License to Pink

License to Pink is a 2007 traditionally animated short film based on the cartoon series The Pink Panther. Written and directed by Dick McClane, it was released in theaters on August 17, 2007, in front of the MGM animated feature Upside Mystery.

Plot
The Little Man becomes a thief in the city. The Pink Panther was hired to go on his mission to stop the Little Man from being a thief. During the mission, the Panther was thwarted by the Little Man's various traps until the Panther reaches the Little Man's secret laboratory. He defeats the Little Man to take back all the things he stole from the city. At the end, the Panther was awarded as a hero for completing his mission.

Production
MGM Animation Studios president Kate Mallory contacted Dick McClane to write and direct a theatrical Pink Panther short film. McClane has been a longtime fan of The Pink Panther cartoons. Production began in 2004. Christophe Beck, who scored the 2006 Pink Panther movie, was also hired to score The Pink Panther short.

Release
A theatrical short Pink Panther short film, titled License to Pink, was announced in February 2007. It was attached in front of Upside Mystery in theaters.

Home media
The short was later attached into the DVD/Blu-ray release of Upside Mystery on November 27, 2007.