User reviews

A large part of Disney's triumph cannot be detected by the naked eye. His last animated film had been `Sleeping Beauty', which was the most extravagant and spectacular animated film of all time (excluding `Fantasia'). It wasn't a financial success. `101 Dalmatians', much less extravagant, was. In the two years between `Sleeping Beauty' and its successor there had been a revolution. The entire army of inkers who had carefully translated animators' pencil drawings into smooth, flowing lines were replaced by a machine that simply photocopied. This changed the character of animation so much that `Dalmatians' is almost the precise opposite of `Beauty'. Outlines are rough and black; the entire film looks decidedly drawn rather than painted, even the bits that are in fact painted; and the rich variety of colour of Disney's earlier films has been replaced with the stark white-with-black-spots coat of a dalmatian, with the occasional splash of startling red. The art directors were as determined to get the most out of the new technology as they had been to get the most out of the old technology.

And it has its own quiet extravagance. A title promising over one hundred spotted dogs was (probably still is) the kind of thing liable to make animators feel faint. It couldn't have been done without the photocopier; and even so, getting spots to stay in the right place on a featureless white background is a huge headache. None of this leaps out an audience. We simply see a hundred adorable dogs.

The story is simple, clean, civilised, and warm. It moves slowly but this doesn't matter. Preventing the film from becoming lethargic is Cruella de Vil. She can drive like a maniac through the snow, smoke a cigarette through a holder the length of a sword, wave her arms like a windmill ... yet she handles quiet determination and gritted teeth equally well. Character animation doesn't get any better than this.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a classic Disney film from the company's brilliant late 50's and early 60's period. The film has a number of Disney high points including fantastic supporting characters, great suspense and a heavy atmosphere. The film can be considered another excellent feature for the legendary company.

The story sees Dalmatian Pongo and his 'pet' Roger find love with two of their kind in Perdita and Anita. When Perdita gives birth to 15 puppies the cruel Cruella De Vil wishes to buy them but is turned away. With the help of her bumbling henchmen she kidnaps the puppies in order to make fur coats of them. Its then up to Pongo and Perdita, with the help of a collection of animals, to find the puppies and return to London. The story is simplistic but wonderfully executed. It has so many great elements that make it such an engaging movie, from the way dogs view their owners to the many escape attempts.

The characters are superb. Rod Taylor is perfect as the very likable Pongo who we see as brave and caring as the film goes on. The relationship between him and Perdita is better than most as they do care for each other. Cruella is one of Disney's stronger villains, it's the way she is so crazed and manic but always trying to be stylish that makes her so entertaining. Jasper and Horace are brilliant henchmen, supplying lots of fun comic relief. Their so inept and clumsy that there's never a dull moment with them. The team of the Colonel, Tibbs and the Captain are brilliant. The Colonel is lovingly silly and Tibbs is so likable due to his never say die attitude. Roger and Anita are good as they are presented as a normal pleasant couple. The other dogs that help out like Danny the Great Dane and Towser are nice, solid supporting characters.

Though the rougher animation isn't to everyone's taste it does fit in really well here. The way it looks fits in with the gritty darkness of London and the wilds of the countryside, it's a nice change from the angular style of the films preceding it. When you consider the amount of puppies they had to animate it's an impressive feat. It is certainly one of the Disney's most suspense filled and exciting films. It's not very often that a Disney climax has a car chase and it's an outstanding sequence. The whole search for the puppies has a brilliantly tense feel and watching Cruella search for them has some really well made strong moments. This leads on to another highlight which is the atmosphere the film has. The whole 'twilight bark' is a great piece and the scenes where Tibbs and the Colonel investigate the matter have a really effective dark feel. These are underlined by the superb visuals of a gloomy London and the demonic looking 'hell hall'. The music is also very memorable as it contains the usual solid score Disney does, as well as the fantastic songs ''Cruella De Vil'' and ''Dalmatian Plantation''. The other effective scenes include a humorous look at how dog owners are similar to their pets and the what's my crime TV show that's funny.

This is one of Disney's most entertaining movies filled with many great elements.

