Rewind Back To 1961: “101 Dalmatians” (65th anniversary)
- Matt Palmer
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
For last week’s review slate, I kicked off the return of my Rewind Series with the live-action remake of “101 Dalmatians,” which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! Now, it’s time to revisit the original animated 1961 classic for its 65th anniversary!
In the Disney animated classic, Dalmatian Pongo is tired of his bachelor-dog life. He spies on lovely Perdita and maneuvers his master, Roger, into meeting Perdita’s owner, Anita.
The owners fall in love and marry, keeping Pongo and Perdita together too. After Perdita gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies. Anita’s old school friend, Cruella De Vil, wanted to buy them all. Roger declines her offer, so Cruella hires a couple of criminals to steal them - so she can have a fur coat.
When Disney released this animated classic in January 1961, it became a box office hit and also became a big hit with both moviegoers and critics. Audiences fell in love with this highly entertaining classic for its unforgettable wicked villain, a unique setting and a then-groundbreaking artistic style. Coming after the formal, fairy tale presentation of “Sleeping Beauty” (which actually didn’t perform well), it injected an energetic, and highly comedic tone into the studio’s line-up.
Cruella is widely considered to be one of Disney’s greatest villains ever and audiences were immediately captivated by her presence. One of Disney’s animators, Marc Davis, handled her entirely, giving her dramatic, jagged movements, an incredible theatrical voice performance by Betty Lou Gerson and a truly iconic graphic design. The film’s iconic character can be slightly frightening for the really young audience yet darkly funny.
The animated classic also introduced Xerography to Disney animation, a process that transferred animators’ pencil drawings directly onto animation cels, bypassing the hand-inking department. This produced a raw, energetic line art style that perfectly matched line-drawn, sketchy, mid-century watercolor backgrounds of 1960s London.
The narrative structure is also a little unique as it transitions smoothly from romantic comedy (where Roger and Anita, along with their dogs, officially meet) to a gripping rescue adventure. The “Twilight Bark” - a canine telegraph network across London and the snowy English countryside - is quite entertaining and delighted viewers with its inventive world-building, bringing together a colorful cast of supporting animals like the Colonel (a sheepdog) and Sergeant Tibbs (a cat).
The 1961 classic is also packed with quite a few iconic set pieces that blend comedy, suspense and beautiful animation. A few of these stand out moments include: the park
“meet cute” between Roger and Anita, the prolonged rescue and disguising the puppies in fireplace soot to disguise themselves and Roger creating the infamous Cruella De Vil song.
The 1961 film “101 Dalmatians” received widespread critical acclaim and box office success, praised for its fresh artistic style, brisk storytelling, and a very iconic villain. This film has also been credited with saving Disney’s animation studio financially.
This film changed everything: Produced on a lean $3.6 million budget, it grossed over $14 million in its initial run ($130 million in 2026 dollars) and had subsequent theatrical re-releases in 1969, 1979, 1985 and 1991, generated over $300 million worldwide, proving that animated featured are a long-term asset.
MPA: Rated G (runtime 79 minutes)
Initial release date: January 25, 1961
Streaming service: Disney Plus/various PVOD services (as of working on this review)
The birth of the puppies actually happened to the author Dodie Smith. Her dalmatians had 15 puppies, one was born lifeless and her husband revived it. However, they sold most of them, and kept only a small number.
Clarence Nash (best known as the voice of Donald Duck) did the dog barks for this film.
Disney was in debt following the flop of Sleeping Beauty (1959) and desperately needed a hit. There was even talk of closing down the animation division as the company was refocusing on live action films, television and theme parks.
Xerox was a crucial help in the animation of hundreds of spotted dogs. Disney was able to bring the movie in for about half the cost thanks to this process.
When Walt Disney read Dodie Smith's story in 1956, he immediately snapped up the film rights. Smith had always secretly hoped that Disney would do just that.
Bill Peet kept in close consultation with Dodie Smith whilst preparing the story, including sending her some sketches of the characters. Smith felt that the Disney studios were improving on her story.
Disney Feature Animation later adopted "The Twilight Bark" as the name of their internal newsletter.
Cruella De Vil ranked as #39 on the American Film Institute's 2003 list of Top 50 Greatest Movie Villains.
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