Lend a Paw won the Academy Award for Best Cartoon in 1942 with Mickey Mouse.
The 1941 short features Pluto rescuing and adopting a kitten. Pluto’s conscience appears as an angel and a devil, who argue over whether he should keep the kitten. Mickey ultimately accepts the kitten, rewarding Pluto’s kindness.
The Academy Award recognized the cartoon at the 14th Academy Awards, held in 1942. The award was for the 1941 release year, which explains why the ceremony and film dates are often listed differently.
Lend a Paw is notable because Pluto is the central character while Mickey appears as his owner. It is also associated with the recurring Disney theme of compassion toward animals. The title is sometimes confused with other Mickey and Pluto shorts, but the Oscar-winning cartoon is specifically Lend a Paw.