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One Hundred and One Dalmatians

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This article is about the animated film. See The Hundred and One Dalmatians for the original novel. For the 1996 live-action film, see 101 Dalmatians.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Directed byClyde Geronimi
Hamilton Luske
Wolfgang Reitherman
Written byDodie Smith (novel "The One Hundred and One Dalmatians")
Bill Peet (story)
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringRod Taylor
Cate Bauer
Betty Lou Gerson
Ben Wright
Lisa Davis
Martha Wentworth
Frederick Worlock
J. Pat O'Malley
Tudor Owen
Tom Conway
George Pelling
Thurl Ravenscroft
David Frankham
Ramsay Hill
Queenie Leonard
Marjorie Bennett
Barbara Baird
Mickey Maga
Sandra Abbott
Mimi Gibson
Barbara Luddy
Paul Frees
Music byGeorge Bruns
Mel Leven (songs)
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release dates
January 25, 1961
Running time
78 min.
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4,000,000 USD (estimated)

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians) is the seventeenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. It was made and produced by Walt Disney Productions, and it was 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 production of 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 new (and time and money saving) technology's limitations, recognizable by its thick black lines. Since the line would not have fit the "round" Disney drawing style used until then, a more graphic, angular style was chosen for this, and subsequent film. Rotoscoping, a technique formerly used for tracing live action human characters into animated drawings, became less important.

The technology change also happened when Disney cut its animation department after the economical failure of the very expensive Sleeping Beauty, resulting in a reduction of staff from well over 500 to less than 100 and fewer resources put into the movies. Walt Disney, who at this point had started to direct his attention more towards television and his amusement park and less on his animated features, disliked this development. The current look of animation would therefore be the norm for years until the technology improved prior to the release of The Rescuers to allow a softer look. In later animated features the Xeroxed lines could be printed in many different colors.

Re-release schedule and home video

The film was the highest grossing film of 1961 and 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 1985 (using 1983 WDHV logo), 1992 (using 1988 Classics logo; it was also the first movie to have a new "Feature Presentation" graphic, with a lilac blue gradient background and white handwriting) and March 9, 1999 (using 1993 WDHV logo), and on DVD on November 9, 1999 as part of Disney's Limited Issue series. A Platinum Edition DVD release was originally scheduled for March 2007, but it was unexpectedly replaced by Peter Pan, as revealed from the Platinum Edition DVD of The Little Mermaid. [1] It is most likely postponed to March 2008, as the October 2007 time slot has been occupied by The Jungle Book.

101 Dalmatians theatrical release history

Worldwide release dates

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 and 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 in order to turn them into fur coats
  • Jasper and Horace Badun: Cruella's henchmen who carry out the kidnapping. Jasper is tall and thin, while Horace is short and fat.
  • 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
  • Cadpig: In the book and TV series, she is the runt dalmatian who nearly dies immediately after being born. In the film, however, Cadpig's role is played by Lucky. He is given the name "Lucky" because of being able to be revived.
  • Rolly: Another puppy; always hungry
  • Freckles: Another puppy; very cute
  • The Colonel, the Captain, and Sergeant Tibbs: A dog, a horse, and a cat who help mastermind a rescue mission to save the puppies from Cruella

Voice cast

File:Movies cruella.jpg
Cruella DeVil, Jasper, and Horace.

Directing Animators

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, along 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.

Sequels and Spinoffs

File:101dvdcover.jpg
1999 DVD cover of 101 Dalmatians.

101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure is sequel released on January 21, 2003.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was remade in 1996 as 101 Dalmatians, a live-action film starring Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil. None of the animals talked in this version.

102 Dalmatians is a live-action sequel to 101 Dalmatians was released on November 22, 2000.

101 Dalmatians: The Series is a cartoon television show series based on the original 101 Dalmatians film.

The Starlight Barking is the sequel written by author Dodie Smith.

Title in different languages

Trivia

  • Much as clownfish were later popularized in Finding Nemo, One Hundred and One Dalmatians 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), many were returned or abandoned. [2] The breed also suffered due to backyard breeders looking to profit from the trend. [3]
  • 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 headline helps us to date the story: since the Carlsen in question is Henrik Kurt Carlsen, captain of the freighter Flying Enterprise that sank after a prolonged struggle in the Atlantic. The sinking of the freighter was the media event of the year in January 1952.
  • Cruella's design was a manic take-off on the flamboyant actress Tallulah Bankhead that included some of her personality quirks.
  • When Pongo and Perdita arrive to rescue the puppies, the puppies can be seen watching What's My Crime?, a parody version of What's My Line? on television.
  • Two of the local yokels of Westport from the Disney short The Saga of Windwagon Smith, which was released the same year as this film, resemble the Baduns.
  • Unlike many other Walt Disney animated features, One Hundred and One Dalmatians only features one song in it, "Cruella De Vil." But even this song isn't sung to its entirety. The only other one that comes close is Dalmatian Plantation, which only contains two lines and is sung as a closer.
  • In the Squaresoft game Kingdom Hearts, the Dalmatians' world has been destroyed; consequently, Pongo and Perdita are, at first, the only residents in the mansion where they stay in Traverse Town. The puppies are trapped inside treasure chest scattered throughout the worlds. Every time a player rescues a bunch of puppies, Pongo and Perdita give rewards to the player.
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