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Writer's pictureKinoko no Ronin

101 Dalmatians (1961): Long Past Expiration

So, the film starts out with a dog wistfully watching passersby in an awful sequence where women’s bodies are compared to those of their pet dogs. And that’s the theme here: how well do you think this film has aged? On one front, the art design and animation has aged fairly well. If a bit lacking, the plot and characters are standard fare for Disney animation; a cast of caricatures going through the motions to reach the foregone heartfelt conclusion. It’s the content that seems a bit off; some half-decade shift in the cultural identity of Disney and its audience that makes the film feel dated, if not uncomfortable at points.


But it's milquetoast enough to not deserve classic status anyway. Frankly, if Cruella De Vil weren’t in it, I find it hard to believe anyone would even remember it.


Content warning: intended harm to dogs, a bit of the ol’ sexism


Plot: 3

Characters: 2

Themes: 3

Spectacle: 7

Overall score: one dog house, number of dogs notwithstanding.


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