Lion King has always been my favorite Disney movie. But One Hundred and One Dalmations is on my top 5. The movie is filled with so many laughs, you have to love it.

Pongo is a lonely pup with his lonely musical master, Roger. When he spots two lovely women(one being a dog of course), he sets Roger up to meet the woman. They hit it off immediatly as well does Pongo with his new mate, Perdita. When Perdita has puppies, Perdita's(her master) old friend, Cruella DeVille wants to buy them from her. But only to make the puppies into a new fur coat. When Roger refuses, Cruella kidnaps the puppies. Pongo and Perdita go out to save the puppies. And the rest is left for you to see for yourself.

8/10

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is among my Mouse House's favorites.And Cruella is second only to Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent ,as far as the villains are concerned.Cruella's character is so vile that my wife gave that nickname to her wicked headmistress (who really looks the part)! Pongo,Perdita,their offspring and all the rest have a long way to go before tasting the quiet joys of home.Very good scene in the park when the two dogs fall in love and make their masters do the same.And during the long walk across the snow ,aren't they nice all these puppies? I did not like the remake (and its abominable follow-up) Cruella is a cartoon character and even a superior actress such Glenn Close was bound to fail.

Pongo was a carefree bachelor in London and then he decided that his pet Roger Radcliffe needed a mate. Pongo is a dalmatian. Then he spots Perdita walking with her human Anita. Anita's fur-loving friend Cruella takes a fancy to the 15 dalmatian pups. When Roger refuses to sell the puppies, Cruella hires thugs Jasper and Horace to kidnap the pups. They overpower Nanny and then hold up in a crumbling mansion with other dalmatian puppies. There are 99 puppies in total.

Let's face it. Cruella De Vil is one of the more outlandish Disney villains. She isn't scary as much as silly. The movie opens with a fun rom-com story. I like the narration by Pongo. The movie stalls a little in the middle after the puppies have been stolen while the dogs haven't started on their search. It's a pretty short movie which is a good thing because it doesn't overstay its welcome.

This film is beautiful, and superior to the 1996 live action version. The animation is just beautiful, and I delighted in seeing those puppies's tails wagging. Those puppies were very cute, and a lack of any voice overs in the 1996 version was sorely missed. The scenes like the Twilight Bark added a sense of poignancy to the well-written story.I also want to say, I absolutely love the book by Dodie Smith, and I am 16. Another high point was the villain Cruella DeVil(voiced to perfection by Betty Lou Gerson), who was truly diabolical in every sense. The dogs, Pongo and Perdy were very lovable, and their scenes with the puppies were often very touching. Supporting characters like Tibbs, Captain, Colonel, and of course Jasper and Horace were very well done. The songs, were not as memorable as the ones in the Jungle Book, but at least they were tuneful. In conclusion, a beautiful and entertaining animated film, that is underrated in my opinion. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Walt Disney once again produces an animated film centered around dogs, this time Dalmations to be specific, as bachelor Roger and his dog Pongo one day meet single girl Anita and her dog Perdita, and of course they are the perfect match, and fall in love. Pongo and Perdita have a big litter of pups that somehow grows to 101, much to their exasperation! But when evil woman Cruella De Vil finds out, she decides to turn them all into a coat(!). Of course, they are appalled, but when Cruella has her two henchmen kidnap the pups, it's Pongo and Perdita to the rescue. Appealing film with good humor and animation, and Cruella herself among the most memorable Disney villains.

If there's any classic Disney movie that's less likely to be forgotten because of the modern Disney movies, this would be one of them. Part of the reason may be the live action version and its upcoming sequel. Skip those remakes and watch the real deal. The other part of the reason is because this movie is just so charming. Cruella De Vil is one of the more memorable Disney villains ever made. Romance abounds in this movie, and don't forget those adorable puppies. This may not have the animation or the big fancy songs of the moderns, but all that fanciness usually distracts from the story. Classic Disney always rocks, and this is no exception.

A sweet Disney movie. Mostly meant for children but has something for adults too. Adorable characters, nice story, happy ending.

