101 Dalmatians


Posted on Mar 7, 2008
By Julia Szabo

101 Dalmatians
 
Disney, 1961, 79 minutes - add this title to your Netflix queue
 
Available on Amazon.com
 
This movie is in the FetchDog Top 20
 
Just because a movie is animated doesn't mean it's strictly cute kid stuff. Need proof? Watch this sterling example of classic Disney animation artistry, which remains, 47 years after its original release, fresh, timeless, and yes, all-grown-up.
 
London bachelor Pongo, a Dalmatian, recounts the story of how he cleverly arranged the happy marriage of his "pet," songwriter Roger Radcliffe, to the lovely Anita - securing, in the process, his own happy marriage to Perdita, Anita's Dalmatian, who soon bears him a litter of 15. Into this eden storms the DeVil herself: Cruella, a vicious fashionista plotting to deprive the Pongos of their puppies - and the puppies of their pelts.
 
When the pups are dognapped one terrible night, Cruella manages to hoodwink Scotland Yard with an alibi - but the day is saved thanks to a chain of canine communication known as "The Twilight Bark." The dogs of London, replying to Pongo's frantic alarm, bark news of the crime in an "all-dog alert" that quickly spreads beyond city limits. (Caution: Don't watch this movie late at night, as my dogs responded to the Twilight Bark with enough urgency to wake the neighbors, if not the dead.)
 
Key canine players include a Great Dane, a Sealyham, a Scottie, an Afghan Hound, a Poodle, a Bloodhound, a very old Old English Sheepdog called The Colonel, a Collie, and a Black Lab. But perhaps the bravest dog of all is a cat named Sergeant Tibbs, who sacrifices several of his nine lives to spring the spotted pups and sneak them to safety.
 
The brilliant graphic design of the opening titles alone is worth the price of admission, and the just-released two-disc platinum edition features many scrumptious cookies, including correspondence between Walt Disney and Dodie Smith, author of the book that started it all. 


Presence of dogs: reelreelreelreel
Respect for dogs: reelreelreelreel
Canine star quality: reelreelreelreel
Family friendly: reelreelreelreel
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