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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[]

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

Home video

Gallery[]


v - e - d
Pluto Short Logo
1930s
Just DogsMother PlutoPluto's Quin-pupletsMickey's ParrotThe Pointer
1940s
Bone TroublePluto's Dream HouseMr. Mouse Takes a Trip Pantry PiratePluto's PlaymatePluto JuniorThe Army MascotThe Sleep WalkerOut of the Frying Pan Into the Firing LineT-Bone for TwoPluto at the ZooPrivate PlutoSpringtime for PlutoFirst AidersDog WatchCanine CasanovaThe Legend of Coyote RockCanine PatrolPluto's Kid BrotherIn DutchThe Purloined PupA Feather in His CollarPluto's HousewarmingRescue DogMail DogPluto's Blue NoteBone BanditPluto's PurchaseCat Nap PlutoPluto's FledglingPueblo PlutoPluto's Surprise PackagePluto's SweaterBubble BeeSheep Dog
1950s
Pluto's Heart ThrobPluto and the GopherWonder DogPrimitive PlutoPuss CaféPests of the WestFood for Feudin'Camp DogCold StoragePlutopiaCold Turkey


v - e - d
Chip 'n' dale logo
1940s
Private PlutoSquatter's Rights Chip an' DaleThree for BreakfastWinter StorageAll in a NutshellToy Tinkers
1950s
Crazy Over DaisyTrailer HornFood for Feudin'Out on a LimbChicken in the RoughCorn ChipsTest Pilot DonaldOut of ScaleDonald ApplecoreTwo Chips and a MissPluto's Christmas TreeWorking for PeanutsThe Lone ChipmunksDragon AroundUp a TreeChips Ahoy
Park Life episodes
"Thou Shalt Nut Steal / The Baby Whisperer / It Takes Two to Tangle" • "The Whole Package / Bird Brains / Acorn In My Side" • "The Jungle / The Flight / Deep Dive" • "A Nut You Can't Refuse / Chipmunks Away / Ruff Justice" • "Dog in the House / Cone Alone / Highway to Hugs" • "The Hazelnut King / Egg Baby / Mega Muscle Chip" • "Struggling Duckling / Friends of the Family / Top Dog" • "The Ghost / The Imperfect Crime / Nut Soup" • "The Unusual Nutspects / An Evening With Clarice / Craft Craze" • "Too Late to Hibernate / Sorry Nut Sorry / Never Trust a Sausage" • "Night of the Pizza Moon / Who's Your Granny? / Summer Sidekick Syndrome" • "Delivery Duck / Dark in the Park / Choppin' Dale"
See Also
Chip 'n Dale Rescue RangersChip 'n' Dale: Park Life
  1. Johnson, Mindy (2022-04-21). "Farewell to the Woman Behind Walt Disney's "Chip"" (en). mindyjohnsoncreative.
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