Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at 101 Dalmations

Well, this is interesting. For once the fifty-year-old movie I’m discussing is actually topical. With the recent announcement of the prequel film, Cruella, starring Emma Stone, there’s no possible better time than now to discuss the Disney Classic, 101 Dalmations. As a kid I used to watch this one all the time, but it’s admittedly been a very long time since my most recent viewing. Adapted from a 1956 children’s novel of the same name, 101 Dalmations is the story about a pair of Dalmations who fall in love and help their owners do the same. Naturally, when dogs fall in love, they have a tendency to get busy and crank out a few puppies. In this case of Pongo and Perdita, our Dalmation friends, they end up with a whomping fifteen! However, the birth of some adorable spotted dogs attracts the attention of sociopathic fashionista, Cruella De Vil who wants to purchase them so she can use their pelts to make a coat. When the owners of the dogs somehow do not go along with giving their dogs to a clearly unbalanced woman so she can brutally murder them and wear their skin as a fashion statement, Cruella takes matters into her own hands and has the puppies kidnapped. Now, it’s up to Pongo and Perdita to save their children, as well as the other puppies who have been kidnapped for Cruella’s wicked scheme. While the movie is definitely a bit more grounded and down to earth than some of our previous more fairy tale oriented epics, the film is nonetheless a ton of fun and brought back some fond memories of childhood, let’s dig in shall we. This is 101 Dalmations.

Main Character:

For the fourth Film in a row we have Multiple Main Characters. Pongo and Perdita are both likable characters. They’re devoted parents to the puppies and devoted pets to Roger and Anita, even if from their point of view, Roger and Anita are the pets. They have a few quirks here and there that make me laugh, in particular, Pongo calling the housekeeper a Dog as a compliment. Beyond that, not that much too these characters, they’re just lovable and protective of those they care about. I actually especially love how invested Pongo is in finding a lady for his pet, Roger. Great stuff!

Villain:

Let’s be honest, Cruella is the real star of this film. She’s one of the most popular villains in Disney’s library for a reason. One could argue that, next to Maleficent, she’s the most popular antagonist Disney ever created. I doubt it’s a coincidence that they’re the only two Disney Villains to get their own movies. Cruella has been portrayed in live action quite a few times as it happens, each by very talented actresses including Glenn Close in the 1996 live action remake, Emma Stone in the upcoming film and my personal favorite, Victoria Smurfit in Season 4 of the previously discussed ABC show, Once Upon a Time. However, where most, including myself are concerned, the Cruella in this film is the OG. She’s creepy, sadistic, self-absorbed, prone to fits of violence and anger and nuttier than a two-ton snickers bar, everything a good Disney villain is supposed to be. When I released my Top 20 Disney Villains Article, the project that inspired this retrospective in the first place, the responses were mostly positive, but the biggest complaint I received was for not putting Cruella in the Top 10, with some even suggesting she be number 1. I admittedly have been toying with re-doing that list once this retrospective is said and done, but we have a long way to go before we get to that point. Still, after watching this film, I can’t pretend that those people don’t have a point as Cruella is awesome. Cruella is an absolute sociopath, caring nothing for the lives of animals or humans, including her own minions, Jasper and Horace, who are themselves pretty funny and threatening when they need to be. The excessive use of cockney slang usually gets a big laugh. Cruella’s design is also great. Thin and gaunt but looking much larger than he actually is since she’s always covered by a heavy and thick fur coat. It’s almost as if she’s using clothes to try to disguise the monster within but can’t quite do it. Cruella is also a demon behind the wheel, as demonstrated in the car chase climax of the film. Seriously, Maleficent transforming into a massive fire breathing nightmare dragon can only hope to be half as terrifying as Cruella De Vil behind the wheel of a 1941 Panther Deville with a modified V8 engine. With all this going for her, naturally, Cruella is another one of Disney’s Franchise Villains, our last one for a while as it happens. We won’t be covering another one until we hit The Disney Renaissance, something that would happen for just shy of thirty years after this film’s release. But that only says to me that Cruella raised the bar so high that other villains to come had a hard time measuring up. I think what ultimately sets Cruella apart from her contemporaries is the simplicity of their motivation. Several of the other major villains we’ve covered so far and most of the ones we’ll be covering in the future have all been motivated by power of one kind or another, be it grabbing at power or desperately trying to hold on to power they already possess. Whatever the case may be, these characters go to insane and often sadistic extremes to get what they want. Cruella is willing to go to the same sort of lengths, but she’s not interested in power, all she wants is a fur coat. Small potatoes compared to ultimate power, but Cruella is still willing to do horrible and insane things to get it, including, as you tell know, skinning a bunch of cute little puppy dogs. It’s insane, it’s twisted, it’s disturbing, it’s… it’s Cruella. I think The Nostalgia Critic said it best. If fur is murder, Cruella is the H-Bomb. The world was such a wholesome place until, Cruella, Cruella De Vil.

