Welcome to the Galactic Theater, where we'll explore the works of master manipulators of light waves, examine the themes brought to play, and critique the final products of months of hard work.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
Movie adaptations of novels are nothing new. Some books have been made into movies countless times. It's the quality of the movies that sets them apart from the rest. One thing you can count on: Disney will always turn out quality animated movies, and 101 Dalmations is no exception.
You might think that, being an animated movie, it's just for kids. You might think that there can't possibly be any quality acting going on since the characters are just drawings brought to life with details and colors. Well, you'd be wrong. Sure, it might qualify as a "cartoon", but that doesn't mean the voice cast can be any less professional. They provide the characters with real emotion that precisely suits the characters and the scenes. You can feel how Pongo feels about some of the female dogs he sees, and you can likewise feel how lackadaisacal Roger--Pongo's human pet--is when it comes to exploring the...er...wonders of the park. Cruella de Vil's rage comes out very clearly, as well as the desperation of the Pongos and the puppies.
Now about the animation: it's quite fine, although the quality of Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959) seems better. Of course, I think both of those movies have been remastered, or refurbished, or whatever the right word is. Some parts in the movie are quite clear and well-defined. Other sections seem awfully grainy. The scene that seems especially notable for this is during the final chase scene, when Cruella drives her car under the snow and back onto the road. There's a strange unfinished quality to those particular frames that I can't quite explain. There are also scenes involving the puppies that are, unfortunately, obvious in what I'd call as a copy-and-paste technique. You know how editors cut-and-paste articles and pictures until the layout is perfect? Well, this seems to be something like, but with the animators copying certain sections and just pasting them down. Naturally, when you're dealing with detailed drawings of 99 Dalmatian puppies shotcuts are expected. It wouldn't be too bad if it weren't so obvious.
There's not much you can do to make a black-and-white color scheme work, but Disney's animators do a great job of it. The story takes place around Christmas time, which means snow on the ground and in the trees. Much of the story takes place at night, too, which reduces the need for vibrant colors. But even so, the darker shades still make for great visual detail. The reds and oranges of the room at Hell Hall was highly effective at making Pongo and Perdita look like hounds straight out of hell...although their spots sort of diminished the effect. On the other hand, their spots were just about the only thing that might possibly be seen in a snowstorm, which made that scene highly effective.
The best scene of all would have to be when the puppies are sneaking into the moving van, all covered with soot. It's amazing that neither Cruella nor the Badduns noticed that there were sooooooooooooooooo many puppies crossing the street. After all, they were looking for 99 Dalmatian puppies, so surely seeing bunch after bunch of black puppies would make them suspicious? But enough of that. The best part is when the melt from the icicles started changing the Dalmatians into reverse images: instead of white dogs with black spots, they became black dogs with white spots! Inspired! Of course, a similar scene appears in the book, so Disney can't take all the credit for it. Still...
A few last comments about the adaptation. Disney unfortunately decided to drop a number of scenes key to the book's advancement of plot and weeded out several characters that made the book that much more interesting. Pongo's wife, Perdita, was actuall "Missis" in the book; Perdita was the liver-spotted Dalmatian that Mrs. Dearly found while searching for a...er...milk-mother for the pups. The two Nannies, Butler and Cook, became just one Nanny, Mr. de Vil and the white Persian cat disappeared entirely, along with the Splendid Vet, Sir Charles, the old Spaniel, Master Tommy, and a few others. One the opposite side, they did add in the Captain to the Colonel and the Sergeant. That made for some intersting kicks (pun intended).
I can't say much more about the movie, except that I enjoy it every time I watch it. I especially like trying to keep up with Roger as he--with Nanny's and Anita's assistance--attempts to count the puppies. I'm somewhat good with numbers, and Roger always gets his addition right! Naturally, of course, but again the voice actors make it seem like there's a great chance for miscalculation. Just watch it and see.
You can purchase 101 Dalmatians on videotape at just about any video store and, since it's a presentation of Walt Disney Pictures, any Disney Store as well.
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the link to order the VHS version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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