One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Directors:

Clyde Geronimi
Hamilton Luske

Writers:

Bill Peet (story)
Dodie Smith (novel)

Release Date:

25 January 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Thriller

Tagline:

Walt Disney's new all-cartoon feature

Plot:

When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Plot Keywords:

Dalmatian | Puppy | Dog | Cat | Cartoon Dog

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rod Taylor	...	Pongo (voice)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Colonel / Jasper (voice)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Cruella De Vil / Miss Birdwell (voice)
Martha Wentworth	...	Nanny / Queenie / Lucy (voice)
Ben Wright	...	Roger (voice)
Cate Bauer	...	Perdita (voice)
David Frankham	...	Sgt. Tibs (voice) (as Dave Frankham)
Frederick Worlock	...	Horace / Inspector Craven (voice) (as Fred Worlock)
Lisa Davis	...	Anita (voice)
Tom Conway	...	Quizmaster / Collie (voice)
Tudor Owen	...	Towser (voice)
George Pelling	...	Danny (voice)
Ramsay Hill	...	Television Announcer / Labrador (voice)
Sylvia Marriott	...	(voice)
Queenie Leonard	...	Princess (voice)

Also Known As:

101 Dalmatians (USA) (alternative spelling)
Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | West Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Peru:PT | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G (re-rating) (1969)

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Several of the characters from Lady and the Tramp (1955) can be seen in a pet shop window during the twilight bark sequence.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Pongo and Perdita set off from London to Suffolk (north), but when dawn breaks we see them running left to right across the screen, with the dawn breaking in the background. Since dawn is in the southeast in England in the winter, this means they are running roughly southwest.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pongo: My story begins in London, not so very long ago. And yet so much has happened since then, that it seems more like an eternity.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Cruella De Vil

Loved The Artwork!

I liked this film mainly for its drawings. It was a departure from previous Disney animated films in that it had harder-edged drawings instead of the soft pastels. I found the detailed sketches of the building to be fascinating. I could actually watch this film with the sound off and just enjoy the artwork.

I actually saw this movie AFTER the 1996 live-action version with Glenn Close so I was familiar with the story. The only deviation was that there were more animals involved in the rescue of the puppies in the latter version.

The narration was very good in the beginning and film is okay, nothing super. It lags in a few parts, which is the only complaint I would have. It certainly is a nice story.