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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Just Dogs remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you've got seven minutes and a soft spot for the really early Disney stuff, sure. It’s perfect for animation nerds or anyone who just wants to see Pluto acting like a complete menace before he became Mickey's polite sidekick. If you need a complex plot or don't like seeing cartoon animals get walloped, look elsewhere.
Watching this, you get the sense that they were still figuring out exactly who Pluto was. He isn't the cute, loyal pup we know later on. He’s kind of a scrappy street dog here, honestly.
The pound sequence is easily the best part. The way the bars rattle and the dogs just pile over each other is pure chaotic energy. It’s got that rubbery, squishy movement that you only really see in these early thirties shorts. It’s delightful.
There's this one moment where the stray dog—the guy who actually busts Pluto out—gets this look on his face when he finds a bone. It’s not even a big bone, but he looks at it like he just found the holy grail. Then Pluto enters the frame and, well, let's just say he isn't exactly a team player.
It’s not as polished as the later Mars-era sci-fi shorts, obviously. It feels handmade and a little bit dusty. Sometimes the background art just blurs into a gray smudge during the chase scenes, but who cares? The motion is what matters here.
I find it funny how ungrateful Pluto is. He gets saved, fed, and still acts like he’s the king of the block. It’s refreshingly mean for a Disney character. We don't get enough of that nowadays.
Anyway, it’s a short little romp. Don't think about it too hard, just enjoy the barks and the slapstick. It’s definitely more fun than sitting through a heavy drama like Man and His Soul on a rainy Tuesday.