One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Directed by

Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi

Written by

Bill Peet

Genre

drama film, fantasy film, comedy film, adventure film, musical film, crime film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 19m

Rated

G

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 6,703 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two Dalmatian dogs in London, Pongo and Perdita, have a litter of fifteen puppies. The cruel fashion-obsessed Cruella de Vil steals the puppies because she wants a spotted fur coat. The parents then set out on a rescue mission across the countryside and end up saving not just their own but dozens of other Dalmatians.

lightheartedfast-pacedwhimsicalplayfulsuspensefulfeel-goodfamily-friendlyearthy

What happens

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (also known as 101 Dalmatians) is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions with distribution by Buena Vista Distribution. Adapted from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, the film was directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wolfgang Reitherman in his feature-length directorial debut, from a script by Bill Peet. It features the voice talents of Rod Taylor, J. Pat O'Malley, Betty Lou Gerson, Martha Wentworth, Ben Wright, Cate Bauer, Dave Frankham, and Fred Worlock. The film's plot follows Pongo and Perdita, two London-based Dalmatians who give birth to a litter of fifteen puppies, who are later kidnapped by the obsessive socialite Cruella de Vil, wanting to make their fur into coats. Pongo and Perdita set out on a cross-country rescue mission to save the litter from the maniacal Cruella. They rescue 84 additional Dalmatians in the process, bringing the total to 101. One Hundred and One Dalmatians was released in theaters on January 25, 1961, to positive reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing $14 million domestically in its original theatrical run. It became the first animated feature to earn over $10 million during its initial release, and became the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year in the North American box office and the highest-grossing animated film when reissues of films are not counted. Aside from its box-office revenue, the employment of inexpensive animation techniques, such as using xerography during the process of inking and painting traditional animation cels, kept production costs down. Counting reissues, the film grossed $303 million worldwide, and when adjusted for inflation, is the twelfth-highest-grossing film in the North American box office and the second-highest-grossing animated film globally, as well as being the fifth-highest-selling animated film since 1959 at an estimate of over 199,800,000 sold tickets. The success of the film made Disney expand it into a media franchise, with a live-action remake released in 1996, followed by a sequel in 2000. A direct-to-video animated sequel to the 1961 film, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, was released in 2003. Two animated television series based on the franchise were also produced, with 101 Dalmatians: The Series in 1997 and 101 Dalmatian Street in 2019. A live-action reboot, Cruella, was released in 2021. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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