Customer Reviews
Dark Disney with happy ending - By: cabin reader, 27 Aug 2008 
Great animation, characterization, sound, & imagery rulein "101 Dalmations." It's action, excitement & love, but with a dark theme that's a bit scary.
Restoration and Perfection - By: Matthew Wilson, 20 Jun 2008 
Being one of my favourite Disney animated movies, I just couldn't resist buying it, & the restoration of colour is perfect! It is a brilliantly original movie, where Cruella De Vil attempyts to kidnap 99 dalmatian puppies, to turn into a fur coat. Along with the help of the dogs of London town & their animal friends, Pongo & Perdita save their 15 puppies & bring them home safely. It is truly one of the best Disney movies! While all modern Disney movies arein connection with Pixar animation or are live-action, it is always nice to keep the classics. Buy it now & don't be dissappointed. We never know when these movies will be put backin the vaults & brought out again.
GET IT TODAY!
Seeing Spots Can Be Fun - By: Mark Baker, 07 Mar 2008 Life is lonely for bachelor Pongo (Rod Taylor) & his pet Roger (Ben Wright). Roger is a composer living alonein London except for his faithful Dalmatian companion. That changes when Roger meets Anita (Lisa Davis) who just happens to own Dalmatian Perdita (Cate Bauer). Soon the two couples are married & the dogs are expecting puppies.
But all is not rosy. Anita's childhood friend Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson) has decided a spotted fur coat is the must have fashion statement of the season. When Roger refuses to sell the puppies, she decides to steal them. Soon, Pongo & Perdita are on an all out rescue mission. Can they find their puppiesin time?
This movie expertly balances the fine line between comedy & suspense for kids. There are some wonderfully funny scenes earlyin the film as we get to know the characters. Even Cruella's early scenes are more funny then scary. It's only as the film develops that the suspense builds. Heck, even rewatching the film, I get caught upin the climatic scene & can't take my eyes off the screen.
Much of the success of this film is due to Cruella. She is a memorable character, & everything meshes perfectly to make her work right.
This film represented a style change for Disney animation with the invention of the Xerox process. Frankly, I prefer the softer styles of their earlier & later films, but that's only a minor distraction.
Fans of the film will love the new two disc set. The film has been restored & certainly looks & sounds great. The first disc also features two different pop up trivia tracks with some fun bits of information. Disc two contains some games for kids & plenty of behind the scenes stuff for fans. There are several deleted songs. I found the correspondence between the author of the original book & Walt Disney fascinating. And the new 30 minute documentary told me all kinds of new (to me) behind the scenes information about the making of this film.
This new release is worth adding to your Disney collection. It will entertain you & your family for years to come.
The special features make it even more entertaining. - By: Robert Morris, 04 Mar 2008 Note: This review is of the most recently issued (2008) version.
I find it difficult to believe that it has been 47 years since this film first appeared. (I also find it difficult to believe that I now have ten grandchildren with whom to watch it.) Credit the Disney organization with providing with this latest restored version a generous selection of bonus features that substantially increase the pleasure of seeing this classic film once again. They include a DVD-ROM of a "Virtual Dalmatians Game," "Op-Up Trivia Facts," & "The Making of One Hundred & One Dalmations," & correspondence between "Sincerely yours, Walt Disney" & Dodie Smith, author of the novel on which the film is based.
The basic plot involves two lonely dalmatians (Pongo & Perdita) who meetin a London park & whose owners then meet & marry. Over time, the dalmatians become parents of 15 puppies who are stolen by Cruella De Vil who is determined to make a fur coat out of their skins. That doesn't happen, of course, but younger children get all caught upin efforts to rescue the puppies (at least when viewing the film for the first time) just as they do when hoping that Pinocchio will be reunited with Gepetto, that Snow White will awaken from her deep sleep, & that Belle & the Beast will live happily ever after. In the best of Disney's animated features, there always seems to be a subtext of menace & this film is no exception. When observing Cruella De Vil's behavior, many of thosein my generation will be reminded of Gloria Swanson's portrayal of Norma Desmondin Sunset Boulevard. In terms of quality of its story, art, & music, 101 Dalmatians deserves to be ranked among Disney's finest animated films. The special features offer an exceptional "bonus."
My only concern, frankly, is that once again, many adults who are charmed by the Dalmatian puppies will decide -- or feel great pressure from children -- to purchase one. They would be well-advised to learn all about the breed first. Perhaps the next time around, Disney could add a special feature that provides such information. Just a thought....
101 Dalmations - By: Roonaldhnio, 09 Feb 2008 This is one of the best Disney films ever made & is an absolute classic. It has action, suspense & comedy & have brilliant characters like Cruella DeVil, Horace & Jasper & of course the Dalmations, allin all a very good film.
