Pluto's Judgement Day

What happens when you're put up for judgment for the things that you've done? Pluto's Judgment Day is somehow a very funny short, but probably the most darkly, savagely satirical one that Disney made at the time. In Pluto's Judgment Day, Pluto gets scolded by Mickey for being the dumb mutt that he is - chasing cats and causing mayhem. But of course, that's what cartoon dogs do, right? The mention of judgment day puts a dream into Pluto's mind, and he has a really dark dream - let's just call it a nightmare - having to atone for his crimes against Cat-Kind: the one that he let get squashed by the steamroller; the one who is traumatized for life every time he hears a dog bark; the list goes on.

The scariest part though is how Disney and company make this into a tale of not so much injustice but how scary justice CAN be when there is no good defense. To be sure, this is set in hell, but I have to think the idea is to make it a cautionary tale for people as well - what you do now in life, the small things, may not seem to matter if you can get away with them... but after-life? In a way this is like the unofficial rehearsal for the 1943 short Der Fuhrer's Face, where Donald Duck had to face the nightmare-space of the Nazi world. In this short instead of Nazis we get the sense of brutal, pitch-black comic sense of justice: the cats on the jury who go round the door from one side to the other without missing a beat, and sing, "We find the defendant GUILTY, GULTY, G-U-I-L-T-Y!"

Is it Kafkaesque? Not exactly - Pluto knows what he's done wrong, and ultimately it's kind of a soft ending in the sense that Mickey makes Pluto and a little cat kiss and make up. But I think the terrifying part of the short are the implications that are set for this cartoon dog from these cartoon Cats From Hell. Maybe I read too much into Pluto's Judgment Day, but I found this short could apply to other cases, especially those where a "jury of your peers" is definitely not the case (ironic that there was a supposedly racist Uncle Tom bit that has been cut out of recent available copies, when I found that part of the satire is that this could apply to black people being on trial for whatever the case might be at the time).

This is one of what I like to call, the Disney Halloween Triple. Among them are "Lonesome Ghosts" "Trick or Treat" and this one. In this cartoon Pluto is chased by cats into hell where he is tried by cats, do to his many crimes against the feline species. Kind of creepy!

This is another of my favourite Pluto cartoons. I still consider it a Pluto cartoon, even though they label it as a Mickey cartoon. In this well-known short, Mickey scolds and reprimands Pluto for chasing an adorable little kitten. After Mickey scolds Pluto, Pluto dreams that he is standing on trial in a hellish court before a jury of cats. When Mickey tells Pluto, "You will have plenty more to answer on your Judgement Day," I always think of "Judgement Day" as the day when someone will judge Pluto's soul to determine whether he goes to heaven or hell. Of course, I still question myself about the concept of heaven and hell.

This cartoon is considered a famous Halloween cartoon by Disney fans and is part of the "Halloween Triple" lineup, which also includes "Trick or Treat" and "Lonesome Ghosts." You can watch it either on Halloween or at any time of the year.

"Pluto's Judgement Day" is one of the darker Disney shorts I've ever seen...so much so that I am a bit surprised they ever made it in the first place. And, incidentally, MGM later copied the idea and used it in a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

The story begins with Pluto chasing a kitten. Mickey stops him and scolds Pluto for being mean to cats...telling him that he'll get his on Judgement Day if he doesn't stop. Soon Pluto falls asleep and dreams about going to cat Hell...where he's judged for all his nefarious anti-cat actions. It's all very dark and weird....and great for adults. As for kids....it's one you just might want to skip due to its dark theme.

As usual for the era, the artwork is second to none, with vivid full color* and great animation. Well worth seeing and very weird.

*While a few studios used color in 1935, only DIsney could use full color, as they had an exclusive contract with Technicolor to use their three-color process. Other studios were stuck using two-color Technicolor or Cinecolor, two color processes that only used red-orange and green-blue....resulting in a strange look and less than lovely results.

A large number of the old Disney cartoons have a creepy side. "Pluto's Judgement Day" is a prime example. Basically, Pluto dreams that he gets sent to Hell run by cats who prosecute him for crimes against felinity. This is NOT something that should get shown to tykes. It's borderline violent and the whole thing is basically scary. "The Simpsons", "South Park" and "Family Guy" have displayed fine examples of twisted humor (including scenes set in Hell). This cartoon, on the other hand, has to be one of the meanest productions in animation history. If you show this to your children, then you are a HORRIBLE excuse for a parent. Keep it away from the young ones at all costs.