101 Dalmatians [Signature Collection]

Overview

One of Disney's most popular and biggest box-office draws, the animated classic 101 Dalmations is a riotous adventure that chronicles the struggle of a canine couple to save their litter of pups from the machinations of villainess extraordinaire Cruella de Vil, who wants to steal the puppies' brightly spotted hides to make a new coat. The tale begins as lonely aspiring songwriter Roger takes his handsome Dalmatian Pongo out for a stroll. The two literally bump into and get entangled with Anita and her comely Dalmatian Perdita. Romantic sparks fly and soon Anita and Roger become man and wife as do their pooches. The trouble starts when Cruella, ever eager to make a fashion statement, sees Perdita's pups and gets a nasty brainstorm. At her request, her two bumbling thugs hijack the poochies and take them to Cruella's dark country estate. Beside themselves with grief, Pongo and Perdita learn of the puppies' whereabouts via the canine communications network and set out to find those puppies. Along the way, the pair are assisted by several other helpful critters. When they finally make it to Cruella's manse, the tired parents are surprised to find their brood intermingled with dozens of other Dalmatian puppies. Unable to bear the thought that any of the darlings will become coat fodder, Pongo and Perdi do the decent thing and take all the puppies home to safety. With the enraged Cruella and her henchmen in hot pursuit, the journey is far from easy.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/14/2020
UPC:	0786936866025
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	G
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:19:00
Sales rank:	316

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Betty Lou Gerson	Miss Birdwell
Cate Bauer	Perdita
Frederick Worlock	Voices,Horace
J. Pat O'Malley	Jasper/Miscellaneous Dogs
Tom Conway	Collic
Rod Taylor	Pongo
Ben Wright	Roger Radcliff,Actor
Lisa Davis	Voices
Martha Wentworth	Nani
George Pelling	Great Dane
Mickey Maga	Patch the Puppy
Barbara Beaird	Holly the Puppy
Queenie Leonard	Cows
Marjorie Bennett	Voices
Tudor Owen	Voices
Mimi Gibson	Voices
Sandra Abbott	Voices
Paul Wexler	Voices
Mary Wickes	Voices
Barbara Luddy	Voices
David Frankham	Voices
Ramsey Hill	Voices,Actor
Sylvia Marriott	Voices
Thurl Ravenscroft	Voices
Bill Lee	Voices
Max Smith	Voices
Bob Stevens	Voices
Helene Stanley	Voices
Donald Barclay	Voices
Dal McKennon	Voices
Jeanne Bruns	Voices,Composer
Lisa Daniels	Actor

Technical Credits

Bill Peet

Clyde Geronimi	Director
Hamilton S. Luske	Director,Director
Wolfgang Reitherman	Director
Bill Peet	Screenwriter
Walt Disney	Producer

Editorial Reviews

The sheer number of canine characters in the film is overwhelming, and the challenges they presented the animators were considerable. Fortunately, the Disney stable had by that time logged in decades of experience and was able to meet these challenges with aplomb. They also were old hands at adding character to their illustrations, with the result that the cast emerges visually as fully nuanced characters. The artists were enormously aided by a witty and delightful script, which knows just the right buttons to push -- from the "meet cute" opening to the suspenseful chase climax, in which the pace with which snow begins melting and falling creates a marvelous tension. The supreme creation of the film, however, is Cruella De Vil, an immortal villainess with an equally immortal theme song. She is perfection, from the startling angularity of her cheekbones to her cracked ice voice (courtesy of Betty Lou Gerson). Her callousness and selfishness are so absolute that she can't help but fascinate the audience, even as they root for her defeat. Although 101 Dalmations was the final full-length animated feature for directors Geronimi and Luske, Reithermann would go on to direct The Jungle Book, among others.