101 Dalmatians (1961)
Much to the dismay of many hardcore Disney fans, and the studio itself, Sleeping Beauty turned out to be a commercial flop, which left the studio in debt, and contemplating closing it's animation department for good, and focus more on their numerous live action films and tv series, along with developing Disneyland further. So, on a wing and a prayer, they began production on 101 Dalmatians, based off the book of the same name. And, also began a new age for the studio which ushered in a new iconic art style heavily associated with the Disney name. An age, many fans refer to as the Xerox Age.
To save money on production, especially on the labor intensive task of painting millions of spots on animation cells of dogs, the studio invested in the new form of xeroxing multiples of the same image, to save time and money, along with the sanity of the animators. Leaving the look of the film with a rough, sketchy final product that would last until newer revolutions in animation came along for 1977's The Rescuers. And for the record, Disney himself despised the look!
Despite the cheapened look of the film, it went on to be a success, turning out to be one of the top grossing films of 1961. And heightened the popularity of Dalmatians themselves, as demand rose for the difficult to train dog breed.
Now, many fans count this as their favorite, and I must admit, it ranks pretty high for me. But I must say one thing, that is a bit of a confession in itself......... I am not a dog person, at all. However, Disney accomplished the task of making a movie almost entirely about canines that can charm the pants off of any movie goer. A feat in itself...
For those of you, living under a rock with no idea what this movie is about, it begins by telling the story of two dalmatians (Pongo and Perdie) who fall in love, as do their 'pet humans' (Roger and Anita), and go on to breed 15 dalmatian puppies. For whatever reason, Anita has managed to hold a friendship from childhood with a wretched individual with a penchant for fur coats named Cruella Deville, who comes up with the insane idea to steal the puppies so she can make herself a fur coat out of their skins......
Now a plot like that is enough to send any animal lover, let alone PETA themselves, off the deep end. Surely if this movie were to be released by today's politically correct ideals, their would be riots in the streets. Yet again, proving simpler times lead to the release of hundreds of movies falling through the proverbial PC cracks, can sometimes bypass all that nonsense and solidify itself as a 'classic.'
Now, most of the movie is purely about the dogs escaping the clutches of Cruella and traveling undetected through the English Countryside, culminating into a car chase at the end of the film. All in all, a simple plot for such a zany idea for a story. Luckily, the film holds up with a ton of charm, that made for a pleasant revisit in my opinion.
This movie also plays the age old tune of animals outsmarting humans. Which kind of became an ongoing theme for Disney during the 60s, as many animal focused live action films followed this animated one. But one thing still has yet to be answered for me....... What do I, as a starry-eyed adult, who desires morals and meaning from my nostalgic revisits to my childhood films get out of this film??
Well, it could be seen as a ode to dogs, much as Lady and the Tramp was. Or, as a testament to the intelligence of the protagonist dogs as they outsmart Cruella and escape her clutches..... OR, maybe it is what it is....... pure gimmicky fluff devised from a book that had all the makings of saving an animation studio from financial ruin, that has some charming animals in it that any audience would love. I'll leave that for you all to decide!
Next up is The Sword in the Stone! See you all next time!
P.S. For those of you curious...... there are EXACTLY 6,469,952 dog spots in this film...... the more you know!!
