One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

*spoilers ahead* This is a very heartwarming family tale. It tells of a dalmatian who wants to find a mate. Then eventually, they have puppies. What a nice love story, right? No. An evil queen comes along and takes the puppies without consent, even though they want to keep them. She almost takes their fur but they go through tremendous trouble with their parents to go home, but not just the puppies, they decide to bring all the other puppies along.

Still sitting amidst the height of Disney's animation, this film about a puppy mill to make fur coats for an evil woman is quite startling. Cruella DeVille is the villain (I used to joke about her saying how could she have lived anything but an evil life with a name like that). She of the chiseled cheeks and cigarette holder, with that cackle. What we have is an effort by the good guys to overcome the machinations of the bad guys to rescue all those dogs. The story's strength is in outwitting fools. It's always been interesting how bad people in film hire some of the biggest idiots on the planet to work for them. This is the case once again as those two bozos hatch their plans. Since events are entirely predictable, we need only look to the excellence of the animation and the soundtrack to really enjoy this film.

If there's any classic Disney movie that's less likely to be forgotten because of the modern Disney movies, this would be one of them. Part of the reason may be the live action version and its upcoming sequel. Skip those remakes and watch the real deal. The other part of the reason is because this movie is just so charming. Cruella De Vil is one of the more memorable Disney villains ever made. Romance abounds in this movie, and don't forget those adorable puppies. This may not have the animation or the big fancy songs of the moderns, but all that fanciness usually distracts from the story. Classic Disney always rocks, and this is no exception. 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.

One Hundred and One Dalmations (1961) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Delightful Disney classic has the evil Cruella De Vil trying to steal ninety-nine Dalmatian pups so that she can turn them into a lavish fur coat.It's funny but ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIONS is a film that I never really cared too much for as a kid but seeing it for the first time in probably fifteen years certainly made a world of difference because I never realized how fun and how extremely dark the film was. As far as characters there's no question that the film offers some of the most memorable in any Disney movie. This includes the two Dalmatian dogs and their fifteen pups as well as the two humans and of course there's the wonderful villain. All of these characters are given their own delightful personalities and it's rather amazing to see how much character they actually have.Another major plus is of course the animation, which is excellent as you'd expect. Add in a good tune and there are all sorts of wonderful elements here. Heck, I mentioned how great the main characters were but even the supporting characters are extremely entertaining. Another thing that the film has going for it is how dark it actually is. I mean, the plot involves cute little puppies being killed and skinned. You can't get much darker than that.ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIONS has wonderful characters and plenty of nice laughs making it a classic.