Mickey Mouse and Pluto in "Pluto's Christmas Tree" (1952)

Merry Christmas, my friends. Let us celebrate the season with yet another classic Disney cartoon short. This time we jump ahead a few decades to 1953 to bring you Pluto's Christmas Tree.


This is a very late Mickey Mouse short. In fact it is the next to last (the last would be The Simple Things (1953)) Mickey short to be released theatrically until Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). However the world's most famous mouse would not be dropping out of the entertainment business during that long period without theatrical Mickey shorts. In 1955 Mickey would become a television star with The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1958) and the host of Walt's latest passion project Disneyland.


Pluto's Christmas Tree was a rare Mickey Mouse cartoon directed by Jack Hannah, who mostly directed Donald Duck cartoons. However this is not too surprising as this cartoon features two of Hannah's creations, Chip and Dale (whom the director most often used as adversaries for Donald). Hannah had directed an earlier Mickey Mouse cartoon that co-starred Chip and Dale with Squatters Rights (1946). Despite Hannah being one of the main directors of Disney shorts during this period, these marked the only two Mickey shorts he actually directed.

Though this was released as a Mickey cartoon, Pluto plays just as large if not a larger role. Not shockingly Mickey and Pluto appeared in quite a few shorts together despite each technically having their separate series. Still these cartoons would technically have to be either listed as a Mickey short or a Pluto short, and Pluto's Christmas Tree was labeled a Mickey short.

At Eitel's Palace in Chicago this cartoon played with the feature film Plymouth Adventure for three weeks. These weeks were the weeks of December 8, 15 & 22, 1952. It played with the feature Million Dollar Mermaid in the Music Hall in New York, the same weeks.


AnimationDan MacManus (Truck in on Christmas card. Snow in falling and girls are humming in b.g., "Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly")

Fred Moore (Mickey coming out of house, calling out to Pluto: "Okay Pluto lets get our tree." They start out to look for tree (split with George Kreisl); Shot of Mickey chopping tree; Chopping tree jostles chipmunks; Mickey falls tree says "Oh Boy!"; Mickey decorating Christmas tree; Pluto comes in and helps Mickey trim tree; Shot of Mickey's hands hanging candy canes; Mickey hangs ball of twig on tree; Mickey finishes decorating and leaves tree stating "Well Pluto that's it" Pluto starts sniffing; Mickey leaves room (split with George Kreisl); Mickey enters room with packages; Mickey puts balls back on tree says "That's better" (Split with George Kreisl); Pluto watches as ball (on Dale) moves up tree (split with George Kreisl); Mickey looks at tree after all has disappeared; Mickey motions that Pluto is nuts; Mickey enters scene whistling; Pluto tries to tell Mickey about Dale on the mantel but Mickey pulls him away and says "Okay I'll light the candle"; Mickey looks at burnt match, puzzled; Mickey walks away from scene whistling; Mickey grabs Pluto's tail and gets pulled into tree, says "Pluto get out of there, whata think you're..."; foliage falls from tree; Mickey shakes Pluto's neck says "You dumb mutt, you..."; "Look what you've done to your … Pluto" Mickey points up to tree in take; Mickey holds chipmunks says "Pluto, after all it is Christmas"; Pluto and Mickey run to window to watch carolers (Goof, Duck, etc.); Mickey, Pluto and chipmunks looking out window)

