My Movie Review on 101 Dalmatians (1961) · 4:41pm Dec 31st, 2020
Salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 9th and final installment of my "Christmas Craze", and my final review of 2020, I'm gonna give you guys my take of Disney's "101 Dalmatians". The animated version from 1961 to be precise.
Here's the rundown of it:
Pongo and Perdita are two happily married dalmatians that live in London with a married couple called the Radcliffes. Together, they become the proud parents of 15 puppies.
However, when the puppies are kidnapped by the malicious Cruella de Vil, and her bumbling henchman Jasper and Horace, Pongo and Perdita realize that rescuing them is something that their owners and the human authorities will be unable to do. What's more, they later discover that Cruella also has 84 other puppies in her possession, because she wants 99 dalmatians in order to make dog-skinned coats!
Will the dalmatians be able to escape the clutches of Cruella, Jasper, and Horace? Or will they be made into furry coats?
In all honesty, I had originally planned on reviewing the live-action version of "Lady and the Tramp" right after doing so with the animated version. However, I decided to save it for my upcoming "February Festivity" instead due to a combination of hesitancy and a feeling that it'd be too soon to do so. As I thought about it more, I couldn't help but think "What better movie to review next than the animated 101 Dalmatians?". So, I decided to do just that, and it was something I felt much more comfortable doing too. It was also a fitting entry for the "Christmas Craze", because the ending of the movie takes place on Christmas.
Similar to "Lady and the Tramp", this movie wasn't something I had in my collection for my entire life, but I remembered enjoying it whenever I saw it. And let me just say, that seeing this movie again turned out to be an absolute blast!
For instance, the direction by Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske, and Clyde Geronimi, and the story by Bill Peet, were marvelous!
I will admit that I was saddened by the fact that Walt Disney himself (even though he's credited as producer) wasn't as creatively involved with this movie as he was with other movies, and I could tell that by just feeling it. That's perfectly okay, though, because I thought the rest of the filmmakers did a wonderful job at capturing the spirit originated by Disney.
When it came to making a perfect Disney film, Bill Peet and the directors literally didn't mess around. The overall concept tied itself together flawlessly, and the characters managed to drive the plot like they were literally the beating heart of it all. The humor throughout the movie was fun too, because the gags carried a spice and innocence that was beautifully reminiscent to Disney's previous animated films. They were also wonderfully executed and timed. Plus, the film wasn't without heart and emotion, the particular generators of it all being the bonds between Pongo and Perdita, Roger and Anita, and the relationships they share with the puppies. That, and the other animal characters' willingness to help the dalmatians in their time of need.
The animation was amazing, if I may add. When it came to creating an entirely different style, art director and production designer Ken Anderson definitely had a vision. In many ways, the visual style was something that I found to be reminiscent to that of a comic book, and the character animation was not only expressive but surprisingly fluid among other things. The same with the animation used for the vehicles. When I later looked back on the film's Wikipedia page to find that Anderson and the animators used Xerox photography to animate the film, I couldn't help but note that everything had a certain three-dimensionalism to it that made the film all-the more unique visual-wise.
The music by George Bruns was likewise magnificent. Bruns not only helped the movie be engaging with his music alone, but he created a score that was filled to the brim with emotion that was strong enough to help audiences feel what they're watching more than just see what's on the screen. Plus, despite the film not being a musical, there were some pretty snappy tunes that were fun to the point of toe-tapping. Especially the "Cruella de Vil" song, of course.
Finally, the performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were splendid.
I really can't deny it, Cruella de Vil is definitely one of Disney's most compelling of antagonists. She's not only intimidating, but she's a perfect representation of greed and selfishness. Each of which make the character surprisingly human. She had great personality and character development too, and Betty Lou Gerson did a phenomenal job portraying the character.
The rest of the cast and characters likewise provided a rollicking good time. For instance, the romances between Pongo and Perdita and Roger and Annita are some of the most fun to watch in animation history, and the performers portraying them sounded like they were putting their hearts and souls into their characters. The four characters themselves were great leads, I'll tell you guys that. Plus, the characters of Jasper and Horace were quite the scene-stealers, and Sergeant Tibbs, Colonel, and The Captain were instantly lovable side characters that I'm surprised Disney didn't create a spin-off for.
In conclusion, "101 Dalmatians (1961)" is another instant treasure created by Disney. The best part of it all was that everyone onboard was clearly very passionate about this project.
So, I rate "101 Dalmatians (1961)" five out of five stars.
Ever thought of Napoleon Dynamite?
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Napoleon Dynamite? What's that?
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It’s a movie about a nerd in Idaho. It mainly shows the everyday life of him and his few friends or family, but if you enjoy the humor, it’s pretty funny. After all, it can’t show everyday lives without sprinkling a bit of humor. It shows things like a school dance, or the main character working at a hen farm, or, for the last third of the film, the character trying to help his new friend win class president.
Again, the everyday life premise may seem boring, but it does have humor, so it’s funny. Plus, if you want more sources, it’s got plenty of positive reviews.
5 out of 5 stars from me too.
You got any chloroform
Not a drop
And no ether, either
EYE-ther!!
This movie got a live-action remake before it was cool.
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Here’s my review on the direct-to-video sequel to this movie, in case you guys are interested:
My Movie Review on 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure