Although often cited as the animated debut of Mickey 's modern character design , this actually occurred five months earlier in '' Mickey 's Surprise Party '' . Nevertheless , '' The Pointer '' is still considered a milestone Mickey Mouse film for its background art and Mickey 's acting which was personally staged by Walt Disney . The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940 , but untimely lost to Disney 's own '' The Ugly Duckling '' , the final installment of the '' Silly Symphony '' series
12th Academy Awards
12th Academy Awards
The Pointer