Back in 1961, Walt Disney got a little hip with 101 Dalmatians, making use of that flat Saturday morning cartoon style that had become so popular. The result is a kitschy change in animation and story. Pongo and Perdita are two lonely dalmatians who meet cute in a London park and arrange for their pet humans to marry so they can live together and raise a family. They become proud parents of 15 pups, who are stolen by the dastardly Cruella De Vil, who wants to make a fur coat out of them. Cruella has become the most popular villain in all of Disney; she's flamboyantly nasty and lots of fun. But it's the dalmatians who shine in this endearing classic, particularly those precocious pups. Telling the story from the dogs' point of view is a clever conceit, a fundamental flaw of the live-action remake. --Bill Desowitz

On the DVD
This two-disc platinum edition features great sound and incredibly bright, intense colors thanks to the restoration process, but its most impressive selling point is the huge assortment of bonus features designed to delight children, families, and the most serious Disney fans. Kids will have fun caring for their very own puppy in the virtual Dalmatian game for television or on DVD ROM and can find out just what kind of puppy they're most like and which human Disney character they're most compatible with in the puppy profiler game. The fun with language game is geared toward the very young preschooler and teaches numbers and the names of common household items. A modern Selena Gomez music video of "Cruella DeVil" will appeal to tweens and teens. The whole family will enjoy the "101 Pop Up Facts For Families" option which prints various movie facts like the name and author of the original book and how specific scenes differ between the book and the movie right on the screen during the movie and Disney fans will love the similar "101 Pop Up Facts For Fans" feature which supplies a wide variety of film trivia about featured voice talents, famous Disney animators that worked on the film, technical devices employed like multi-pane shots and the Xerox process, and which artists directed specific scenes in the movie. Eleven separate Backstage Disney featurettes interview a host of animators, writers, historians, producers, and story men regarding the film's contemporary feel and the groundbreaking technical processes like the then-new Xerox process utilized in making 101 Dalmatians. Also highlighted is Bill Pete's amazing storytelling contribution to the film, the technical and mechanical innovations of Ub Iwerks, the songwriting process, and the animation prowess of famous Disney animators like Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Ken Anderson, and Walt Peregoy. The 12-minute dramatization of the longstanding correspondence between author Dodie Smith and Walt Disney is intriguing and the trailers and radio and television spots provide fun historical reference for the film and its various releases. Finally, the "Music and More" feature presents a variety of deleted and abandoned songs as well as many alternate versions and takes of songs used in the final film. --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from 101 Dalmatians (click for larger image)

Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 03/04/2008 Run time: 79 minutes Rating: G

I used to watch this when I was a child and this movie took me way back to my early years! Color and sound are much better than I remembered. Great addition to my collection.

One of my favorites of all time. I love this story and its a great one for animation. The special edition here is worth it as well.

Walt Disney's "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is one of the best loved family films of all time, however, when lined up against greats like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Pinocchio", it is easy to see its shortcomings. Standing alone, it is a highly entertaining adventure that can be enjoyed by anyone and if released today, I believe it would create the same sensation it caused when it premiered in 1961.

The story revolves around two Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, and their owners, Roger and Anita, who occupy a modest flat in urban London. Not long after Perdita gives birth to a litter of fifteen puppies, they are abducted by the evil Cruella De Vil, an old schoolmate of Anita's who lusts for a coat made of Dalmatian puppy fur. While the humans mourn, Pongo and Perdita utilize the "Twilight Bark", a canine gossip chain, which leads them to Hell Hall, a deteriorating manor house in the English countryside where the puppies, along with eighty four others are being held captive by Cruella's bumbling assistants, Horace and Jasper. In order to save their children, Pongo and Perdita must seek help from an assortment of neighboring animal friends including Colonel, a sputtering Old Enlglish Sheepdog and a brave cat named Mr. Tibbs, but as time runs out and Cruella's suspisions intensify, the fate of the puppies grows more and more uncertain.

While this all sounds very thrilling, at times the story can be quite dull and uneventful. The entire first act drones along like an infomercial for Prozac and the animation, especially the scenes in Roger and Anita's flat, looks bland and too two-dimensional.

It isn't until the arrival of Cruella De Vil that the plot truly begins to boil. She is the saving grace of the picture and quite frankly, the sole reason to see it. With Betty Lou Gerson's smokey vocal stylings and animator Marc Davis's graceful hand and observant eye, they create one of the great screen villainesses of all time. It is much more than a performance - it is life on the screen.

This is a classic movie to add to any Disney collection. It is best to buy it now while it is out of the "vault" because otherwise the Disney movies are hard to find anywhere, including Amazon.com. My nephews enjoy this movie and want to watch it whenever they come over.

I bought this for my granddaughter's birthday and she laughs all the way through it. She calls it the doggies, she is two years old.