Concept and creation
Pluto was named after the dwarf planet Pluto which was discovered in 1930, the same year that the character was introduced, and thus is indirectly named after the Roman god of the underworld.
Pluto, designed and supervised by Disney animator, Norm Ferguson, is considered one of the first Disney characters to break out of the “rubber hose and circle” formula style the studio had relied on; the dog’s design gave him the appearance of actually being round instead of flat. In addition, Pluto is one of the first cartoon characters that is actually shown to have thought processes through the use of character animation. The dog’s thought processes are showcased in a landmark scene from 1934‘s Playful Pluto, in which Pluto becomes stuck to a piece of fly paper, and attempts to figure out a way to get himself unstuck.
Appearances
Pluto first appeared in the 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoon The Chain Gang as a bloodhound on the trail of escaped prisoner Mickey Mouse. The bloodhound character was adapted into Minnie Mouse‘s dog Rover. His name was later changed to be named after the new discovery of the Dwarf Planet, Pluto and his owner to Mickey Mouse, making him Mickey’s best pal.
Pluto has also appeared in the television series Mickey Mouse Works, Disney’s House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He also had a cameo appearance in Quack Pack. Curiously enough, however, Pluto was the only standard Disney character not included when the whole gang was reunited for the 1983 featurette Mickey’s Christmas Carol, although he did return in The Prince and the Pauper in 1990 and Runaway Brain five years later, and was also spotted in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988. In 1996, he makes a cameo appearance in the Quack Pack episode “The Really Mighty Ducks“.
Characteristics
In Pluto’s own cartoons, his friends included Fifi the Peke, Dinah the Dachshund, and Ronnie the St. Bernard Puppy. His enemies included Black Pete, Donald Duck, Butch the Bulldog, Figaro the Kitten, Chip ‘n Dale, Buzz the Bee, and other characters. In Disney’s 1942 animated short Pluto Junior, Pluto has a son who is simply referred to as “Pluto Junior.” In the 1946 animated short Pluto’s Kid Brother, Pluto has a younger brother named K.B.
Although Pluto does not normally speak, like his anthropomorphized companions, he communicates in a series of dog barks, facial expressions and body movement. The only words Pluto ever spoke, were “Kiss me.”
Naming
In the 1987 book, Road to Disney, Disney writes, “There was a malaise of humanity sweeping across the country. I decided to take Nate’s (Nathan Edmonson) advice and do something fun and creative. The planet Pluto had recently been discovered and I felt it was appropriate to name the pup in its honor.” Even after the books publication, many people still profess that the naming was the other way around–that the then-planet was named after Disney’s creation.