front Lines (DVD)
- Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto (DVD)
Gallery[]
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- ↑ Johnson, Mindy (2022-04-21). "Farewell to the Woman Behind Walt Disney's "Chip"" (en). mindyjohnsoncreative.