101 Dalmatians (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)

On the DVD
This two-disc platinum edition features great sound and incredibly bright, intense colors thanks to the restoration process, but its most impressive selling point is the huge assortment of bonus features designed to delight children, families, and the most serious Disney fans. Kids will have fun caring for their very own puppy in the virtual Dalmatian game for television or on DVD ROM and can find out just what kind of puppy they're most like and which human Disney character they're most compatible with in the puppy profiler game. The fun with language game is geared toward the very young preschooler and teaches numbers and the names of common household items. A modern Selena Gomez music video of "Cruella DeVil" will appeal to tweens and teens. The whole family will enjoy the "101 Pop Up Facts For Families" option which prints various movie facts like the name and author of the original book and how specific scenes differ between the book and the movie right on the screen during the movie and Disney fans will love the similar "101 Pop Up Facts For Fans" feature which supplies a wide variety of film trivia about featured voice talents, famous Disney animators that worked on the film, technical devices employed like multi-pane shots and the Xerox process, and which artists directed specific scenes in the movie. Eleven separate Backstage Disney featurettes interview a host of animators, writers, historians, producers, and story men regarding the film's contemporary feel and the groundbreaking technical processes like the then-new Xerox process utilized in making 101 Dalmatians. Also highlighted is Bill Pete's amazing storytelling contribution to the film, the technical and mechanical innovations of Ub Iwerks, the songwriting process, and the animation prowess of famous Disney animators like Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Ken Anderson, and Walt Peregoy. The 12-minute dramatization of the longstanding correspondence between author Dodie Smith and Walt Disney is intriguing and the trailers and radio and television spots provide fun historical reference for the film and its various releases. Finally, the "Music and More" feature presents a variety of deleted and abandoned songs as well as many alternate versions and takes of songs used in the final film. --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from 101 Dalmatians (click for larger image)

Never really up there when people consider the best Disney animated features - Jungle Book, Snow White etc. usually take the acclaim - I think it is one of the finest and more subtle of the Disney movies.

The story is wonderful and well adapted for a wider audience. Cruella is evil personified and there are great comic moments - slapstick for the kids and cunning wordplay for the adults.

Some of the animation is not of the highest quality - check out some of the snow scenes and they don't quite ring true. But overall the movie has a endearing tone and feel.

One major criticism, as with nearly all Disney and Beuna Vista DVDs, is that there are no good extras. What is the point of this excellent new format if idiots in huge companies don't use it to its full potential?


Disney unleashes the hounds!!   November 15, 2007
Mohd Jafar (Hyderabad, AP India)
40 out of 50 found this review helpful

Disney has announced the release of 101 Dalmatians, one of the most cherished Disney classics, on 2-disc Platinum edition dvd on March 4, 2008. Rather than speaking about the film I would rather share the details about this upcoming Platinum Edition dvd. The film has been digitally remastered for this release which also boasts of many previously unseen bonus features. The best part, however, is that unlike the recently cropped "Jungle Book", 101 Dalmatians will be presented in its original fullscreen aspect ratio. Here's a list of bonus features based on the press release published by UltimateDisney:

Disney's Virtual Dalmatians: Adopt, name, train and care for your very own virtual puppy where there are over 101 possibilities.

Puppy Profiler: Find out which dog you're most like!

101 Pop-Up Trivia Facts For The Family & Collector: Discover 202 amazing things You Never Knew about the movie as you watch it - with 101 pop up facts for the family and 101 for the collector

All-New "Cruella De Vil" Music Video: The classic song "Cruella De Vil" gets a contemporary twist when multitalented teen Disney Channel star Selena Gomez performs the song in a brand new video!

Redefining The Line: The Making Of 101 Dalmatians
101 Dalmatians is considered by critics to be one of the best and most innovative Disney animated films. Go behind the scenes with its creators to find out about everything - including the technological innovation of the Xerox process in animation.

Cruella De Vil: Drawn To Be Bad: Inspired by flamboyant actress Tallulah Bankhead, Cruella De Vil has become a villain that movie fans love to hate. Marc Davis, an animation legend and one of Disney's immortal "Nine Old Men" reveals how this iconic character came to be.

Sincerely Yours, Walt Disney: Experience Walt Disney and Dodie Smith's (author of the book The Hundred and One Dalmatians) actual correspondence during the movie's production.

