I find Disney's use of xerography to be fascinating. It explains why their movies from the 60s through 80s have a distinct look that, to me, looks "rough".
They definitely have a distinct look. I always liked tracking animation techniques used from Disney because they really are a timeline of the animation techniques of the day
101 Dalmatians is THE film that made me want to be an animator. Art direction-wise, it's the most consistent animated film Disney has ever made, where the backgrounds and animation are all of a piece, and EVERYTHING is at such a high level... the animation, the draftsmanship, the story... Probably my favorite animated film.
I honestly have no idea how much I've rewatched this. But I can remember almost every scene. I was and still am obsessed with this movie, and I'm alright with that. XD
I grew up hearing a version of the "Cruella de Vil" song on story records, very different from the film version. In the record version, Thurl Ravenscroft sang the line "But after time has worn away the shock."
I've always been a sucker for crazy Villeins, and Cruella DeVil is no exception. But if I have to chose who's the czarist of them all, I would have to give the honor to the Joker.
Great video. Very informative and analytic. I believe this was the first Disney movie I saw as a kid. It had to have been this or The Lion King but I can't remember. In addition to your point about Cruella's lack of backstory, I wish they could have given the puppies more characterization. Patch seemed to be the most interesting of them all, with his brash attitude and dare-devilness standing out among the rest of them. The DTV sequel completely threw this out of the window, making him a wimpy runt (even though that was Lucky's role in this movie) and blowing his interest in Thunderbolt way out of proportion. Also, they should have made it more obvious that there was a time skip between Roger and Anita meeting and their marriage, so it wouldn't leave people assuming they unrealistically fell in love at first sight. BTW, I hated the 1997 animated series. The animation and art style were unacceptable for Disney standards, the main characters were a bunch of unlikeable sacks of shit, the writing and humor was extremely cringe-worthy and embarassing (half of the humor relies on stupid pop culture references), they needlessly changed the location and setting, and they completely butchered Cruella DeVille's character. In my opinion, it's easily the worst animated show Walt Disney Television Animation has done.
Unfortunately, there is only one little thing that you forgot to mention. Pongo has appeared in Once Upon A Time in season 1 and 2 as Archie's (Jiminy Cricket) pet dog but was pretty minor. In the second half of season 4 Cruella mades an appearance as a recurring character (along with Maleficent and Ursula).
2nd watching. Your presence is - may I say - totally charming. You speak to the viewer, not just the camera, and project your enthusiasm with lively personality. And 101D is among my Disney faves!
I really like 101 Dalmatians. The characters were really good and the animation beautiful. The story could have been better, but still a really good movie. 7.5/10
I really don't know what to say about this movie. I liked it. To be honest that's pretty much it. I guess the one thing that stood out to me is the characters, for pretty much the reasons you already mentioned, AND OH MY GOODNESS FINALLY! THEY FINALLY GAVE A CAT A POSITIVE ROLE! I'M SO PROUD OF THEM!!!!! Sorry, it's kind of a small thing, but I just really love that cat! (Obvious crazy cat person) By the way, YOUR DOG IS SO CUTE!!!! Seriously how is he not a chick magnet??? What's his name???
Ash Mcg Hmm, now that you mention it, I guess you're right, cats and Disney don't tend to get along very well, aside from the Aristocats haha. And her name is Macey, hopefully one day she'll be as success as Pongo in the matchmaking department haha
i'm pretty sure that in the scene that has Lady in it, Tramp is standing on the roof of a truck parked on the right side of the screen. also, was the fact that this film isn't widescreen another thing to blame on budget cuts? oh well, i still love this movie, though i don't love it as much as the two before it, but you really can't compare them. the animation style works well for the film, and comes off more stylised than cheap. the characters are great, there are plenty of laughs, and it is just a great movie. 9/10
Full Voice Actor List Multiple Children: Multiple Puppies, Including Lucky, Cadpig, Rolly and Patch - Barbara Luddy: Multiple Puppies - Rod Taylor: Pongo - Cate Bauer - Ben Wright: Roger Radcliffe - Lisa Davis: Anita Radcliffe - Betty Lou Gerson: Cruella DeVill - J Pat O'Malley: Jasper, The Colonel, Multiple Males - Frederick Worlock: Horace - Martha Wentworth: Nannie, Queenie, Lucy - Ramsay Hill: A Labarador - David Frankham: Sergeant Tibbs - Thurl Ravenscroft: Captain Horse, Multiple Males - Queenie Leonard: Pricness - Marjorie Bennett: Duchess - Tom Conway: Collie, A Television Man - Paul Frees: A Television Man - Lucille Bliss: A Television Woman - George Pelling: Danny - Tudor Owen: Towser P.S. That scene with your dog is adorable.
