8 Overlooked Animated Disney Films That Are Better Than You Think

6. 101 Dalmatians

Coming when Disney Animation was at its absolute height, 101 Dalmatians is consistently fondly remembered, but quiz people on what€™s memorable about it beyond Cruella De Ville and the cute puppies and they have very little to say (which is not helped by the Glenn Close fronted live-action remake). It€™s a film where its existence has just been accepted then brushed over when it actually stands as one of Disney€™s best.

As the first Disney to use the much cheaper Xerox process (on the audience's end leading to sketchier drawings), there€™s the early stages of a development towards to cheaper production values that would later hurt the company's reputation, but here it doesn€™t hamper the film. There€™s a distinct, slightly rough-around the-edges design that lends a realistic sheen to the representation of both London and the English countryside.

In fact, it's clear right from the start, with an opening sequence that walks the audience through the filmmaking process, that the studio (which was almost bankrupted by Sleeping Beauty two years earlier) is going all in on authenticity.

There€™s an explanation for real-world occurrences within the story - dogs barking at night is actually a mass-communication network - an approach that has been subsequently mastered by Pixar, while the simplistic plot is bolstered by the film€™s readiness to not shy away from the ever-looming threat of death. And, of course, Cruella€™s a menacing, almost inhuman villain and the puppies are really cute.