Not perfect though. The opening background and set up are wonderful. After that, however, the movie does feel like it loses some of its charm and substance as it then becomes a bit of a caper. Becomes more of a kid's movie the longer it goes on.

Doesn't overstay its welcome though. Is just the right length.

Animation is okay, for the time. Some of it feels a bit basic, but that might just be compared to the animation of today.

Good voice work. Only recognisable name among the voice providers is Rod Taylor, making it even more impressive - it was a cast of mostly unknowns.

101 Dalmatians is, no doubt, my all-time favourite story and also one of the greatest films I have ever seen. When I was small, I never got tired to listen to or to read the story, and because of thinking especially much about Cruella de Vil I very early noticed that in fact I like wicked characters. But, of course, the unforgettable dogs are best in the film. Because of this story I have loved real Dalmatians all my life and also thought that only the names of the film's dog figures are really suitable for Dalmatians. I have also read Dodie Smith's original story, and I was really glad that it's so much like the Disney film.

My two-year old is obsessed by this movie. He can't get enough of the unsanitized, unpasteurized fare that Disney used to put out before political correctness drained all the fun out of their movies in an effort to make them suitable for McDonald's action figure tie-ins.

Watching "101 Dalmatians" is like entering a time machine to the days when all the men drank Miller High Life and all the women fetched the men their beers. The animation is so rough it's good; more than a few times you see shots where not everything was colored in. And that's freaking cool. Fast, cheap and out of control.

I mean, what other Disney flick has criminals drinking beers, everyone smoking, gunplay, violence and the lead human character living a quote-unquote "bachelor lifestyle" when everyone knew that "bachelor lifestyle" in 1961 was code for "alternative lifestyle"? Yet Pongo-Boy finds his "pet" a woman, and the ensuing childless marriage is blessed not by the pitter-patter of little infant's feet, but the stench of wet dog smell.

This has to be the funniest Disney movie I've seen: Kanine Krunchies and the little dog watching the Western TV show and trying to peer around the corner's of the screen to see where the bad guy is hiding is worth the price alone.

Even with all its merits, the movie must go back "into the vault" for 28 years. By then, my two-year old will be able to appreciate it in all its perverse glory.

This is Walt Disney's 17th full-length animated feature film, a story where a litter of puppies, belonging to Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita, are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, who plans on making fur coats out of the pups. As a result, Pongo and Perdita go on a mission to rescue their children.

The actors did a nice job in voicing the characters and the animation, although not very vibrant and appeared washed-up, had a somewhat nice, jazzy feel to it. The characters were given their own personality and charm and I thought the banding together of the various animals and dogs to help Pongo and Perdita rescue their pups was a great act of heroism. However, the plot and story take a very long time to gain any steam and, aside from the rescue mission scenes, a large part of the movie was actually pretty boring. I thought the main human character, Roger, had the personality of wallpaper and the romance subplot was a little too sappy.

The villains, though, were the highlight of the film. Cruella was crafty, sly and hilariously captivating, and is one of the few most interesting elements of the movie. The two minions, Horace and Jasper, were also funny.

Overall, kids would probably like this movie more than adults, but I thought this animated version is a tad better than the live action version with Jeff Daniels.

Grade C-

No, the animation is not that of Snow White, nor does it aim to be. It's more sophisticated and minimalist, a la early sixties, but nevertheless delightful. The story is told with humor and verve.

This is an lovable movie you will reach for many times, whether child or adult. I'm not much of a Disney fan--can't stand the recent huge-eyed, social-message stuff--but this is one of my favorite movies, animated or otherwise.

MD

From its opening (Pongo searching passers by for an ideal partner for his 'pet' Roger, watching as dogs and owners, looking identical to each other, pass) to its frantic, and yes even scary, chase scene 101 Dalmations is canine riot. In my favourite scene, the movie brings a tear to one's eye. Sweet, moving, and classic Disney.

