Review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) by David C — 23 Apr 2017

Visual style and voice acting, two of the most important components of animated films, are particularly well-done in this Disney outing. A wide range of urban and rural British accents is featured, and not for no reason: the story begins in a posh part of London and then moves into the English countryside.

The Dalmatian spot motif of the title sequence feels appropriately modern (in the 1960s sense of the word), London's parks and art deco flats are reminiscent of the interwar period, and scenes of foggy downs and farms are pleasantly rustic.

The story itself, hinging as it does on a plot to murder and skin puppies, is rather sick, but that sort of darkness was once typical of great children's stories. The lead canine roles here are a bit weak, especially the overly-demure wife and mother Perdita, and this allows the supporting players in the military-style "Twilight Bark" to steal the show.

Members of the Twilight Bark seem somehow familiar, as if we have seen or heard them before in half-remembered war films. For example, the movie's lone cat, Sergeant Tibbs, is reminiscent of many screen portrayals of middle-echelon British soldiers.

It is an indication of the film's relative maturity that Tibbs is not villainized just because he happens to belong to a different species than the chief protagonists.