Pluto freaks out About This Page:

[burtchmom]

Originally Posted by bradk

what gets me is how many people just stand around and watch and photograph and videotape (including the woman who pushes pluto) instead of trying to help either side.

One of those people must have seen what started it - of course, they are probably one of the people standing there taking pics instead of helping...

[3addisons]

I tend to agree that the whole thing was a game. I know those suits get pretty hot and heavy but I would think if Pluto was really trying to catch the kid, he would have done it. Also, if you watch the video closely, it looks like pluto is motioning after the lady hits him the first time like, "where did he go?" That to me suggests even more that is was all in fun. I love how Pluto gets back up, walks away, points to his eye and points to the lady as if to say "did you see that crazy women?!" Probably not the best choice to chase a kid but I bet it was all in good fun.

[3addisons]

Originally Posted by scottjs

Wow! I think Pluto needs some doggy downers. The sad part is that so many people will not offer help. I was once chokeing on a busy street and nobody even slowed down to help!! They looked at me like they were enjoying the show. Sometimes I worry about the human race.

That is horrible! Rest assure if I saw you choking on the street I would stop to help you!

My husband and I are big on pulling over and helping motorist with broken down vehicles. One time we even made a point to backtrack to help this lady and she yelled at my husband and told him to go away! Poor thing! As you can see from the pic below my husband isn't a scary guy!

[Caldercup]

The speed with which Pluto is running around is what weirds me out -- how can he see to avoid the curbs and guests?

That said, I don't see this as something nefarious. There's a CM on the corner (probably a PhotoPass type) watching it with a smile. The kid is squealing, not screaming bloody murder. The fact that the woman with the video tape grabs Pluto's arm and pulls him to a stop is a little unsettling, but she's also not *screaming* -- more of a playful scold. She doesn't seem to actually push Pluto -- more like she nudges him and he falls off the curb. Also, watch that the kid Pluto chased comes running right back to him when he's on the ground. The kid is smiling and laughing. A terrified child would come NOWHERE near his "attacker" if he was scared. He'd be cowering in the store nearby.

I agree with Brad -- Disneyland's characters are totally different than WDW's. Not only are these people most often professional actors, they go waaaaay farther than WDW characters in terms of "boundaries." Plus, they are hounded by the guests -- I've seen horrendous treatment of the characters by the guests and they have NO support from the handlers. Often there are 5 characters and one handler, who basically does nothing to control the meet-n-greet.

I've watched that video several times over the past couple of months and every time, I think that the kid is playing and Pluto just went a little far to make the kid laugh -- but nothing that I would get upset over.

[bradk]

there's no playful scold... i mean i guess you can either see it or you can't, but they point fingers at each other and it's not just pointing fingers and shaking the finger like 'i see what you did, you naughty little boy' but it's full extension which actually gets pulled back and extended firmly again. pluto then looks for a CM - some have confused it with pluto 'playfully' looking for the boy, but if that were true, he would have had his hand over his eye like a salute.

as for pluto running through the crowd, i believe you can see in my video captures that he's even pushing people out of the way at one point. it really doesn't even matter if there's a single CM lounging around and not seeing/caring. dozens of people are watching and not doing anything about it either, even after he falls.

[wendybell]

We live in a world where everyone wants their 15 seconds of fame; I'm afraid we'll see more of these "videos" in the future... some people just don't care HOW they get their 15 seconds... I sure wouldn't want to be known as the lady that pushed Pluto to the ground OR the idiot taking photos instead of helping.

[libbyonthelabel]

Originally Posted by bradk

as for pluto running through the crowd, i believe you can see in my video captures that he's even pushing people out of the way at one point.

Not to beat a dead horse.......but I do not see him pushing people out of the way. I clearly see him grabbing a light pole and sort or using it to make a tigher turn. He kind of flings himself around it to catch up.

[bobbileighe]

I web searched it and many different sites claim the boy kicked Pluto in the "you-know-whats" causing the chase. I think what would have scared me (& my kids) was when the lady puched Pluto down!
To a toddler, all they see is a mean lady beating up Pluto!
Also, the video originally came from youtube, the person who posted it says this:

"Pluto is attacked by a Disneyland tourist. I'm not sure why Pluto is chasing the kid, but Pluto returned with another park employee who talked with the woman that pushed him. Pluto then left the scene with the park employee. Everything appeared to be settled peacefully"

I've also read that the woman and her kids were asked to leave DL that day.

[RobDVC]

[Mares75]

Poor Pluto! No matter what happened it just seems plain wrong to grab him and push him like that. It did make me laugh too though when pluto 'asked' the crowd "did you see that?"

[bobbileighe]

Let's face it,
If you cannot keep your child from kicking people (or Pluto) between the legs and you cannot keep yourself within arms reach then DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bradk]

Originally Posted by libbyonthelabel

Not to beat a dead horse.......but I do not see him pushing people out of the way. I clearly see him grabbing a light pole and sort or using it to make a tigher turn. He kind of flings himself around it to catch up.

you may not be able to tell from the smaller image i had to post, but if you look at the multiple frames i posted earlier, in frame 1 when he extends his arm while running, there is no light pole (or any object nearby save a wheelchair.)

as far as kicked between the legs, without getting too graphic, the good probability is that pluto has nothing to kick if you know what i mean.. and if he did, he probably wouldn't be in any shape to be running.. of course i can only speak for one gender.

[libbyonthelabel]

Okay, but again I just do not see it that way.(pushing people out of the way)

[Dave Marx]

There's so much room for interpretation here. A picture can easily generate far more than a thousand words.

At the point when Pluto is rounding the corner near the wheelchair, I looked closely at the two people standing near the wheelchair, to see if they moved in response to some sort of contact as Pluto passed by - I didn't see any. I think it's just a matter of Pluto's arm being extended as he passed by, and a trick of perspective making it seem like he was touching people, the way stunt people do it in a staged fight.

It certainly does look like the woman and Pluto are pointing at each other and having some words. However, I think Pluto's fall may be a combination of circumstances - what seems like a fairly gentle touch/push from the woman, and Pluto moving backward in response and stepping unexpectedly off the curb. I suspect Pluto was surprised to find himself on the ground, and wasn't in a position to analyze how he got there.

But those are just my impressions. The modest quality of the video, and the problems of perspective that creep into any photo/video are enough to lend reasonable doubt to just about any interpretation we might have.

[bradk]

don't get me wrong, i'm not saying pluto physically pushed people out of the way, i don't see that, but he has his arm extended not unlike a football player might when carrying the ball. it's an instinctive thing. i do it when walking down the street, when i think someone's about to get too close, i extend my arm. probably a self defense mechanism to make myself appear larger than i am, so to speak.