Spoilers
One of the most important movies in animation history is this cleverly stylish animated movie, Disney's original version of One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It is that rare breed of cartoon--one that is both intimately dramatic and miraculously funny without having both clash against each other.
Even as Disney's magical touch was slowing fading, One Hundred and One Dalmatians was proof that the company still knew how to make things click. They went on to produce only one more great, The Jungle Book, before the 60s became the 70s, but this feature remains one of their best ever produced.
The movie begins on an interesting note. It starts off with us being inside the head of the main character Pongo, Roger's dog. This isn't done in a way that shows thought. Rather, it is done in way that's practically first person narrative, as if the character was opening the story for us. Right off the bat, the movie hints at the strength of story to follow. One Hundred and Dalmatians contains some of the strongest scripting ever seen in an animated movie. It is, in essence, a romance novel with a detective twist.
Disney could've stopped there and given us simply a good movie. Naturally, they didn't. No detail was overlooked. Quite a few seem surprisingly unlike Disney, such as the inclusion of the scene where one of the puppies was born without a breath and had to have his heart revived. Such an attention to drama would probably get frowned upon by today's Disney.
For such a dramatic story, Disney needed stronger than normal characters. The usual kind just wouldn't do. Thankfully, the characters are wonderfully realized and caricatured enough to appeal to both kids and adults. You won't find dopey sidekicks here. Roger is a colorful character. He is at once awkward and a pillar of strength. Yet it is the animals that take the cake. Without becoming the typical comic reliefs, they provide ample laughs. Pongo and Perdita and all the puppies, meanwhile, provide the breathtaking drama as they take us on a delicate dance of death with the wicked Cruella that doesn't stop until the movie is almost over. Their scenes are often the most inspired. And what would the movie be without Cruella herself? Disney made sure that she was as over-the-top and fiery as possible. She is truly one of Disney's best characters. Without her, the climax in which she crashes her vehicle and completely loses it wouldn't seem so memorable.
Unlike today's Disney, the songs in this movie are forgettable. Yet one piece, "Cruella De Vil", is an outstanding piece of work. It is low key yet vibrant, and unlike in today's Disney, it is not an overblown extravaganza that sticks out among the movie's continuity. In fact, the song couldn't be more seamlessly integrated.
Finally, the movie wouldn't be what it is without its unusual animation. In stark contrast to the vibrant realism of Lady and the Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians features sharp angles, dark lines, and a bleak world of white-on-black-on-gray schemes. In addition to cutting costs and saving time on replicating all those black spots, this animation technique perfectly compliments the movie's comic book and graphic nature. One also has to wonder how they got all those angles to flow so smoothly in a way that not even the best of anime can duplicate.
While this movie might not be on
everybody's lips considering everybody's love affair with computer graphics
and flashy animation these days, I consider this movie to be an important part
of animation history and certainly one of the best animated movies I've seen.
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