101 Dalmatians (1961)

For at least four generations now you can pretty much take a person’s age and tell what Disney feature length animated movie they saw as a child. For example I was part of the ‘Lady and the Tramp’ generation while my daughter was more a ‘The Little Mermaid’ kind of girl. I still can remember the video tape of that film slowing wearing out as it was played over and over. From 1937 to present day The Walt Disney Company has been the more well loved and regarded source of family entertainment. Now that most of the classic Disney animated films are on DVD there is a new chance to remember your favorites and enjoy them with a new generation of children and even grandchildren. The latest of the Disney special ‘Platinum Series’ animated films to be released has been a perennial favorite since its initial theatrical release in 1961, ‘101 Dalmatians’. This is not the first major re-release of the film. There was a VCR release back in the late eighties and a limited edition DVD release in 1999, when DVD was still a fairly new format. This film has remained so popular that there was even a live action version made but the less said about that variation the better. This is not just a DVD with the film; it is a two disc set packed full of special features, games and just about everything a child could want to be entertained.

This film is considered part of the illustrious Disney Animated Canon; some four dozen films that where created via human animation instead of the more modern computer graphics. Although this movie is considered one of the Disney classics it does not reach the incredible feats of animation achieved by early films. Between the thirties and fifties labor was less expensive and it was possible to have a small army of animators working on a film. Each frame had to be drawn, colored and coordinated by hand. With ‘101 Dalmatians’ running about 79 minutes and 24 frames per second required that is about 6.8 million frames to do. This was the first Disney film done with the help of Xerography. In this technique the backgrounds are photocopied from one to the next. In some cases parts of the backgrounds were photos of real life objects drawn over and Xeroxed. This did keep the costs down but the sacrifice of the natural flow of movement that is the hallmark of the golden age Disney movies. The backgrounds are static although the main characters did retain their fluid motion. This method was successful enough to become standard for most subsequent Disney animation. Then again considering the target audience is still kids it is doubtful they will notice or care. For the more critical adults watching just forget the changes in methodology and give in to nostalgia.

Typical of a Disney production the people in charge have impressive resumes. Clyde Geronimi shared the directorial helm with Hamilton Luske. Geronimi was an animation director since 1926 and was still direction the Spider-Man animated series into the seventies. His Disney credits include such classics as ‘Cinderella’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Lady and the Tramp. His co-director Luske was at the helm for ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Fantasia’. Both men were animators before moving into direction.

Most people already know the story here. Two Dalmatians Pongo (voiced by Rod Taylor) and Perdita (voiced by Cate Bauer) are out walking their human ‘pets’ Roger (voiced by Ben Wright) and Anita (voiced by Lisa Davis) when the humans meet and fall in love. Of course the dogs fall in love also and soon there is a double ‘wedding’. In the early sixties even dogs couldn’t have children without being married first. Shortly afterwards Perdita has a liter of 15 puppies including Luck (voiced by Mimi Gibson) who almost seemed still born. It doesn’t take long before the evil Cruella De Vil (voiced by Betty Lou Gerson) arranges to grab the puppies to add to her collection. She wants to make a Dalmatian coat or two. Since at this time in history PETA is still decades away it is up to Pongo and Perdita to gather their animal friends and save the puppies. Save the puppies, save the world, or something like that. At the end Roger and Anita decide to raise all 101 dogs in their home.

This is after all a Disney Platinum special release and they take titles like that seriously at the House of Mouse. The video is in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and has been completely re-mastered. It is brilliant; far better than any previous release and most likely better than when we first saw this movie in the local theater. The colors pop off the screen. The audio has been redone in Dolby 5.1 and it is also the best this film has ever sounded. Unlike many films that have been mastered up to 5.1 this one makes excellent use of the rear speakers. It is also enabled with Disney’s Fast Play so the kids will not have to sit through a bunch of trailers before getting to the film. There is also a ton of extras on both discs.

This is a piece of out childhood that parents can now share and enjoy with your kids. Cruella is one of the best villainesses that Disney has ever come up with. She is deliciously evil and kids of all ages love watching her get what is coming to her. Add this to your growing collection of Disney classics.

Posted 02/20/08