101 Dalmations (1961)

Note: This review contains spoilers for 101 Dalmatians (1961).

While not as well-represented as some of Disney's other franchises based on books, 101 Dalmatians (1961) (officially rendered as One Hundred and One Dalmatians in the title sequence), adapted from the Dodie Smith novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, was popular enough to spawn a veritable franchise of its own, including two different animated series continuations and two sets of live-action adaptations. Though I had seen the original movie before, I hadn't really explored the greater franchise any further, aside from some vague memory of the first TV series when it was on and maybe at least one of the older live-action films. After being convinced to give more of the franchise a chance, I thought it only fair to rewatch the original film again for context since it had been several years since my previous viewing, and found that the original 101 Dalmatians still holds up very nicely.

In London, England, a dalmatian named Pongo (Rod Taylor) thinks his owner Roger (Ben Wright) needs more excitement in his life and looks out the window in search of a potential mate. After finding the perfect match for both of them, Pongo gets Roger to the park, forcing a meeting with the woman Anita (Lisa Davis) and her dog Perdita (Lisa Daniels and Cate Bauer). After Roger and Anita wed, Perdita is expecting puppies, which Anita’s acquaintance Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) is very interested in. After Perdita gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies, Roger and Anita refuse to give them up, infuriating Cruella. After some time has passed, the puppies are eventually kidnapped by Cruella’s lackeys Horace (Frederick Worlock) and Jasper (J. Pat O'Malley), leading Pongo and Perdita to do what they can to find them.

Without having read the original book, the plot of the movie works well on its own merits, with one major factor being the way it uses perspective. While we do see some parts of the story appropriately told from the perspective of the main human cast, much of it told from the viewpoint of the animals, fleshing out the world in an interesting way and making antagonist Cruella De Vil come off as even more of a threat than she already does. The animal cast is anthropomorphized enough to get their thoughts across, but they otherwise still think more like actual animals, with Pongo even seeing his owner Roger as his pet rather than the other way around. The concept of the Twilight Bark is also interesting, as it fleshes out the animal world in its own unique way by establishing an additional form of communication that only dogs can understand.

This isn’t to say the human characters aren’t interesting as well. The relationship between human protagonists Roger and Anita Radcliffe is believable, as is their attachment to their dogs and their differing views on Cruella. Brothers Horace and Jasper Baddun have a believable and often humorous dynamic, with Horace sometimes coming off more as the voice of reason despite his lesser intelligence and both characters providing a good source of comic relief while still being threatening. Although Cruella De Vil personally didn’t leave as much of a lasting impression on me as some other Disney villains have, it’s not hard for me to see how she became one of the more iconic ones. Her flamboyant personality and lifestyle, combined with her plan to make fur coats out of dalmatian puppies, still leave a lasting impact, enough for her to be considered an integral part of the greater franchise. While she has historically been excluded from the Kingdom Hearts series despite the original film being referenced in it, she has since been represented as part of the Perfectly Wretched expansion for the recent tabletop game Disney Villainous.

Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) is a striking and memorable villain.

Aside from the well-written plot, the animation is one of the more interesting parts of the movie. In particular, the character animation is noticeably and consistently on-model, and while some possible rotoscoping is evident, the stylized art direction prevents it from being too distracting. That said, one noticeable effect that stands out is when Cruella is trying to drive out of a snow bank during the climax, appearing as though actual footage of snow was used in some capacity, though the sequence doesn’t last very long. The designs of the animals, while stylized and highly expressive, are otherwise anatomically correct, even rendering Pongo’s claws in a close-up shot. Special mention goes to the dalmatians themselves, particularly the highly consistent tracking of their individual spot patterns, which is especially impressive considering the large number of puppies seen on-screen at any time during the third act and the fact that the movie is traditionally animated with the aid of xerography.

The human designs are impressive as well, each character having a very unique silhouette, especially Cruella. The clothing animation is likewise consistently on-model, with a shout out to Cruella’s fur coat, and a sequence towards the beginning features clothing and other cloth as it would realistically behave after getting wet. Additionally, the film uses a somewhat sketchy style, often to the point where you can occasionally see sketch lines, however it can be argued that this gives the animation personality in a way that works for it while also demonstrating that it was, indeed, traditionally animated.

The animation is backed up by some great voice acting, with the physical acting of the characters perfectly matching the performance. A particular standout is Betty Lou Gerson as Cruella De Vil, her performance capturing the character’s personality and her increasing desperation in the third act. The movie has long stretches without music, though this only helps George Bruns’ music stand out even more when it does come up and it fits well with the style and tone of the film. Roger’s occupation as a songwriter allows the song “Cruella De Vil” by Mel Leven to be worked organically into the story, plus a later appearance of the song and some additional audio are integrated diagetically so they don’t stand out too much.

101 Dalmatians (1961) still stands as a good film in its own right, thanks to some great writing and solid animation that still holds up to this day. These, combined with the iconic Cruella De Vil, make this a Disney classic and a must-see selection from the Animated Canon.

As a follow-up to the movie, also consider giving 101 Dalmatian Street a try.