Perdita: again I agree - with one qualifier. Trapped in 1960 women's stereotypes, she relies on male insight and decisions... BUT when action is needed she's his absolute equal. Even at under age 10 I got that.
Good review on an underrated Disney film. Also, you forgot to say that Guns of Navarone, released by one of Disney’s rivals which is Colombia Pictures, had outperformed 101 Dalmatians to become the highest grossing movie of non Disney in 1961, according to Wikipedia. 101 Dalmatians is never mentioned to be one of the greatest classics, but rather a cult classic, thanks to its live action adaptions, tv series, and a sequel. Although 101 Dalmatians also tends to be one of Disney’s most underrated and sometimes forgotten, it is considered the rightful first step of putting Disney back on track, thus leading Disney to make more films.
Joe, I'm a designer and I love Peregoy's work but It is difficult to find his backgrounds for Dalmatians without the lines overlaid on top. What were your sources for the images without the lines? I'd love to be able to study just his paintings for the movie. Thanks!
Hey Phillip. The majority of my material for this review came from the documentary Redefining the Line: The Making of 101 Dalmatians. It was included with my DVD of the movie, but I know for a fact that if you search for the making of 101 Dalmatians, you can find it on RU-vid
Ah, good ol' 101 Dalmatians. Another one of those movies that I watched a lot as a kid for some reason, to the point that my mom actually dressed me up as a Dalmatian for Halloween when I was about 3 or 4. This movie really did clearly mark the transition from the Golden Age to the Silver Age. Although I'm not sure if I would rank this in my top 10 Disney films, I still enjoy watching it every now and again. Now that it's on Blu-Ray, I can revisit it for the first time in a while. By the way, you said next week's video would be The Sword in the Stone. Was this a mistake?
Ha, a mistake again. The pitfalls of doing final edits on minimal sleep. And it's funny, for some reason or another, this seems to be a recurring childhood movie for a lot of people
I'm a big Disney fan just like you but I know when they came out not the making of history but I love the making of I love all the Disney movies everyone today I'm in love with 101 Dalmatians and I read the original book it was interesting and also beauty and the beast saw the new one and cried.
Another Disney movie I watched often as a kid. Cruella De Vil is one of my favorite Disney villains of all time and one of the greatest. She's a pop culture icon with her personality, fashion sense, her villain song, everything about her is just iconic and memorable. In the live action movies, Glenn Close did a phenomenal job portraying her; it was as if she had jumped from the animated movie and into reality. Plus, I personally think she's rather sexy at times. I look forward to her getting her own movie, which, by the way, is being directed by Glenn Close herself, who should be playing her again in the movie, for the record.
Hey guys! Just wanted to clarify that next week will NOT be the Sword in the Stone review. I guess I was a little more tired than I thought I was making my final edits and just made a mistake, so tune in next week to find out what the actual episode is!
***** Yeah, the movie turns a bit after the Twilight Bark, and that's why I said that it felt a lot more like an action or adventure movie to me. And I probably couldnt get Macey to react like that on camera again if I tried, so that worked out well for me haha
Joe The Disney Guy Is that your dog? He's adorable. Anyways, Dalmatians is a good film. I'm not a huge fan of the Xerox era itself, ( mostly because of the large amount of reused animation) but this movie and The Jungle Book are my two favorites of this era. Excellent review.
