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DVD Review: 101 Dalmatians

When I watched 101 Dalmatians the other night, I wasn't sure what I'd get. I vaguely recalled liking the movie (and Saturday morning cartoon) as a kid and thinking Cruella was creepy, but that's really all I remembered. (Well, I also remembered Lucky was my favorite puppy, but damned if I knew why or which one he was.)

What I forgot was what made the animated feature a classic in the first place. The story revolves around Pongo and his "pet" Roger's bachelor lifestyle suddenly being changed by the arrival of two female companions. Pongo and Perdita find themselves about to have puppies, and Roger and Anita are constantly bugged by Cruella De Vil as to the price of the future pups. Not wanting to sell them to an obviously evil woman, Roger denies Cruella, and not used to being told no, Cruella devises a plan to dognap the puppies to turn them into a dalmatian puppy coat.

The rest of the film centers around Pongo, Perdita and various other dogs and animals attempting to rescue the puppies from the cruel fate. Much like the more modern Pixar movies, 101 Dalmatians was early in showing us a film focusing on a side of life that we humans don't understand or participate in: the life and culture of dogs. Each of the named dogs and animals in 101 has a distinct personality, and watching the special features with the animators explaining how they created some of these is a great way to see the level of detail that goes into designing a "kids'" movie.

Of course, while the story and characters of 101 are memorable, what really makes this stand out from a film point of view are two things. First, this is the first Disney animated feature to not be adapted from a fairy tale, and arguably the first that wasn't heavily reliant on what we now call "Disney songs." The other first was the fact that 101 is the first Disney feature to use Xerox copying for the cells and line art rather than full hand-drawn images. Disney was looking for a way to make a film cheaper, so the long-standard use of copying the images used in backgrounds and settings was created. Knowing their limits, the cartoonists did a great job of designing the world of 101 around these thick black lines, giving the film a unique look even to this day.

The special features do reveal a sad tale of Disney art director Ken Anderson in regards to this new style of cartoon. Despite the critical success and legendary status of 101 Dalmatians, Disney absolutely hated the new art style, and didn't forgive him for the "poor look" of the film until just before his death in 1993.

Despite the sobering reminder that Disney the company is far different from Disney the cartoons, 101 Dalmatians lets us forget that. With special features offering a look back at how the film was made and how Anderson and others came about pioneering the Xerox method, as well as looks at letters exchanged with the book's original author and Walt himself, it's easy to get caught up in the sheer joy that was working on 101 Dalmatians. The people behind the scenes obviously enjoyed themselves if these special features are any indication, as have the generations of children and adults watching the movie since then.

It may not be as cool to watch 101 Dalmatians as it is to play BioShock or Portal, but do yourself a favor and relive your childhood. There's a reason 101 became a classic, and will become one again for the DVD generation.

CONTENT - 5/5

Sure it's short compared to today's longer movies, but there's a reason 101 Dalmatians became a classic. It's a story people of all ages can enjoy, and you can't go wrong with the Disney features that take the emphasis off song and place it on character.

VIDEO - 3.5/5

Despite boasting new digital transfer, it's almost impossible to detect on a normal, non-HD TV. For the majority of viewers still stuck with an SDTV, it will look the same as it did when it originally came out. The art is fantastic, but you can't help but notice how dated it looks.

AUDIO - 3.5/5

Only two songs in a Disney movie!? Despite that, 101 contains one of the most well-known Disney songs of all, "Cruella De Vil." Factor that in with some great voice work (even if some dogs sound a lot worse than I remembered) and you've got some nice audio. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of today's technical performances, though.

EXTRAS - 5/5

For the art crowd out there, this is by far the most special features I've ever seen dedicated to a style of line art. It's amazing seeing the work that goes into a children's movie, and the interview clips from the people involved really paint a new light on the feature. Unfortunately we get a current music video of someone covering Cruella De Vil, so just skip that.

REPLAY - 3.5/5

If you've got kids or younger children in the house, you can watch this (and probably will have to watch this) over and over again. For those who grew up with this movie or saw it when we were young, it's a nice reminder of simpler times, but it's not something you'll want to watch regularly.

OVERALL - 4.5/5

It may not be the technical mastermind today it was when it first came out, but 101 Dalmatians remains one of the few Disney classics men enjoy just as much as women. There's no princess, there's no sappy love songs, and there's no cutesy fairy tale feeling. What we have is the first of the animated movies that led to the likes of Pixar's Toy Story decades later, and a reminder of how great Disney once was.

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