Today we get to talk about a real Disney classic in 101 Dalmatians! It is crazy to think that this was released all the way back in the early 60s! While this is fondly remembered and loved to this day. 101 Dalmatians was actually a huge deal for Disney as it was a massive hit when they really needed one.
How to Download 101 Dalmatians (1961)
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also the 1996 live-action version of this classic.
The Movie Review
Before I get to the main details of what this is all about. I want to talk about an aspect of 101 Dalmatians that I never picked up on when I watched it as a kid and that was the romance. I love the start of the movie where we see Rodger and his Dalmatian, Pongo who both realize that they need to find a special lady.
This leads Pongo to drag Rodger to the park where they meet Anita and her Dalmatian, Perdita. They fall in love and have pups…. The dogs have pups I mean not Rodger and Anita. They end up having a huge litter of pups, 15 to be exact and they are super cute. I have to say that the animation on the pups is fantastic and helps give them a ton of personality.
This leads to the evil, crazy, but also awesomely fun, Cruella de Vil showing up and demanding that they sell her the puppies. You see, Cruella is obsessed with fur and fashion and wants to use these pups to make a coat. Rodger refuses and crazy Cruella storms out, furious and ready for revenge as she is not used to being told no.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians | On Digital & Blu-ray 9/24
Cruella sends her goons all around London to get any Dalmatian puppies they can find, they manage to get 84 of them and that is still not enough so they steal Pongo and Perdita’s pups! This leads to Pongo and Perdita (with a couple of fun friends) trying to get the puppies back before they are turned into a coat.
101 Dalmatians is such a fun movie, it is one that I loved as a kid and a movie that I enjoyed sharing with my son when he was younger. I think that it holds up very well to this day and is a good blend of humor, action, peril, and, as I have come to appreciate in my more older and sentimental years, romance!
I also find the whole backstory of 101 Dalmatians interesting with how Sleeping Beauty cost way too much money to make so Disney managed to make this one much cheaper which in turn led to it making them a ton more money. It truly was the right movie at the right time for Mickey and his pals!
In all, 101 Dalmatians is a fantastic movie and one that I think is well worthy of the term, Disney Classic. It is not only an important movie from a Disney historical point of view, but it is also a very good and entertaining movie. Also, this is the movie that gave us Cruella de Vil who has to be regarded as one of the elite Disney villains.
