Pluto's Arrow Error

    A Pluto Cartoon

    Release Date : June 12, 1999

    Synopsis

    When Pluto is rejected by Dinah, he finds a quiver of magic cupid arrows and aims on using them to obtain her love. However, his plan backfires when the arrow accidentally bullseyes Butch.

    Characters

    Pluto
    Butch, the Bulldog
    Dinah, the Dacshund

    Credits

    Awards

    Nominated for a 1999 Annie Award (best musical scoring for a TV cartoon)

    Television

    Mickey Mouse Works: Season 2 - Episode 13
    Mickey Mouse Works: Season 1 - Episode 7
    House of Mouse: Season 1 - Episode 4

    Technical Specification

    Comments

    From Patrick Malone : A good try, but for me, it didn't gel together well. But the premise was creative enough, at least for a Disney cartoon. It did suggest a whole new aspect to the relationship between Pluto and Butch. (Imagine the blackmail possibilities if Dinah had had a camera!) And while there was a fairly decent series of gags while Butch chases after Pluto (romantically, no less!) and a little sense of the 50's short Wonder Dog as a whole the short didn't seem to be a whole story. I think the thing that was missing was the presence of another observer in the story (perhaps Mickey or Minnie getting caught up in the chase as well) except for Dinah, who only comes into the story at the set up and the end. Okay, but not one of the better ones.
    From J. D. Weil : This short starts out looking like a remake of Canine Casanova but then something new is added. A set of Cupid-style arrows from a magic shop. Pluto tries to shoot them at Dinah but hits Butch instead. The rest of the short runs like a Pepe le Pew cartoon with a skosh of Tex Avery thrown in. This one is fun to watch with a nice twist on the ending. Sometimes those endings do work.
    From Juan F. Lara : One of my favorites of the "MouseWorks" shorts.

    I loved the direction for the opening scenes. The quick swing back to Pluto made his reaction to Dinah a great payoff, and his brief dream of romancing her was funny. So were the three setups Pluto made which Dinah ignored, and I liked how they were shown with the camera pulling back for each set, like a step-by-step process. The character movement wasn't as fluid as it should've been, though. Pluto's dance when he first tried to get Dinah's attention was too simple. Dinah's walk changed each time the camera cut away from her, with her walk the first time she appeared in full view being the best animated walk. But even with these weaknesses I still enjoyed watching and rewatching this scene.

    The gags for the chase scene were good. But what I liked the most of this scene was that they ended it very quickly. From then on, Pluto took the offensive in getting out of his predicament, luring Butch into his trap. I didn't expect Dinah's apperance in this scene. So when she did I LOL'ed more than I had in a long while for this series. Butch's pleas with Dinah showed him doing something different from his usual tough guy characterization.

    Miscellaneous : Butch was chasing after Pluto already. So Pluto didn't need to dress in drag to lure him to his backyard.

    Lots of details to notice here. I liked the throwaway gag of the rabbit in the hat, which Pluto didn't bother to notice. The valentine hole Butch made in the door stayed there for the entire short. And watch out for the cameos of the nephews, and of that conductor from Opera Box.

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