101 Dalmatians (1961) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: 101 Dalmations
Year: 1961
Director: Clyde Geronimi
Country: US
Language: English

 Disney animation went through a fundamental change in the 1960's. Due to the immense commercial failure of Sleeping Beauty the studio desperately needed to cut costs. Earlier films had everything painted by hand, but 101 Dalmatians went through a process called Xerograph, where everything was xeroxed onto the backgrounds. This meant the production process went faster, but appeared quite cheap. Can't blame them however; it was either this method or closing down animation all together.

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. 

Walt Disney himself is said to have complained about 101 Dalmatians scratchy look. The backgrounds are known to be sloppy, unfinished and messy. The muted colors and lack of distinct lines don't make anything about the animation pop. Items blend into each other, and colors extend past their border. Ultimately it's poor craftsmanship, especially since we know that the animators had more talent and, if allowed more budget, could have done a far greater job. 

The least musically adept of the Disney films (seriously, please name a song from 101 Dalmatians) the film makes up for it by having a good script, a great narrative, interesting characters (both human and animal) and terrifyingly real villain who wants to make a coat out of puppies. I enjoy that these dogs are not simply cute animals, but rational beings capable of thought and reason. They are taken far more seriously than say, the animals in Lady and the Tramp (1955) 

Not simply being marketed to children, 101 Dalmatians may not be the most memorable or the best animated but it does leave a charm on viewers and does have a rather interesting story. I don't really understand why the humans don't get right away that a lady named "Cruell a Devil" is not the best to bring home, but overall it's entertaining.