The Pointer
The Pointer
NR | 21 July 1939 (USA)
The Pointer Trailers

Mickey and Pluto go hunting for quail. Pluto scares away the first ones they see; Mickey scolds him, then relents. He shows Pluto how to be a pointer, and they set off after another quail, but Mickey accidentally jumps on a bear's nose, and thinks it's Pluto. Meanwhile, Pluto finds the quail and points. The babies climb on board and start picking at his hairs, but Pluto's been told not to move. Mickey finally comes across Pluto, who by now is covered by small animals, and realizes he's being followed by a bear. Mickey tries to reason with the bear, and backs off a cliff, onto Pluto.

Reviews
Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense
SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
OllieSuave-007 This is a rather funny cartoon for both Mickey and Pluto, where they go hunting for quails. Mickey instructs Pluto to point whenever he sees the birds, but Pluto gets sidetrack by a worm and Mickey runs into a bear. Mickey's reaction to seeing the bear was pretty hilarious, muttering and stumbling as he tries to escape the bear's wrath.Pluto getting the quails stuck to his body was also quite funny, as is the way Mickey berates Pluto for scaring away all the quails at first. Quite some exciting moments in this short.Grade A-
TheLittleSongbird The Pointer is noteworthy for winning an Oscar, and I happen to love it and consider it a worthy winner. For instance the animation is gorgeous, perhaps one of the better-looking Mickey and Pluto cartoons, with the stylish backgrounds and beautiful colour palette. Not to mention the scenes with Mickey and the bear, apparently the animators had difficulty having Mickey completely right in these, but in terms of movements I think the finished product was a masterstroke. The Disney cartoons also all have wonderful music, and here is no exception. I especially liked the musical scoring of Pluto chasing the caterpillar and also with Pluto and the quails. The story wasn't too predictable and always did entertain, I admit when I was younger the part where Mickey gets angry at Pluto was a turn off but after seen enough cartoons to know that Mickey isn't like that normally that scene is fine to me now. There are also a few funny moments, with Mickey getting the best ones. This is especially true with "Ha, ha, look Pluto it's you"(plus his slow realisation that it isn't Pluto behind him), "Uh I'm Mickey Mouse! You haven't heard of me? At home?" and his final line "BEANS PAH!" Mickey himself is as likable as usual, even when he's angry, and Pluto is cute and energetic, there were even times when I felt sorry for him such as the way he reacts when Mickey is angry and how hard he tries not to move even with quails all over him. All in all, wonderful. 10/10 Bethany Cox
xfile1971 The only place I ever hoped to see Mickey sporting a gun would be in an editorial cartoon. So much for hoping. The kiddies get to see their favorite mouse lurking around the woods attempting to blow out the bird brains of some quail. He doesn't even flinch when he sees a couple with their babies trailing after them. Nope...he just fires off a round. Cute Walt...really cute.Nominated for an Oscar? This one hardly deserved a high caliber award. Mickey's constant use of derogatory language was also a big turn-off. I guess if talking trash to your supposed friend and trying to shoot forest creatures is entertainment to you, you'll be wowed by "The Pointer" 1/10
Robert Reynolds This short is memorable only for the fact that it somehow got nominated for an Oscar in 1939. It is by no means a bad cartoon-the animation is nice, the backgrounds quite detailed and technically, it is up to Disney standards-it just isn't all that memorable or interesting. Just a good, competent, workman-like short that's as filling as oatmeal and as tasty as a rice-cake. An okay cartoon, but for all that, barely a blip on the radar. They show this on The Ink and Paint Club.