Side Characters:

I actually quite enjoy Roger and Anita Radcliffe, the owners or “pets” of Pongo and Perdita. Roger, while initially content with the life of a bachelor, does have a pretty sweet chemistry with his wife. Roger’s a bit of a goofball but Anita grounds him nicely and encourages his efforts as a struggling musician, and together they make a cute couple. They have big hearts and positive outlooks on life. Something I find interesting is their differences in attitudes towards Cruella. Roger sees Cruella for the monster she is and treats her with the open contempt she deserves. When the puppies are kidnapped, he’s the first one to suspect her and the mere mention of her name inspires a song about how awful she is (More on that in a minute). Anita on the other hand is different. She and Cruella were schoolmates, and she does seem to be happy to see her when she comes to visit. Even when the puppies are kidnapped, she refuses to accept that Cruella would do such a thing. I’d be very curious to see this dynamic explored in the upcoming Cruella film. I wonder if Anita defends Cruella because she’s one of the few who’s seen the small amount of humanity she may have. I guess we’ll find out in May 2021.

I also rather liked the Colonel and Sgt. Tibs. Something about the fact that dogs have a military structure in this world is interesting to me and that cat was a total bro, willing to risk his life to save the puppies even though cats and dogs are usually depicted as enemies. The scene where he defends them from Jasper and Horace has always stuck out to me.

Songs:

Well, we may as well talk about the song that’s been stuck in my head for the past 48 hours. Yes, one of the great villain songs of Disney’s history, The Cruella De Vil song. Roger, struggling for inspiration, sees Cruella’s car pull up and is immediately struck by inspiration and starts writing a song about the vile villain she is. One could almost consider this the world’s first diss track. It’s a lovably catchy jazz number with great lyrics that conjure up some disturbing imagery even before you see the villain of the piece. I swear, since I watched the movie yesterday morning, I’ve been humming it everywhere I go, and with good reason, it’s a great song, quite possibly my favorite song in any film we’ve covered so far. Give it a listen, you won’t regret it. I’m not typically a Selena Gomez fan, but I actually enjoy her rock cover of the song, it’s very well done. One can only hope it’s a part of the upcoming live action film.

Memorable Scenes:

You know, it’s funny. I was fully prepared to call this movie another Sleeping Beauty, meaning a film where the only interesting thing is the villain. Don’t get me wrong, Cruella is far and away the best part of the movie, but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this movie sets up its world and how it works. That’s right, I’m actually praising the world building in 101 Dalmations of all things. I especially enjoyed the opening scene in which Pongo tries to arrange for Roger to meet Anita. There’s just something amusing to me about a dog trying to get its owner laid. I’d probably watch an entire movie with that premise. I also really found the whole concept of the Twilight Bark fascinating. The idea that dogs have a secret communication chain that humans don’t know about which is used to assist Pongo and Perdita’s efforts is fascinating to me. It points to this greater dog society that exists under our noses and I’d be fascinated to learn more about it. Who established these rules? Who leads this dog society? How did dogs develop their own version of Morse Code? What are some of the dogs from Lady & The Tramp doing in London when that movie clearly took place in the united states? These are the hard-hitting questions. I’m genuinely impressed by the creativity on display here.

Story:

The story we’ve more or less covered already, and it’s pretty simple. Puppies are born, crazy lady steals them to make a coat, puppies escape. That’s pretty much all there is to it. However, despite the simplicity of the story, the film still manages to inject plenty of charm, creativity and memorable characters into it that you don’t really mind. It’s a fun movie, what else can I say.

The Dark Disney Factor:

Not too much to discuss here, though Cruella’s demonic driving face will give anyone nightmares. However, there is one, potentially uncomfortable scene I’d like to address. The scene where the puppies roll around in soot to discuss themselves as Labradors. I realize that we’re talking about puppy dogs and not humans here and they’re only doing it so as not to be spotted by Cruella, but… the whole thing seems dangerously close to blackface if you ask me. Maybe I’m seeing racism that’s not there, I certainly hope that’s the case, but I couldn’t help but feel somewhat uncomfortable by the implication.

101 Dalmations was a pleasant surprise. It’s a film that takes a simple story and does so much with it. A creative world of dogs, a great jazz number and a memorable villainess you just love to hate, I would genuinely recommend this film for a nostalgic re-watch. Hopefully, Emma Stone can live up to her original counterpart. So far the trailer has filled me with confidence so we’ll see. Maybe I’ll write an article on it. Next time, we have a first for Deep Dive Disney, a film even I haven’t seen. Join us next time as we look at The Sword in the Stone.