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Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 1961 film One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Story
This isn’t one of those movies I watched as a kid. I think I saw it as a teen and then again in my twenties. I’d forgotten most of the story and was pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure if this is the prototypical, “Pets return home” adventure movie, but it certainly has a lot of the tropes we’d see in later movies of the genre.
Very simple with a heartwarming community feel between the animals.
Score: 0.5
Characters
The puppies all have unique personalities even if I don’t know them. I’m sure with repeated watching, I’d be able to tell them appart.
Cruella seems mean and evil just for the fun of it. She’s beyond cartoony and I both like the simplicity and dislike the “single older woman is crazy/evil” trope.
I love the humans, they’re sweet and adorable pets.
I could have done without the fat jokes. “Fat kid’s always hungry” is a joke that needs to go away along with “fat kid can’t do anything effectively.” Arg.
Score: 0.5
Dialogue
Despite not having seen it a lot, I have often quoted the “my toes are froze” line. The midnight bark is iconic enough that I remember friends barking at each other from across fields. The movie is simple but very memorable in it’s dialogue.
Score: 1
Visuals and Music
This is one of those iconic animations that are just absolutely beautiful. Everything is clear and the animation is utterly beautiful. The backgrounds and snow especially.
The music is superb. It’s not a musical, but it will leave a song stuck in your head.
Score: 1
Fun
The movie is filled with pretty visuals and lots of cute puppies. The story moves extremely well for it’s time and the kids were glued to the screen. Fantastic to see that a sixty-year old movie can still have the same magic for kids as it did when it first came out.
I enjoyed it and wouldn’t be against watching it again.
2 year old’s review: “Me like it. Puppies in it.”
Score: 1
Overall
There are so many puppies in this movie that it’ll melt even a non-dog person’s heart. It’s exciting, adventurous, and despite some ableist language, it’s aged very well.
Fun, cute, and exciting.
Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5
