Lend a Paw (1941)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Better Late Then Never

Absolutely the worst movie.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Every time kindness to animals is adressed I'm happy, and that's why I like this short. I just think that it could have been stronger if they had put in two more minutes or so just to add more scenarios to increase the pathos driven message. It delivers what is is supposed to with the devil and angel method which works very well with how they fight each other. It is amusing while also showing how Pluto handles situations when he feels threatened and making him a multidimensional character and relatable. He is a good even though he can be a jerk sometimes. I love him.

This is a touching cartoon featuring Pluto, where he finds his attention from Mickey turned away to care for a newly found kitten left in a bag floating on ice. Pluto wasn't too pleased to see the kitten and his inner angel and devil sides battle it out to offer him the best advice in dealing with the situation.It's a classic little tale of good vs. evil and conscience vs. mischief as we see Pluto wondering what he should do with the kitten, whose adoring personality and kindhearted innocence will tug at your heartstrings. Pluto learning to be on the good side and save the kitten from danger is the highlight of the story and serves as a good moral about helping others. Great cartoon! Grade A

I first saw this short upon purchasing the DVD I mentioned in the summary and it is very fitting due to its inclusion of Pluto and an abandoned kitten. While it has the cliché of the angel and devil situation, the devil is green rather than red, which makes it somewhat new.The snowy background is lovely and is reminiscent of two other Disney shorts where various characters go ice skating and Donald Duck's nephews cause havoc in the snow, both of which were childhood favourites. The musical score is pleasantly nostalgic and the story is more wholesome in comparison to that in 'Puss Cafe' due to including spoken dialogue. While Pluto appears to be jealous of the kitten at first, I like it when he rescues it from the well and it reminded me of the nursery rhyme 'Ding Dong Bell' in which a naughty boy puts a poor cat down the well but a good boy pulls her out. The animation is on the same level as that in similar Disney shorts such as the ones I have already mentioned. I might have seen a clip from this cartoon before (the part where Mickey pulls a frozen Pluto from the well) during a song on one of the Disney Sing-A-Long Songs videos (possibly 'Friendship' on 'Friend Like Me').Overall this is a lovely if somewhat distressing cartoon that is definitely the best bonus cartoon on my 'Oliver and Company' DVD. 8/10.

Lend a Paw is a great cartoon. Perhaps not one of my favourites, it definitely could have been longer by two minutes I think. However, it looks beautiful, everything looks fluid and Mickey's intense look was a great piece of character animation but what was special was the use of colour, blue for when Pluto is frozen, green to signify the devil's jealousy and yellow for when the devil is confronted by the angel. The music is lovingly orchestrated and does wonderfully yet again in enhancing the action. There are a few humorous moments, but it is the poignant pathos and strong suspense that made an even bigger impression. Pluto rescuing the kitten was by far the most memorable scene. The story while somewhat obvious has much cuteness and charm with a great, subtly used message and don't be prejudiced. It does use the angel vs. devil scenario but is one of the better and most interesting cases of it. Mickey is likable but plays second fiddle to Pluto, one of those characters who looks and acts like a dog(which he is) but unlike Goofy, Mickey and Donald he doesn't act human which is part of his charm, as well as his ability of being telling in his facial expressions without saying a word. The kitten and the goldfish are very cute and the angel and devil are an amusing contrast with the devil all tough and the angel more shrill. Overall, cute and touching, well worth seeing. 9/10 Bethany Cox