Reviewing - The Dalmatian Plantation Collection
It’s okay to see spots sometimes. Despite not matching up to the visual marvels of Disney’s greatest, the 101 Dalmatians have endured in popularity with sequels, live-action spinoffs, and multiple television shows. Dog lovers rejoice, but watch out – one of Disney’s most sinister villains lurks within this franchise.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (***)
In which a villainess briefly mistakes one hundred and one Dalmatians for one hundred and one Daschunds
The animation just isn’t the same, but Cruella makes this movie worth the watch.
Right off the bat, the opening credits for this movie are the most interesting credits I’ve seen yet for a Disney film. It’s a highly creative and artistic sequence - very vibrant and fun all the way through. You’re probably not a connoisseur of credit sequences, and neither am I - but if you know someone who is, they’d probably appreciate this.
As fun as the opening credits were, I was disapponted in the new style of animation. Sleeping Beauty was a work of art, but it was so expensive that Disney almost went out of business. A newer, cheaper animation technique was introduced for 101 Dalmatians, one that cut costs in half but meant that the animation looked a bit more pencil-y and scratchy. It just didn’t have the elegance that previous Disney films had had, which was disheartening.
That said, the movie wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. The characters were fun, and although not every single Dalmatian got their moment in the spotlight, there were a few standouts who managed to win my appreciation. I can’t remember any of their names, but the one glued to the television was great.
What really makes this movie worth it, though, is Cruella De Vil. I never watched this movie as a kid, but even then I knew her song and what she was all about. She’s another iconic Disney villainess, right up there with the Evil Queen and Maleficent in terms of how recognizable she’s become in pop culture. Cruella is overflowing with charisma and melodrama. She hogs every second of screen time, and her maniacal obsession with the puppies interestingly makes her both a hilarious and terrifying foe. She’s so crazy you can’t help but laugh - but she’s so wicked that you’re unsettled at the same time. She’s great.
The story was fine, but there’s nothing really in this film that makes it a must-see for me. There’s no stunning animation or gripping narrative, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun romp.
101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure (*1/2)
In which a villainess tries replacing her obsession with murdering infant puppies with a love for fine art
I watched this movie two weeks ago and can't remember a thing about it.
Okay, there's one thing I can remember. Cruella De Vil is back, and she's still pretty great. She's joined by the French artist Lars, voiced by Martin Short. I'm not sure how much money Disney pays these celebrities to star in these direct-to-video sequels, but I wonder how things would have played out if they had instead spent that money on writing a better script. Even so, Lars is the best part of this movie. He's thoroughly bizarre and unapologetically artsy. Loved him.
But apart from that, there's not one thing about this film that stood out to me. I even read through a plot summary to jog my memory, and not one sentence made me think, "Oh, right. That part was pretty cool." It's just another kid's movie, without anything significant to say.
Skip this.
101 Dalmatians: The Series (***)
This was pretty cool, although there’s not really any chronological consistency between this and the films.
At the end of the original film, Roger’s written a best-selling song about Cruella, and they’re set to move to a ‘Dalmatian Plantation’. This show kicks off with the move, which implies that it takes place right after the original film ends. But then 101 Dalmatians 2 comes back to the move all over again, which seems to retcon this show. If it looks like I’m being overly nitpicky...yeah, you’re absolutely right. After all, this is children’s entertainment. They’re not trying to make a cinematic universe here.
As with the other Disney animated TV shows I’ve reviewed, I only watched the first five episodes to get a good idea of where the show was going. And it’s actually pretty good on its own merit. The main characters are individually funny, and I laughed out loud a few times while watching. The three main Dalmatians: Lucky, Rolly, and Cadpig (what a weird name) bounce off of each other with pretty good chemistry for a kid’s show. What’s more, there were actually good lessons for kids embedded in these first five episodes. There’s also a dalmatian with three legs that’s actually portrayed as “the cool dog”, which was forward-thinking without being in-your-face about it. That’s the kind of entertainment I want for my kids – neat animation, fun characters, and meaningful lessons. If you’re a dog-lover, this is a TV show that’s definitely worth a shot.
101 Dalmatian Street (**)
You know how I said the last show didn’t quite match up chronologically with the films? Well, this is on a whole different planet.
The premise of this show is that in London, England, there is a house filled with 101 Dalmatians. The parent dogs have jobs that they go out and do in the daytime, and the kids are left at home under the care of the two oldest siblings. Everyone else is normal in the sense that nowhere else seems to have independent animal families in urban society, and no one seems to notice (or care) that this family of dogs is paying rent and living out their life without a human owner.
Anita, Pongo, Perdita, and Roger are nowhere to be found, and Cruella has disappeared too. All of the dogs you might recognize have disappeared. This show is more of a spiritual successor to the original material than an actual sequel or follow up. Again, probably nobody cares. But it does seem odd to me that you’d make a show based off of characters you’ve used in two movies and a television show (not to mention their live action stuff) without actually using any of the characters.
On its own merit, I actually didn’t find much to like about this. I didn’t really laugh at all, and I found the general aesthetic to be a bit busy and frenetic. Also, I couldn’t get over the fact that these dogs are living in a technologically advanced house and no human being notices. I know – that’s a dumb thing to get worked up over, but here we are.
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