When two Dalmatians named Pongo (Rod Taylor) and Perdita (Cate Bauer) are blessed with fifteen puppies, they couldn't have been happier. But when their new family gets stolen, along with eighty-four other puppies by the evil fashion designer Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) for the intention of making fur coats out of them, Pongo and Perdita must call on numerous other animals to help them rescue the puppies from their fate. Important in animation history as the first Disney animated film to heavily use newer xerography methods for the purpose of cheaper animation methods, One Hundred and One Dalmatians may lack the visual beauty of Disney's earlier fantasy films, but the modern UPA style of the film helps it stand out as one of the most visually unique films of the 1960's. The infamous Cruella, thanks to Marc Davis's incredible character animation and Betty Lou Gerson's piercing voice makes her one of the most memorable villians of all time and despite a lot of it would end up being reused for numourous films produced during this cost-cutting era, George Bruns's score is fabulous with the best example of his work being the jazz-inspired opening credits that would set the mood for the more laid-back films of this time period. Overall, One Hundred and One Dalmatians deserves it's reputation as not only one of the most important films in the companies history, but also as a fun thrill ride for all ages.

This is one of the best Disney movies made, it has wit, charm, colors, and just all together entertainment. I give 101 Dalmatians 9.5 out of 10.

About 60 years ago, a small little animated feature came out from Walt Disney's studio called 101 Dalmatians, based on the book of the same name by Dodie Smith. Released two years after the ambitious albeit financial flump that was Sleeping Beauty, the film was the smash hit that saved the Disney company from falling into bankruptcy, mostly given its smaller budget and cost effective xerography process at the time, in addition to many critics hailing it as one of the last great films produced by Walt himself prior to his death. So given its long lasting legacy, sequels and spinoffs, how exactly does it hold up nowadays?

Set in then modern London, England, the film tells the story of two Dalmatians named Pongo and Perdita, whose puppies get kidnapped by the villainous coat maker Cruella deVille. Along the two's journey to save their children, Pongo and Perdita end up rescuing 84 additional puppies, bringing their total up to 101. Now given that premise, admittedly the film's weakest element is the plot, as it's pretty routine and predictable with not too many surprises for what will come next. However, what does save the story from being dull is the humor and charming characters. As the first several minutes start off with how Pongo and Perdita met, it ends up creating some funny shenanigans between their individual owners, Roger and Anita, one being a suave albeit assertive songwriter and the other being a kind albeit overly concerned person, having been a former schoolmate of Cruella De Vil. Speaking of Cruella, Betty Lou Gerson and animator Marc Davis steal the show with her hammy albeit overly threatening presence, and one can tell you do not want to mess with this spoiled witch.

As for the other characters, Cruella's henchmen Horace and Jasper Baddun might have been the kickstarter of every mediocre henchmen trope in movies, but here their personalities contrast off one another so well with one being smart and the other being dumb, and they end up in some of the finer visual gags. Admittedly, the puppies themselves are more so reduced to Macguffins in the story, but they are cute enough as far as individual kids go. In addition to all that, people remember the movie most for its popular song named after Cruella herself, which is so corny that you cannot help but to sing along to it. The other songs being Kanine Krunchies, which showcased some subtle satire on the gimmicky commercialism in TV back then, and Dalmatian Plantation, which wraps the film up in such a lively harmonious fashion that you feel satisfied after the experience is over. While the Twilight Bark sequence does go on for a bit too long, it still has some fun dog barking antics and hysterical banter between the military like farm animals trying to rescue the pups, so it's still all in good fun.

Now as for the animation, the film itself is famous for being the first Disney film to use Ub Iwerks' innovative process of xerography, which allowed for the animator's pencil drawings to be directly to animation cels, therefore controversially eliminating the use of ink and paint. While Walt himself hated the process out of wanting his films to look realistic, this might be one of the best uses of the process given the film's modernesque artstyle based off of Ronald Searle artwork and Mont Blanc India ink. In addition to Ken Anderson's experimental art direction and Walt Peregoy's stylish colors, the animators clearly had a lot of fun working on the film in bringing the characters to life. Animators like the aforementioned Marc Davis, Frank Thomas and Milt Kahl especially had the time of their lives on this film after being restricted to venture into exaggerated realism for too long, especially after the nightmarish production of Sleeping Beauty. While the xerox process would go on in other Disney features onward, none even came close to matching the artistic brilliance of this feature.

