Review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) by Gavin C — 26 Nov 2011

Based on the novel of the same name by Dodie Smith, 101 Dalmatians takes place in London where Pongo, a male dalmatian, is living in London with his master, Roger, a bachelor songwriter who has yet to sell his first tune. Bored with their single existence, Pongo arranges for Roger to meet Anita, a pretty young woman who just happens to have a female Dalmatian named Perdita. It is not long before love blossoms all around and a double wedding takes place. A few months later, Perdita gives birth to 15 puppies, much to the delight of Cruella De Vil, a wealthy, wicked former schoolmate of Anita's whose burning passion is to own a coat made of Dalmatian pelts. When she is unable to purchase the puppies, she has them "dognapped" and brought to her crumbling estate in the country, where 84 other Dalmatians are also being held captive. All attempts by the police to find the missing pups fail, and the desperate Pongo and Perdita appeal to the dogs of London, via the "twilight bark." Led by The Colonel, an indomitable shaggy dog and a cat named Sergeant Tibbs, all other dogs comes to the rescue and, aided by geese, cows, and horses, tracks down the missing puppies.

Is 101 Dalmatians on par with earlier Disney classics a few decades later? You bet it is! The animation is extremely beautiful with cute character animation. The songs are catchy and well-executed I could hum "Cruella De Vil" for nearly five minutes. The voice acting is pretty good and the story is unbelievably touching that could bring tears to their eyes and mixes courage, humor, suspense, and bravery extremely well with very amazing chase scenes. 101 Dalmatians is Disney's masterpiece of the classic 60s and would recommended as one of the greatest works ever made. Happy 50th Anniversary, 101 Dalmatians!