Review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) by Grant S — 08 Oct 2014

Walt Disney's "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is one of the best loved family films of all time. The story revolves around two Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, and their owners, Roger and Anita, who occupy a modest flat in urban London. Not long after Perdita gives birth to a litter of fifteen adorable and impressively drawn puppies, they are abducted by the evil Cruella De Vil, an old schoolmate of Anita's who lusts for a coat made of Dalmatian puppy fur. While the humans mourn, Pongo and Perdita take action by utilize a canine gossip chain called "The Twilight Bark", and a glorious adventure ensues.

Pongo and Perdita's efforts eventually lead them to Hell Hall, Cruella's deteriorating manor house in the English countryside where the puppies, along with eighty four others are being held captive by Cruella's bumbling assistants, Horace and Jasper. In order to save their children, Pongo and Perdita must seek help from an assortment of neighboring animal friends including Colonel, a sputtering Old Enlglish Sheepdog and a brave cat named Mr. Tibbs, but as time runs out and Cruella's suspicions intensify, the fate of the puppies grows more and more uncertain.

While this all sounds very thrilling, the film's first act may lead one to believe the plot may be heading in an entirely different direction. Though everything is kicked off by a jazzy title sequence that shows off the film's offbeat angular drawing style and the contemporary London backgrounds, the scenes in Roger and Anita's are slowly paced and almost too relaxed for their own good.

It isn't until the grand entrance of Cruella De Vil that the plot truly begins to boil and the action stops dragging its paws. She is a marvelous creation that transcends her two-dimenstional surroundings. Quite frankly, she is the sole reason to see the movie. Sure, the puppies are cute enough and there are other great Disney touches sprinkled throughout, but with Betty Lou Gerson's smoky vocal styling and animator Marc Davis's graceful hand and observant eye, they create one of the great screen villainesses of all time and lift an otherwise average children's film into the stratosphere of family entertainment. It is much more than a drawing - it is life on the screen.