George Kreisl (Mickey coming out of the house calling out to Pluto: "Okay Pluto lets get our tree." They start to look for tree (split with Fred Moore); Pluto excitedly runs up slope; Chipmunks picking up nuts are interrupted by Pluto's antics - they throws nuts at him (split with Bill Justice); Pluto gets smacked on fanny but nuts; Pluto chases chipmunks down hill; Pluto plows though drift - pushes out snow in form of "Snow Dog"; Chipmunks run up onto tree; Pluto sniffs snow dog -- it collapses; Mickey calls o.s., "Okay Pluto"; Pluto trotting; Dale sees Pluto and zips from scene; Pluto goes into trot; Pluto sniffs tree; Pluto takes at Dale who has landed on Pluto's nose; Chip, with candy cane, pulls Dale away from Pluto's nose. Pluto barks. Pluto catches Christmas balls with paws - ends up in awkward position; Mickey puts balls back on tree says "That's better" (split with Fred Moore); Pluto watches as ball (on Dale) moves up tree (split with Fred Moore); Pluto madly pointing at tree, trying to tell Mickey about the chipmunks; Pluto hears o.s. rattling of nuts; Pluto sneaks up in front of Christmas tree; Pluto makes menacing grin and growls; Pluto watches Mickey leave room; Chip hops onto Pluto's tail; Chip pulls Pluto's tail; Pluto raises Chip up on tail; Chip says thank you to Pluto; Chip puts out fire on Dale's head; Pluto takes - charges after chipmunks; Pluto chases chipmunks up ladder into Christmas tree; Pluto trying to keep balance on shaking ladder; Star lands on Pluto's tail; Pluto goes into tantrum; Pluto dives into tree after chipmunks; Mickey: "Aw cute little fellows!" Pluto in burn pulls back and barks at chipmunks; Pluto hears o.s. carolers singing "deck the halls with boughs of Ivy"; Pluto into chorus with howl; Dale slaps Christmas tree sticker on Pluto's mouth - Do not open until Christmas)

Bill Justice (Chipmunks picking up nuts are interrupted by Pluto's antics - they throw nuts at him (split with George Kreisl); Chipmunks go into act of mimicking Pluto's barking (split with Volus Jones); Chipmunks say "what was that" as tree is jarred by chopping; Shot of the tree being carried off. Dale's legs appear and reach for ground - he lands on ground and brushes his hands as he turns to walk away; Dale sip back into tree; Chipmunks hiding behind trunk in tree, look out and see decorations - Chip say "Hey wake up!"; Chip and Dale look over decorations; Dale looks over ornaments, say "well whatta you know"; Dale says wow and rips off branch; Dale starts to bite Christmas ball; Dale drops twig in wild take and goes out of scene to hide; Dale runs in on all fours -taps ball and makes face in it; Dale runs with ball on twig, comes into scene and crashes ball into Chips head. Door in ball opens, revealing Chip; Dale turning light globe off and on, mistakes Pluto's nose for globe and twists it - is suddenly zipped down out of tree; Dale in imitation, barks at Pluto and sticks Christmas ball on his nose; Dale throws another ball; Shot of dale getting nuts out of bowl; Dale starts towards tree with pile of nuts; Dale poses as one of the Christmas candles on the mantle. Pluto sniffs at him causing Dale to sneeze; Pluto pushes candles off mantle; Carolers singing; Chipmunks sing carol; Chipmunks hear Pluto - stop singing and cover ears)  

Volus Jones (Chipmunks go into act of mimicking Pluto barking (split with Bill Justice); Chopping of tree jostles chipmunks; Dale takes at Chip as ball disintegrates; Chip clonks Dale on head. Dale shrugs sheepishly; Dale looks at Pluto in sick expression. Pluto goes into vicious growl; Chip zips out of scene with candy cane; Christmas ball hanging on Dale's nose; Dale takes at Pluto - throws nuts in his path and scrambles out of scene; Dale runs up onto mantle - Pluto after him, slips on nuts and crashes into fireplace; Dale takes at Mickey's match and blows it out; Mickey takes hold of Dale - lifts him to other candle and lights his hat; Chip looks out of tree -- sees Dale's situation and makes take; Dale shakes ladder leg; Chip loosens brace on ladder; Dale blows on ladder and ladder crashes to floor; Chip drops star from top of tree; Chipmunks laughing; Chipmunks huddled in Christmas tree. Mickey "We've got chipmunks in our tree")

Blaine Gibson (Lights go on and off on tree)

Story: Mickey and Pluto chop down a Christmas tree. However Chip and Dale are living in this tree and end up in Mickey's house. The chipmunks drop a decoration on Pluto. This gets Pluto angry and he gives chase. This causes much destruction throughout the house. Mickey doesn't see the chipmunks and think Pluto is trying to ruin the house. He scolds Pluto until he sees Chip and Dale. He tells Pluto that it is Christmas and they should be friendly to the little guys. Then they all hear caroling outside. It is Donald, Goofy and Minnie. They all enjoy the music until Pluto tries to sing along, after which Chip and Dale cover the dog's mouth with a sticker.


   


-Michael J. Ruhland