Movies - One Hundred and One Dalmatians

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	Movies - One Hundred and One Dalmatians

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (often shortened as 101 Dalmatians) is the seventeenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. It was produced by Walt Disney, and originally released to theaters on January 25, 1961 by Buena Vista Distribution. It is based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. It also appeared in 1961 as a Walt Disney comic book based on the animated film.

The film features Rod Taylor as the voice of Pongo, the first of the Dalmatians, and Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of the villainous Cruella De Vil. The plot centers on the fate of the kidnapped puppies of Pongo and Perdita.

History

Production

The film signaled a change in the graphic style of Disney's animation. This occurred with the introduction of Xerography which eased graphic reproduction requirements, but at the price of being unable to deviate from a scratchy outline style because of the technology's limitations. Although Walt Disney disliked this development, the look would be the norm for years until the technology improved by the time of the production of The Rescuers
to allow a softer look.

Re-release schedule and home video

The film was one of the studio's most popular films of the decade, and was re-issued in 1969, 1979, 1985, and 1991, the last re-issue being one of the top 10 films of the year at the box office in a year when the studio had few hits. The film was released on video in 1992 and 1998, and on DVD in 1999.

101 Dalmatians theatrical release history

January 25, 1961 (original release)
December 25, 1969
June 9, 1979
December 20, 1985
July 12, 1991

Characters

Pongo: The protagonist and the father of the Dalmatian puppies
Perdita: Pongo's mate and the mother of the Dalmatian puppies
Roger: Pongo's owner, a struggling songwriter
Anita: Perdita's owner and Roger's wife
Cruella De Vil: The villain of the film; an eccentric rich woman who has the puppies kidnapped, so that she can turn them into fur coats
Jasper and Horace Badun: Cruella's henchmen, who carry out the kidnapping
Nanny: Roger and Anita's maid
Patch and Lucky: Two of the 99 Dalmatian puppies. Patch has a black eye; Lucky is obsessed with TV
Roly: Another puppy, always hungry
The Colonel, the Captain, and Sargeant Tibbs: A dog, a horse, and a cat who help mastermind a rescue mission to save the puppies from Cruella

Plot

After Roger and Anita (and Pongo and Perdita) get married, Perdita gives birth to 15 Dalmatian puppies. Cruella De Vil, a friend of Anita from their school years, offers the human couple a large sum of money in return for the puppies so that she can make dog-skin coats out of them. The human couple refuses, but Cruella, who won't take no for an answer, hires Jasper and Horace Badun to kidnap the puppies. Once the puppies are kidnapped, it is up to Pongo and Perdita (with the help of some animal friends they meet along the way) to rescue them along with the 84 other puppies in Cruella's possession.

Trivia

Much as clownfish were later popularized in Finding Nemo
, the movie popularized the Dalmatian breed. Many families sought Dalmatians, although Dalmatians are not known for being particularly good with children (they are very high-energy and require a lot of exercise), so many were returned or abandoned. The breed also suffered due to backyard breeders looking to profit from the trend.

Cruella's car in this film was not a Panther De Ville Convertible. Although they look similar, the car was not produced until 12 years after the film's release.

Cruella De Vil's name is a play on words to sound like her personality: Cruel Devil.

When the Baduns are talking on the phone to Cruella, they are holding a newspaper. The only headline on the front page (minus the dognapping) is CARLSEN SPEAKS, and a picture of a capsized ship. This helps us to date the story, since the Carlsen in question is Kurt Carlsen, captain of the freighter Flying Enterprise, which sank after a prolonged struggle in the Atlantic. This was the media event of the year in 1952.

Cruella was designed as a manic take-off on the flamboyant actress Tallulah Bankhead
, as well as some of her personality quirks.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for One Hundred and One Dalmatians ]

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