. . . and familiarity breeds contempt, or at least lots of yellow ink and paint, as the Dizzy animators gleefully give one of their mascot mutts, Butch the Bulldog, a yellow streak or stripe along the anatomical protrusion where his A. W. O. L. spine should be, because he cowers and cringes in abject pusillanimous cowardice, frozen to statue-like stillness as his non-swimming female love flounders in a fountain a few feet in front of his nose toward the close of PLUTO'S HEART THROB. Since its earliest films, Dizzy characters invariably shirk the fight, whether it's Mick the Mouse fleeing Pete, the porcine trio running from the wolf or Pinocchio hiding from his whittler in the whale. When the going gets tough, Dizzy protagonists get going in the opposite direction. The U. S. military code stipulates that such cowards "must be shot at dawn." In the early 1800's, U. S. Gen. Hull surrendered Detroit because he imagined that he was surrounded by an invisible heathen horde. Even after he was shot, Hull never had a car company namesake. Neither has Don the Duck.
5 Reviews
Sweet and amusing but feels too much of a re-hash
TheLittleSongbird15 November 2013
Pluto always has been a likable character and while not many are outstanding his cartoon shorts make for pleasant watching. Pluto's Heart Throb is pleasant but at the end of the day there is not a lot to it.
The story is very predictable and plays as too much of a re-hash, there are earlier Pluto shorts that hold similar premises and do it better, same with other cartoons in general. Of the characters, only Dinah really stands out, she is very adorable-looking and she shows a crafty side that has not been seen of her before, she actually enjoys Pluto and Butch play off against one another and even gets the last laugh at the end. Butch is not a bad character and is a good contrast to Pluto but he is just there really as a plot-device. While Pluto is on the bland side, he still has likability and is as energetic as he can be but again this is another example of his shorts where the premise or humour don't play to Pluto's strengths or personality, another example also of where he is outshone by a support character. The Cupid-like character only appears once at the start and doesn't appear again, it comes across as pointless. While it is not dull, Pluto's Heart Throb lacks crispness and that the strongest the humour gets is amusing doesn't help it, the short has some really nice moments but humour-wise there isn't a whole lot that stands out.
On the plus side, the animation though is beautifully drawn and lusciously coloured, so it is a pleasure to watch visually. The character designs are very well-rounded with no signs of stiff movement. The music is lively, lushly orchestrated and characterful, still excelling at matching with gestures, expressions and gags and doing it really well. The sound effects mesh well and don't come across as misplaced or bizarre. As said already there are still some very sweet and amusing parts, the hose pipe gag is very funny(the best of the gags), Pluto "kissing" Dinah and carving a heart into a tree is enough to make anybody go "awww!" and when Pluto saves Dinah from drowning it shows how brave he is and also how much he cares for Dinah(while Pluto has been utilised much better than here that is not to say that he didn't have moments, and that was a very good moment). As also said already Dinah is a good character and the chemistry between the characters is convincing, you just wish they had more worthwhile material.
All in all, very predictable and doesn't really stand out in the humour department, but it does look lovely, is well-scored and is really sweet with a couple of amusements here and there. 6/10 Bethany Cox
The story is very predictable and plays as too much of a re-hash, there are earlier Pluto shorts that hold similar premises and do it better, same with other cartoons in general. Of the characters, only Dinah really stands out, she is very adorable-looking and she shows a crafty side that has not been seen of her before, she actually enjoys Pluto and Butch play off against one another and even gets the last laugh at the end. Butch is not a bad character and is a good contrast to Pluto but he is just there really as a plot-device. While Pluto is on the bland side, he still has likability and is as energetic as he can be but again this is another example of his shorts where the premise or humour don't play to Pluto's strengths or personality, another example also of where he is outshone by a support character. The Cupid-like character only appears once at the start and doesn't appear again, it comes across as pointless. While it is not dull, Pluto's Heart Throb lacks crispness and that the strongest the humour gets is amusing doesn't help it, the short has some really nice moments but humour-wise there isn't a whole lot that stands out.
