Editing Pluto (Disney) (section)

==Origin==
The character of Pluto originated with animator [[Norm Ferguson (animator)|Norm Ferguson]], who came to the Disney Studio in 1929. Ferguson is credited with introducing the [[Twelve basic principles of animation|animation principle]] of "[[follow through and overlapping action]]": where different parts of the body move at different times and speeds compared to the main action. Ferguson first introduced this technique in the [[Silly Symphony]] short ''[[Frolicking Fish]]'' (released May 8, 1930): where he animated a trio of dancing fish, and offset the movement of their fins, having them "drag" along with the main body's movement. This gave the characters a more flowing and natural movement than in most other animation of that time.<ref name="Hollywood Cartoons">{{cite book |last1=Barrier |first1=Michael |title=Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-516729-0 |page=75 |edition=2003 Revised |url=https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Cartoons-American-Animation-Golden/dp/0195167295/ref=sr_1_2?crid=S0YKBYUNHHTD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.H2-i6hBH2lNgZ0cuLeIZGvvoauerILd2Td6ebsuDfMYIpAO_w3gOPX7MZ7w5VKCZfmsf3G1KsaYnkxvXwvLp8F8Qc2Io22ULEit_Ov-6Xx_7QxTbo1uj4B6I61xmBWjE0Q0lXn1RSg0DhiEsFhqnptokMiPBvecqKYZ0F2WLk_K1s9OV34A6VhmpCjRfQP7uAjJNeQWFEmsKN8L28DsSQdsNT1AcciRs6m68fNmmUiQ.3vLLBaSVWaKlXjGJzmpnvWRvWsY_vkbAG1MUlQ0mrKw&dib_tag=se&keywords=hollywood+cartoons&qid=1736412953&sprefix=hollywood+cartoo%2Caps%2C350&sr=8-2 |access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> [[Walt Disney]] was so impressed with Ferguson's work on ''Frolicking Fish'', that he ordered all of his animators study the scene.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gabler |first1=Neal |title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagnation |date=2006 |publisher=Alfred A Knof |location=New York |isbn=0-679-43822-X |pages=169–170 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disney-Triumph-American-Imagination/dp/0679757473/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33J1BH7QRIGLQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.40QKkl1L7Dxg4CuiI5HAH8UxWq90p_Lz-N18Ipdgj6ZOcJDncod0wVjHN0SUnGQx_fY3BGuVTtn9ZGN1wVZuol0mYbYt7to3O7QerTxKQi_2FHRDPLi9NC73JdtnK3ngjFrx3WEJwniYnJu1-1YzGRvSZpeKSuYspHXmFJdaA_ztEo0hdiRYP2--PUiaGlPZNmHchBlQYBTGUwC0o2GXGUoroN7uIK00kHdhbE6o2NI.r7qaBV0gnhvFLHXGTV6veNUFD1-Bm3wV51Vj4WXF-uw&dib_tag=se&keywords=walt+disney+neal+gabler&qid=1736413964&sprefix=walt+disney+neal+g%2Caps%2C352&sr=8-1 |access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref>

Shortly after completing his work on ''Frolicking Fish'', Disney assigned Ferguson to work on the [[Mickey Mouse]] cartoon ''[[The Chain Gang (1930 film)|The Chain Gang]]'' (released on September 5, 1930); where Mickey is portrayed as a prisoner who escapes from jail, and is pursued by two nameless [[bloodhound]]s. Ferguson was tasked with animating a scene where Mickey runs towards the camera and is followed by the two bloodhounds, who sniff Mickey's trail, look up, snort, and bark at the camera.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|p=75}} According to [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]] and [[Ollie Johnston]], when describing this scene to Ferguson, Disney reminisced about different dogs he grew up with as a child, and act out their mannerisms (much to the staff's amusement), which Ferguson would then translate into his animation.<ref name="Illusion of Life">{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Frank |last2=Johnston |first2=Ollie |title=Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life |date=1981 |publisher=Disney Editions |location=New York |isbn=0-7868-6070-7 |pages=99–104 |edition=1984 Revised}}</ref>