It's actually my roommate's but me and her end up hanging out most of the time, so I've basically adopted her haha. And yeah, reused animation definitely becomes a theme, not so much here, but definitely in later ones
Especially in Robin Hood. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on that film. You catch on to nuances like that and they sort of get on your nerves.
Step aside Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine and Maleficent. Cruella's in town and this witch comes with a wicked theme song of her own! Why quibble over Lady and the Tramp vs 101 Dalmations? It's simply a universal truth that everyone loves talking dogs! BTW what's your doggie's name?
Exactly! And it's actually my roommate's dog, though I've basically adopted her at this point because we spend far too much time together haha. Her name is Macey
Ah yes, 101 Dalmatians. Looking back, I wouldn't say it's one of the greatest Disney movies ever, on a story and character level, but it was one of my most watched Disney movies as a kid. I think it was mainly because I just loved dogs (particularly since I always wanted a pet dog, but never could because of my mom's allergies), I enjoyed the music of the movie, and I found the side characters very entertaining, like with the Three Fairies from Sleeping Beauty. I still rather enjoy the side characters and music, but everything else, with maybe the exception of Cruella DeVil and the animation, is just "decent" to me. The story is "decent", the main characters are "decent", and the songs, as few as there are, are just "decent". I do like rewatching it every now and then, though.
Yeah, it was entertaining for me, but like I said, clearly a departure from the more classic films of the Golden Age. Good for what it's worth, but definitely that next tier of Disney movies
I for one, have a casual liking to One Hundred and One Dalmatians. First of all, I like how this project gets to be modern instead of fairy tales. I suppose this could be seen as a similarity to Lady and the Tramp, especially considering it stars dogs, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a modern project. Also, I find all 99 of the puppies cute, especially the ones with child voices. Even the puppies with adult voices have a little charm to them. Unfortunately, once I remember the terrible fate they could have suffered, this results in me outright hating Cruella DeVill. I can guess this is exactly how audiences are supposed to feel about her, but I can't help thinking that by wanting the puppies dead, Cruella DeVill was being cruel and unusual. It does not help that I do not take child deaths, real or fake, well. No one deserves to die a child, no one. With everything I like about this movie, Cruella DeVill ends up becoming a thorn in its side, so to speak.
101 Dalmatians didn't start the Silver Age. The Golden Age was Snow White to Bambi, then the War Era, then the Silver Age was Cinderella to Jungle Book.
I did´t really watch this movie a lot growing up. I remember the live action one a lot. I was thinking that one played out in the same world as Batman Returns I don´t know why, the settings just feels similar. Seeing how people react to Disney movies. It does seems like a simple story with a lot of good personalitie´s is what drives in people. I wonder how the 90´s and forward will look with how the people reseved them. I know people got cracy in Disney again. And again here, the fear for Disney that animation was getting less and less popular.
The original Cruella song was not "jazzed up" but replaced. Have you heard it? A bad song relative to the existing one, it paints Cruella as not totally enraptured with herself. Wrong for the film. PS *agreed re the clever credits!*
I love/like this film. It is, in a word, unique and popular. But on the other hand, this movie SUCKS. Honestly, I do and did like it ever since I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I see the whole truth. The puppies are fools, the good humans are boring, most of the moments are awful, the grown-up dogs are pointless, and the story, next to the writing, is not educational nor protective. And plus, what's with the fears of Cruella Deville? She's not scary. What is it that makes her scary? She doesn't have any muscles or powers or energetic strength. I'm pretty sure Rottweilers, Great Danes, Saint Bernards, and human bodybuilders can massacre her in a second. On the bright side, some parts of 101 Dalmatians are fine, the animation is brilliant, and Cruella is one of my favorite Disney villains. This movie is deceptively stupid. Although, as Nostalgia said, it's not horrible. Just not that engaging.
