101 DALMATIANS SPECIAL EDITION

Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman Written by Bill Peet Based on a novel by Dodie Smith Starring: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, Cate Bauer, Lisa Daniels, Ben Wright DVD is released in the U.S. on March 3rd, 2008, retailed at Amazon.com for $15.99 DVD is released in the U.K. on March 4th 2008, retailed at Play.com at £14.99 Review by Ray DeRousse101 Dalmations effectively forms the bridge between the earlier, artfully-rendered animated fantasy films of Disney's first thirty years and the rougher, more stylized, and more realistic cartoons of the following thirty. Produced in 1961, the film reveals a playful, modern tone that is missing in most of Disney's back catalogue. THE FILM I hadn't seen the film since I was under ten years old, and in looking back I was shocked at how much I had forgotten. My most vivid memory of the film was the jagged, sketchy look of it; I remember not liking it, even as a small child. After seeing it again, I still don't care for it. The unvarnished drawings, rendered with a pioneering use of Xerox machines, make for a distracting viewing experience. It's a little like watching one of those wobbling, always-in-motion Bill Plimpton cartoons, except with Disney's impeccable flair for character movement. The general art direction of the film suggests some sort of cross between Parisian architecture and Picasso ... which is fine, except that the film takes place in London. With very few songs and little visual appeal, the movie leans heavily on characterization. Fortunately, the film triumphs in this department. Cruella De Vil, one of cinema's greatest villains, is masterfully written, animated, and voiced. In revisiting the film, I was actually surprised at the amount of implied violence and cruelty in this children's film from Disney. Let's face it: Cruella wants to kill and skin puppies. She smokes. She runs people off the road with her giant car. She looks like a zombie. In short, she's absolutely abhorrent, and therefore perfect. Matching this is a decidedly more adult love story. Again, I found myself taken aback by the maturity of the love between Pongo and Perdita, which easily trumps the sillier, cliched love stories of films like Lady and the Tramp. This reflects the mood of the film itself, which is much more realistic and timely. While I still think the look of the film itself is much less appealing than some of Disney's greatest hits (can anything top Bambi, seriously??), the film still retains its power to captivate even after 40 years. TECHNICAL C'mon ... it's Disney. The film has been given a beautiful restoration that perfectly enhances the vivid, bold strokes of the original art. The sound transfer is top-notch and thoughtfully arranged. This is technically a wonderful way to display the strengths of this film. Additionally, I loved how well the disc and packaging designers managed to replicate the awesome opening credits and look of the film in the menu options. Very clever and fun. It also helps to have all of those dalmation puppies running around. EXTRAS For people over ten years of age, the second disc has a magnificent making-of documentary entitled Redefining The Line. In it, we learn about some of the risks that Disney took with this film. It goes into careful detail about the Xerox process virtually invented for this film, which gave it the sketchy look I despised for so many years - one that Walt himself hated. It also provides some fascinating details about the mind-bogglingly talented artists that toiled in virtual anonymity at the drawing tables and painting boards inside Disney's sweatshops. Any fan of traditional animation should watch this crucial documentary about an inventive time in the history of Disney filmmaking. Beyond that, the extras are a bit thin. There is a short feature about the inspiration of Cruella DeVil, a few outtakes fleshed out with storyboards, and some deleted musical selections. OVERALL The film is a good one for little kids, who will love the wonderfully-rendered puppies. The transfer is impeccable, so if you want this in your collection, now is the time to get it. It's by far not my favorite Disney film, but it is still strong thanks to an exceptional villain and a nice dose of mature romantic love. If only Walt had kept the ink and paint department around for just one more feature ... this movie would be perfect.