Deleted Songs: Songs written for the film - finally come to life!

.....And Much More!


This Movie Saved a Life!   May 8, 2005
sally smith (Mustang Ranch, NV)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

My kids watched this movie one hundred and one times. I have it memorized. Well, one day it saved a life.

My dog, Keesha, was expecting pups, and a few days early, she had the first one on my son, Kyle's bed. He was shocked and surprised, and didn't know what to do. I was out shopping for groceries. The father was asleep in front of his newspaper.

That first pup didn't move, our dog wasn't the best mother, and she didn't take care of it. My older son, Joel, upon seeing the lifeless, wet pup - and having watched "101 Dalmatians" so many times - knew exactly what to do!

He took the pup in a towel and rubbed it, bringing circulation to the wee babe's tiny body. Just like he saw the dad do on the movie! And it worked!

Four more puppies later, the mom and all the babies were in good health. thanks to my smart son and this movie!!! Thank you Disney!

PS - I guess I should add - it is a nice Disney Classic movie - every house should have one or more. good story, good fun!!



A delightful dog of a film   December 12, 2007
Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.)
17 out of 21 found this review helpful

It's uneven, cheaply produced and its story is so basic as to be almost mechanical. There are long stretches with little humor or music. The hackneyed chase scene seems straight from a TV cartoon. And most of the puppies look exactly alike.

So why five stars? Because, in this case, the good more than makes up for the mediocre.

A large dose of Disney magic -- here, a combination of cute animals, touching sentiments, tremendous villain and many carefully crafted extra touches -- simply makes you forget the movie's weaknesses. To write this review I sat through this film dutifully noting all of its flaws, then immediately wanted to watch it again.

In short, kids will love this DVD set, and you'll like watching it with them.

I was viewing, of course, the 1999 release, and let me tell you if there's one Disney classic that could benefit from a digital restoration, this is it. The older DVD just doesn't capture the beauty of the film's pastel backgrounds, detailed interiors and storybook-style outdoor scenes. I haven't seen this new transfer yet, but Disney always does a good job with restoring these Platinum Editions, so I imagine it will look fantastic.

Speaking of art, I should note that unlike earlier Disney films, "101 Dalmatians" is not completely hand-drawn. Much of the art was created through Xerography, a technique that, in essence, used a copy machine to reproduce the frame-by-frame line art. Surprisingly, though, it hardly matters. Sometimes the backgrounds are too flat or static, but the foreground figures are fully animated, and have the same fluid, three-dimensional movements Disney was already famous for.

BONUS FEATURES

The set includes Disney's typical varied collection of bonus features, none of which are subtitled. Those for adults include:
* An option to have trivia tidbits pop up on your screen as you watch the film.
* A documentary focusing on the movie's innovative use of the Xerox animation process.
* An interview with the late Disney animator Marc Davis regarding the character Cruella De Vil.
* A featurette that recreates the correspondence sent between Walt Disney and Dodie Smith (author of the book "The Hundred and One Dalmatians") during the movie's production.
* Deleted songs

Extras geared to kids:
* A Virtual Dalmatians game that lets you adopt, name, train and care for your own computer canine.
* A Puppy Profiler quiz which reveals which dog you're most like.
* A music video of Disney Channel star Selena Gomez performing "Cruella De Vil."

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

* Sound: Disney-enhanced Home Theater Mix, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
* Close captioning: English only
* FastPlay enabled

By the way, Disney has just published a companion Little Golden Book, 101 Dalmatians.

Like Disney classics about animals? Don't forget the essential The Lion King, moving Bambi and surprisingly good Lady and the Tramp. Topping them all however, at least in my opinion, is Dumbo.


Buyer Beware - Are you buying the real deal?   October 12, 2005
XXX
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

This movie is wonderful, but wait for Disney to release the Platinum version, and then purchase it directly from Amazon or another authorized seller. There are fake copies being sold through 3rd party sellers. They look new packaged and sealed. It is a violation of Amazon rules for a 3rd party seller to knowingly sell fake copies. If you have received a fake copy you must send it back to the seller. If they do not refund your money immediately you can use Amazon's a-z guarantee to get your money back. This is regardless whether you have opened the copy or used it. Do not let a seller force you to leave good feedback in order to receive a refund that is also a violation of Amazon's polices. BUYER BEWARE.