OF ALL THE animal characters in the Disney stable, only Pluto hasn't the ability to talk. Of course, as any dog owner knows, your dog does speak in his own way and does make valiant efforts to do so in the vernacular of his owners.SO IN A SENSE, the sort of humor imparted by Pluto in both his own starring vehicles, as well in any supporting role is at least somewhat akin to that of Harpo Marx, Marcel Marceau and comic strip characters such as Otto Soglow's THE LITTLE KING. Although he persistently varies the modulation and rapidity of his barking, he still cannot formulate words and sentences; relying instead on his physical actions and body language to get his message across.AS FOR THE cartoon short THE LEGEND OF COYOTE ROCK, we have been presented with a gem of a cartoon. From its beginning to its closing titles, it is a delight for the senses; be they visual, auditory or of the sense of humor.WE FIND AS we look in that Pluto has been cast in the role of a sheep herding canine. His section of grazing land is semi-arid and strongly resembles the famous Monument Valley of Utah. Hovering over this domain is a rock formation resembling a coyote, perched high above. The off screen narrator describes how he heard the "Legend" of how this came to be from Indians.THE STORY RELATES of how a personality rich and intelligent coyote had staked out this same territory and of his cunning in drawing the protecting Pluto away from the pen by feigning lameness in a subterfuge of a chase. The addition of a feisty and wanderlust inclined little Black Sheep and Pluto's coming to the little lambs defense.ALL'S WELL THAT ends well as the flock returns to the safety of their pen. By then, both the pursuer (Pluto) and the pursued (Coyote) have led a merry chase; both destroying natural rock formations and causing the 'construction' of "Coyote Rock".AT THE CONCLUSION of this chase, Pluto is saved but it appears that the Coyote has met his fate in falling into the chasm below. But, the preservation of a happy ending is insured as Pluto and the little Black Lamb hear the distinctive howl at films end! AS IS THE case in all great cartoon shorts, there is no wasted footage and the production team knows how to end it. This is no exception.THE ONE ELEMENT that distinguishes this eight minutes of animation from just about all others is the spectacular use of the Disney Multi-Plane camera and the exciting chase across the rock formations. The effects and photography are outstanding and very dramatic.NOW, THAT'S VERY unusual in a cartoon designed to make us laugh.

Pluto is not one of Disney's best characters but he's very cute and his energy appeals too. The Legend of Coyote Rock is a real treat. It's beautifully animated, bright, colourful and fluid while not trying to be more complicated than it needs to be. The music is lushly orchestrated and full of character, one of the most remarkable things about Disney was how the music matched each expression, gesture and action and that's the case with The Legend of Coyote Rock. The gags are at best hilarious and timed cleverly, the Coyote actually getting the funniest moments. The story is somewhat routine, but the fun, heart and cuteness as well as slick pace-wise makes it compelling and captivating too. Seeing Pluto with his protective side was very sweet and quite touching, and he still has his trademark energy. The Coyote steals the show though, what great comic timing and he is always doing something interesting. How the short deals and combines his silliness and Pluto's protecting side is done very well indeed. In conclusion, very funny and lovable, one of the better Pluto shorts in both extremes actually. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney PLUTO Cartoon.The tremendous battle between sheep dog Pluto & old Bent-Tail the varmint is part of THE LEGEND OF COYOTE ROCK.The animation & story are both fairly routine in this little film. This was the first of four cartoons to feature Bent-Tail as Pluto's desertland nemesis.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 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 simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.