On the plus side, the animation though is beautifully drawn and lusciously coloured, so it is a pleasure to watch visually. The character designs are very well-rounded with no signs of stiff movement. The music is lively, lushly orchestrated and characterful, still excelling at matching with gestures, expressions and gags and doing it really well. The sound effects mesh well and don't come across as misplaced or bizarre. As said already there are still some very sweet and amusing parts, the hose pipe gag is very funny(the best of the gags), Pluto "kissing" Dinah and carving a heart into a tree is enough to make anybody go "awww!" and when Pluto saves Dinah from drowning it shows how brave he is and also how much he cares for Dinah(while Pluto has been utilised much better than here that is not to say that he didn't have moments, and that was a very good moment). As also said already Dinah is a good character and the chemistry between the characters is convincing, you just wish they had more worthwhile material.
All in all, very predictable and doesn't really stand out in the humour department, but it does look lovely, is well-scored and is really sweet with a couple of amusements here and there. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Romantic Rival For The Pup
Ron Oliver17 February 2003
A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon.
Dinah, PLUTO'S HEART THROB, enjoys flirting with both the Pup & Butch the bully bulldog.
While amusing, this little film is scarcely different from several other cartoons also depicting Pluto's romantic difficulties. Perhaps Disney was thinking this as well - this cartoon was nearly the end of the road for both Dinah & Butch's movie careers.
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.
Dinah, PLUTO'S HEART THROB, enjoys flirting with both the Pup & Butch the bully bulldog.
While amusing, this little film is scarcely different from several other cartoons also depicting Pluto's romantic difficulties. Perhaps Disney was thinking this as well - this cartoon was nearly the end of the road for both Dinah & Butch's movie careers.
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.
Loved the voice acting for the animals.
OllieSuave-0077 June 2017
This is a pretty funny Pluto cartoon, where he falls for Dinah the dachshund. However, Pluto's adversary, Butch, also is interested in Dinah as well, so, Dinah lets the two dogs duke if out for her affection. What results are some hilarious back and forth tricks and misses between Pluto and Butch. I especially liked the human sounds coming from the animals' voice actors. Butch turning Pluto into a fountain was probably the funniest sight in the cartoon, I think.
Great animation and some nice laughter in this one.
Grade B
Great animation and some nice laughter in this one.
Grade B
Amusing but no more
bob the moo1 September 2003
Pluto is in love with a young poodle and hangs around her like, well, a dog in heat. Unfortunately a larger dog also likes her and shares her affection. The two dogs are played off against each other in a battle of the heart.
Although it perhaps says too much about the amount of spare time I have, I couldn't help but see beyond the main plot here and felt that the film let the guilty party get away without any consequences. I refer to the female dog of the film the plot ignores the fact that she is causing all the trouble by swinging back and forth in terms of who she favours. She is clearly enjoying playing them off against each other and the two men just seem to be blaming each other! (The lady is a tramp?!)
Outside of this the action is pretty standard fare with falls and hits aplenty. It was amusing but there wasn't anything that stood out as inspired or really funny. I would still say it is worth a look though as it is amusing to see the two dogs fight while the b*tch (literally no offence intended!) plays them off on one another.
Overall an amusing short but only the female player really stuck in my mind!
Although it perhaps says too much about the amount of spare time I have, I couldn't help but see beyond the main plot here and felt that the film let the guilty party get away without any consequences. I refer to the female dog of the film the plot ignores the fact that she is causing all the trouble by swinging back and forth in terms of who she favours. She is clearly enjoying playing them off against each other and the two men just seem to be blaming each other! (The lady is a tramp?!)
Outside of this the action is pretty standard fare with falls and hits aplenty. It was amusing but there wasn't anything that stood out as inspired or really funny. I would still say it is worth a look though as it is amusing to see the two dogs fight while the b*tch (literally no offence intended!) plays them off on one another.
Overall an amusing short but only the female player really stuck in my mind!
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