"A Silly Symphony"

Release Date November 14, 1936

Running Time 8:35

Synopsis

Pluto plays mother hen to a handful of chicks who have just hatched in his doghouse.

Characters

Pluto

Mother Chicken

Father Chicken

Credits

Director : Wilfred Jackson

Animation

Seamus Culhane

Norm Ferguson

Gerry Geronomi

Videos

Germany

Donald Total Verliebt

Pluto Präsentiert

Italy

Paperino Pippo Pluto e ...

Laserdiscs

Japan

Disney Cartoon Festival 7

DVD

Disney Treasures : Silly Symphonies

Region 1 : United States

Region 2 : France

Region 2 : Germany

Region 2 : Italy

Region 2 : Sweden

Region 2 : United Kingdom

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #33 : In the Nursery with the Silly Symphonies

Mickey's Mouse Tracks : Episode #33

Donald's Quack Attack : Episode #52

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by United Artists Pictures

Comments

A Silly Symphony.

From Rod Bennett : One might guess that Walt had a contract to deliver seven Silly Symphonies this year and only came up with six. Otherwise, how did this pleasant but unremarkable little Pluto short get the prestigious "Symphony" title attached to it?

From Jerry Edwards : Although there is no way it should be called a Silly Symphony, I find this an enjoyable short. But I do find it rather unsatifying because of the unresolved ending. The supposedly happy ending has the chicks appearing from under the straw in Pluto's dog house, but you know the hen and rooster are going to arrive soon to continue the fight. This short sticks in my memory for an entirely different reason. The Mickey Mouse Club showed a short titled Pluto and the Baby, which wasn't listed anywhere as a short. I wrote Disney about this and their "official" information was that it was a shortened version of "Mother Pluto." But, of course, it wasn't. Later I found the original short - the 1934 Mickey Plays Papa. All scenes of Mickey were cut so that only scenes of Pluto and the baby were kept. Many scenes of the baby reacting to Pluto were originally the baby reacting to Mickey.

From Baruch Weiss : I don't know why this cartoon is a Silly Symphony cartoon rather then a Pluto cartoon, but that's what it appears to be. Anyway this was such a great cartoon, I'll bet it was funny to see pluto being a "Mother" to a bunch of cute little chicks. I saw a real video on youtube recently featuring a small duckling and a big dog!

From Matthew Cooper : I never thought there would be a Disney short I hated until I saw this one! The reason I hate it is obvious (isn't it?) The ending was so unresolved! The mother hen never got her chicks back, and don't you think she was the only bad-guy here (she was partly one though for trying to solve the problem with violence,) but it was also Pluto! He would not give them back to her! Anyway, the reason I hate this short so much is not only because the ending was unresolved but because while I was watching it for the first time, I kept hoping it would end the way I've written below, so when it didn't, I was really shocked

1. The mother hen would start to see that Pluto was protecting her chicks in her absence and break up the fight between him and the rooster.

2. The camera would cut to a scene in Pluto's doghouse where the chicks are playing in Pluto's paws and he and the mother hen are smiling.

Boo on Disney for making such an unresolved cartoon! I didn't think they had it in them!

Referenced Comments

Just Dogs (1932)

Mickey Plays Papa (1934)

Gallery

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