One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi
Hamilton Luske

Writers:

Bill Peet (story)
Dodie Smith (novel)

Release Date:

25 January 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Thriller

Tagline:

Walt Disney's new all-cartoon feature

Plot:

When a litter of dalmation puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Plot Keywords:

Talking Dog | Dog Cartoon | Dog | Pet | Blockbuster

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Rod Taylor	...	Pongo (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Colonel / Jasper (voice)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Cruella De Vil / Miss Birdwell (voice)
Martha Wentworth	...	Nanny / Queenie / Lucy (voice)
Ben Wright	...	Roger (voice)
Cate Bauer	...	Perdita (voice)
David Frankham	...	Sgt. Tibs (voice) (as Dave Frankham)
Frederick Worlock	...	Horace / Inspector Craven (voice) (as Fred Worlock)
Lisa Davis	...	Anita (voice)
Tom Conway	...	Quizmaster / Collie (voice)
Tudor Owen	...	Towser (voice)
George Pelling	...	Danny (voice)
Ramsay Hill	...	Television Announcer / Labrador (voice)
Sylvia Marriott	...	(voice)
Queenie Leonard	...	Princess (voice)

Also Known As:

101 Dalmatians (USA) (alternative spelling)
Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians (USA) (alternative title)
100 hundar och 1 husse (Finland: Swedish title) (poster title) [sv]
101 Dálmatas (Brazil) [pt]
101 Dálmatas, Os (Portugal) [pt]
101 Dalmatiner (West Germany) [de]
101 Dalmatinere - Hund og hund imellem (Denmark) [da]
101 dálmatas (Spain) [es]
101 dalmaçyali (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
101 dalmatialaista (Finland) [fi]
101 dalmatiens, Les (France) [fr]
101 skylia tis Dalmatias, Ta (Greece) [el]
Carica dei 101, La (Italy) [it]
Hundalíf (Iceland) [is]
Hundra hundar och en husse (Finland: Swedish title) (alternative spelling) [sv]
Lupsakkaat luppakorvat (Finland) [fi]
Noche de las narices frías, La (Argentina) [es]
Pongo och de 101 dalmatinerna (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:o.Al. | Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G (re-rating) (1969)

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

On previous Disney animated features, the top animators were assigned a character and drew the bulk (if not all) of that particular character's scenes individually. Animation on this film was far more of a 'team' effort' - for example, seven of the famed "Nine Old Men" worked on Perdita. There was one notable exception: 'Marc Davis (II)' drew Cruella DeVil's animation entirely on his own.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: While the puppies and trudging through the blizzard, they are heading into the wind. Then the Collie finds them, and they turn around to go back the other way and are still heading into the wind.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pongo: My story begins in London, not so very long ago. And yet so much has happened since then, that it seems more like an eternity.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Akai misshitsu (heya): Kindan no ôsama geemu (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Dalmatian Plantation

Falls a little flat sometimes, but still a favourite

Although it falls flat at some points, 101 Dalmatians has always been a favourite of mine. Maybe it is the scratchy style of the artwork that does it, maybe the delightful personalities of the characters, or maybe the entertaining villains. Who knows? Based on the brilliant book by Dodie Smith, it's the familiar tale of the cute little dalmatian puppies escape across the wild and snowy countryside, in a desperate race against time.

Full of imagination, humour, and just plain charm, this is a must see for all Disney fans. No, it's not Walt's most thought-provoking effort, but it's way better than what modern Disney can think of nowadays.