When animating the scene, Ferguson applied his principle of "follow through and overlapping action" to the jowls of the dogs, which gave them surprisingly lifelike movement for the time. Animation historian [[Michael Barrier]] wrote about the scene. 
{{blockquote|The dogs were among the very first Disney characters whose design broke with the prevailing formula that put white masks on virtually interchangeable black bodies... their jowls hang loosely, their nostrils wrinkle and flair, their movements echo those of real dogs. When the dogs appear, there is a sense, however faint and fleeting, of solid flesh on a screen otherwise occupied by phantoms.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|p=75}}}}

Upon reviewing the scene, Disney was so impressed by Ferguson's animation on the dogs, he decided to develop one of them into a recurring character.<ref name="Illusion of Life" /> Ferguson's dog character next appeared in ''[[The Picnic (1930 film)|The Picnic]]'' (released on October 23 of that same year), however he was portrayed as Minnie's dog, and was named "Rover". In his third appearance, ''[[The Moose Hunt]]'' (released on May 3, 1931), he appeared as Mickey's pet, and was finally given the name "Pluto".<ref name=trivia>Smith, Dave. ''Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered''. New York: Disney Editions, 2012.</ref> Disney animator [[Ben Sharpsteen]] claimed they changed the name to Pluto because: "We thought the name [Rover] was too common, so we had to look for something else. ... We changed it to ''Pluto the Pup'' ... but I don't honestly remember why."<ref>{{cite book |last=Brasch |first=Walter M. |title=Cartoon Monikers: An Insight into the Animation Industry |publisher=Bowling Green University Popular Press |location=Bowling Green, OH |date=1983 |page=69 |isbn=0-87972-244-4}}</ref> Some Disney animators reportedly believed that Disney chose the name "Pluto" to capitalize on the then-newly-named ninth planet of [[Pluto]].<ref>Boyle, Alan. ''The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference''. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. p. 49.</ref> However, animation historian [[John Canemaker]] states that Disney chose the name simply because he once had a dog named Pluto.<ref>''The Life and Times of Pluto'' (2004), Documentary featurette (''[[Walt Disney Treasures]]'': ''[[Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Four#The Complete Pluto|The Complete Pluto]]'' DVD - Disc 1), [[Walt Disney Home Entertainment]]</ref>

Other animators handled the character, but Ferguson became the Pluto specialist at the Disney Studio. Over the next few years, Ferguson continued to develop and refine the character, ultimately crystalizing with ''[[Playful Pluto]]'' (1934), in which Ferguson animated a scene where Pluto gets a piece of [[flypaper]] stuck to his rear end. The sequence was storyboarded by [[Webb Smith]], and Ferguson padded the scene and added extra bits of comic business.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|pp=113-114}} The scene was considered a major landmark in the development of [[character animation]]. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston described the scene.

{{blockquote|...a milestone in personality animation. From the time he [Pluto] accidently sits on a sheet of the sticky flypaper, Pluto's problems seem to become ever worse as he tries to extricate himself. Through it all, his reaction to his predicament and his thoughts of what to try next are shared with the audience. It was the first time a character seemed to be thinking on screen, and, though it lasted only 65 seconds, it opened [up] the way for animation of real characters with real problems.{{sfn|Thomas|Johnston|1981|p=100}}}}

Following the circulation of [[Art Babbitt]]'s ''[[Goofy#Development under Art Babbitt|Character Analysis of the Goof]]'' around the Disney studio,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Jake S. |title=The Disney Revolt: The Great Labor War of Animation's Golden Age |date=2022 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=9781641607223 |page=71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ciVSEAAAQBAJ |access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref> Ferguson wrote a 4-Page character bible on Pluto that was published on Jan 4, 1936, and detailed Pluto's body construction, facial expressions, mannerisms and personality.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sporn |first1=Michael |title=Pluto models |url=https://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1930 |website=Michael Sporn Animation |date=29 July 2009 |access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref>