Review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) by Uditha D — 28 Dec 2011

Featuring a memorable villain, a hundred or so talkative dogs, some very convincingly funny animals and humans, and of course a very consistent and smooth (though somewhat fast paced) plot, 101 Dalmatians has always been my favorite Disney feature. The reason for this is that it's simply lovable. I don't think anyone, young or old, can deny the irresistible charm that this great classic endears even today, or the apparently inexplicable magic it conjures up as it goes along its story-line.

When I watched Sleeping Beauty around a couple of months before this, I thought Maleficient was a most unforgettable villain in the Disney pantheon. Watching this made me realize that that was a gross error. From her deliberately exaggerated mannerisms, manner of speaking, and sometimes skull-like face, Cruella da Vil was a very convincing (and comic) depiction of evil. And this is all the more true without any supernatural witchcraft or magic. The plight of the dalmatians, which took up almost its entire second half, was beautifully entertaining, and with the Badun brothers, things got even more enjoyable.

I also think that what also made this really exceptional was its change of setting: normally to be expected in fairy-tale land or in an American suburb, the setting here was in a grim, cold and wintry London. The charm in the film was partly accentuated by this unusual setting: with a wintry and grim weather, the ending, which reconciles the dalmatians to their ever-loving owners in their own warm home, was sweetly refreshing. 101 Dalmatians remains my favorite in the Disney classics lineup, and this is all the more reason to concur that a good Disney feature need not always have a musical lineup (after all, this had only one memorable song - the titular "Cruella da Vil"). It's a classic that should be watched by all Disney fans, and I think should be a firm favorite during Christmas time.