So in the end, what could have easily been another standard rescue mission story ends up being highly entertaining and even boldly artistic. 101 Dalmatians might not be one of the Disney Company's greatest achievements in storytelling, but it remains a humorous thrill with fun characters, hysterical songs and luscious art experimentation nonetheless. Considering the decades worth of people who grew up with this film, there's bound to be even more generations who will too. So if you're yet to give this flick a watch, by all means give it a go at least once, and maybe you'll be hungry for some kanine krunchies afterwards.

I liked this film mainly for its drawings. It was a departure from previous Disney animated films in that it had harder-edged drawings instead of the soft pastels. I found the detailed sketches of the building to be fascinating. I could actually watch this film with the sound off and just enjoy the artwork.

I actually saw this movie AFTER the 1996 live-action version with Glenn Close so I was familiar with the story. The only deviation was that there were more animals involved in the rescue of the puppies in the latter version.

The narration was very good in the beginning and film is okay, nothing super. It lags in a few parts, which is the only complaint I would have. It certainly is a nice story.

I have always thought that the animation and story of "101 Dalmatians" were actually a bit weak. After all, a crazy lady who wants to steal puppies to make them into a coat ISN'T especially deep. And, the xerox process they used in this film did make the movie look a lot cheaper than the exquisitely animated films of the 1950s. But what makes it very good and well worth watching is the character Cruella De Vil. Her voice work by Betty Lou Gerson was just fabulous--and very obviously inspired by Tallulah Bankhead. Her mannerisms, style and voice were Ms. Bankhead all the way--but with a wonderful insane quality that made a horrific act (slaughtering puppies) so ridiculously comical that it was watchable and fun. Otherwise, this film would have been seen as cruel and just awful. Plus the "Cruella" song was a hoot--with great lyrics and a perfect accompaniment to this horrid character.

The bottom line is that I nearly scored this one a 9--it's awfully good. But having the sub-standard animation brought it down a point. Enjoyably sick and funny--even for adult audiences.

Just last year, our family took on a pet dog for the first time so my perception of this Disney classic is obviously now biased. Seriously though, I'd have enjoyed it anyway. It's old fashioned family entertainment, easy to watch, but highly sentimental, of course. The animation was to my inexpert eyes, very good, particularly the tricky job of imparting personality to so any Dalmatian pups. Pongo and Hattie, the pups' parents could be Lady and the Tramp a bit further down the road while Cruella De Ville follows the models of preceding Disney female baddies, only with even more flounce and extravagance. Apart from the "Cruella De Ville" song, there's a distinct lack of musical interludes, which serves the purposes of the one-long-chase plot-line reasonably well. There's gentle humour as you'd expect and a tolerable running gag with the little pup that's forever hungry. I thought the best sequence though was right at the start when Pongo persuaded his owner to cosy up to Mattie's in the park, but the narrative manages to engage all the way through with the "human" characters also achieving sufficient degrees of personality to embellish the tale before the obligatory happy ending. You'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to enjoy this delightful animation which I took pleasure in doing today for the very first time.

This famous Disney film tells the story of a litter of fifteen Dalmatian puppies that are stolen by Cruella De Vil, a wealthy lover of fur coats, to be turned into a coat. Despite the fame, I don't think it's particularly appealing. The story is basic and has nothing special, besides a lively attack on the use of animal skins. About three-quarters of film's lenght are occupied by the puppies' escape, the remainder being divided between a brief prelude and a predictable outcome. The film also has problems of cinematography, because the drawings are a little coarse and ungainly, very unpleasant to the eyes. Contrary to the usual Disney movies, music isn't a strong point here. With the notable exception of "Cruela De Vil", the film has no notable music. The best of this film is the work of voice actors and Cruella, one of the best villains ever created by the studio. She makes the film really funny and is the most remarkable character, even more than the puppies themselves.

I've never been interested in this movie in my childhood. I knew it existed, but it never caught my eye, I'm not sure why. Only now, as an adult, did I have the curiosity to watch it. I wasn't disappointed but also wasn't expecting anything better.