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DVD Details
- Original Release Date: 25 January 1961
- Suggested Retail Price: $29.99
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (IMDb says it’s 1.75:1, but the film was actually produced in 1.33:1 “flat” format and matted to 1.75:1 for CinemaScope theaters; Amazon correctly notes the DVD is in 1.33:1 format.)
- Sound: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
The Movie
Is there anyone who hasn’t seen the Disney classic 101 Dalmatians, either in one of its many theatrical re-releases, on VHS or on its 1999 “limited issue” DVD? Anyone?
Okay, then, we’ll dispense with the movie review portion of this article and get on with the good parts: the new transfer, audio/video quality, packaging and extra features.
Early color model cels created by Marc Davis in his development of Cruella DeVil for 101 Dalmatians. They were utilized to determine the final color styling for Cruella throughout her scenes in the film. Artwork courtesy and Copyright © Alice Davis.
To prepare for this review, my wife Jennifer and I watched the first 10 minutes or so on (ew) VHS—after first digging the VCR out of the closet and getting it connected up to the TV again. We wanted to get a good feel for the quality of the restoration that went into the new Platinum Edition DVD, and it worked—while the VHS was, of course, watchable (in fact I think this particular tape had only been played once or twice before) the limitations of the medium—and of the older film-to-tape transfer—were evident. Washed-out color, muddy sound, the less said the better.
We then popped the new DVD disc 1 into our player (see endnote for equipment details) and, with a big bowl of popcorn, settled down to watch. I hadn’t seen Dalmatians in years, and it was the first Disney movie I can remember seeing in theaters, probably in its 1979 re-release (I would have been 9), and it was just as good as I remembered.
Audio, Video, and Interface
The original film was recorded in mono (RCA Sound Recording), so although the DVD is technically presented in Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround, the only real improvement is expanding the audio stage to side and rear speakers—there is no apparent stereo separation or surround channel. That’s not a criticism; just an acknowledgment of the source material. That said, the soundtrack is extremely clean and clear, with no pops or other distracting artifacts. Supplemental material is in stereo and/or Dolby Surround and sounds quite good, especially the Selena Gomez music video.
The video quality is exceptional, especially when compared with the VHS version as we did. According to the pamphlet included in the DVD packaging, a brand-new transfer from original negatives was created for this edition, and it shows. Delicate pastels in backgrounds are clear and vibrant, while foreground detail is clean and sharp—especially important when dealing with a film made with the (at the time) new Xerography process. There are no apparent film scratches or artifacts.
Image © Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Note that the original film was a “flat” (1.33:1) production which was matted to CinemaScope (1.75:1) in theaters. On this DVD, it is presented in its original 4:3 format, so if you have a brand new 16:9 flat panel TV, make sure you set it for 4:3 display. I find an easy way to tell (if I don’t already know) the correct aspect ratio is to look for something on the screen that’s supposed to be circular. If it appears to be a stretched-out sideways oval, you’ve got a 4:3 video showing in 16:9. If the circle appears to be a squished vertical oval, it’s the reverse: a 16:9 video showing in 4:3. For Dalmatians on a widescreen TV, you should have the black or gray vertical bars to either side of the picture.
Menu interfaces are delightful, with backgrounds taken from the movie. They start in line-art black-and-white and are then washed with color before the menu options appear. Probably my only complaint with the menu interface is in the Deleted Songs feature on Disc 2, where a goodly number of menu items leading to short clips means you will hear the same musical cues over and over.
The Goodies
Selena Gomez music video: “Cruella De Vil”
Selena Gomez is one of the stars of The Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney Channel. She is a not half-bad singer, but looks out of place in the fashion-show theme of this updated version of “Cruella de Vil”. The video is entertaining enough, and if you haven’t already seen it in heavy rotation on Disney Channel it’s worth watching once (if you started the movie with Disney FastPlay, the video will play automatically after the movie ends).
Pop-up trivia facts
From the “Extras” menu on Disc 1, you can select either the “For Families” or “For Fans” pop-up trivia tracks. These are little text bubbles (in the shape of dalmatian spots, naturally) with trivia or explanatory notes about scenes and characters. Can be fun, but a bit distracting if you’re trying to actually enjoy the movie. These and the music video are the only bonus features on Disc 1.
Virtual Dalmatians game
In a DVD player, this is a sampler for the DVD-ROM game wherein you play a dalmatian and match your personality traits to find your best human “pet.” The sampler plays through one selection. We didn’t try the DVD-ROM version. As with the games on most other Disney DVDs, it should be fun once or twice for kids.
101 Dalmatians fun with language games
This is an activity aimed at the preschool set, with slow, clearly-enunciated narration prompting the player to improve language skills. I can’t be any more descriptive than that because the slow, clearly-enunciated narration quickly drove us to cancel out of the activity. It seemed like something you’d find on an edu-tainment computer game, but not necessarily a movie.
Image © Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Refining the Line: The Making of 101 Dalmatians (and) Cruella De Vil: Drawn to be Bad
These are closely related documentaries (interview clips taken from the same sessions) so I’ll take them together. From interviews with Andreas Deja, Pete Docter and Brad Bird you can see that the new generation of Disney artists are taking their history quite seriously. Archive footage of Bill Peet, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston and other luminaries serve to explain and illustrate the process of making this animated classic, which was the first to abandon the traditional lush ink-and-paint method for the new Xerographic cel process, and incidentally meant that for the first time the animators’ original lines were seen on the big screen. As “making-of” featurettes go, this one is way above average. If you have any interest in the history of Disney animation, particularly in the critical period after Sleeping Beauty tanked in theaters, give this one a look.
Deleted songs
While interesting in the abstract, historical sense, I must caution any parents with impressionable children against watching this featurette. It includes at least 20 renditions of “Cruella De Vil”, plus various alternate versions and other deleted music, and some of that music will stay in your head—or your childrens’ heads—for a long, long time. “Cruel, cruel, Cruella, devil devil, De Vil!”
Previews, television and radio spots from theatrical releases
Dalmatians had four theatrical re-releases, in 1969, 1979, 1985, and 1991. This bonus feature includes theatrical teaser trailers, television and radio spots from the 1961 original release and all except the 1991 re-release.
Sincerely Yours, Walt Disney
In my opinion as the reviewer (and presumably you care about my opinion; you’ve read this far, haven’t you?) this is the single best bonus feature in the Platinum Edition set. A recently-discovered archive of correspondence between Walt Disney and “The One Hundred and One Dalmatians” author Dodie Smith is put to a dramatic re-enactment, with an actor playing and speaking for Walt (though you never see his face) dictating letters in what appears to be his office, and an actress portraying Dodie Smith writing and reading her replies. It seems that the two had a long correspondence before and after the film was made and released and had discussed the possibility of Disney filming another of Smith’s novels—something which never came to pass, though a Disney-ized version of Smith’s “Dalmatians” sequel “The Starlight Barking” (link) might have been interesting. The opportunity to hear the thoughts of the source material’s author as Walt works to get her book on the big screen is priceless, especially her reactions upon seeing the movie… and her smaller-than-expected credit in the main titles. If you don’t usually watch DVD bonus features, at least give yourself a few minutes to see this one.
Early color model cels created by Marc Davis in his development of Cruella DeVil for 101 Dalmatians. They were utilized to determine the final color styling for Cruella throughout her scenes in the film. Artwork courtesy and Copyright © Alice Davis.
The Final Evaluation
By now, there should be no doubt—if you’re a fan of classic Disney animation, you need this Platinum Edition DVD. The movie itself is a must-have whether you have children in the house or just enjoy it yourself, and the pop-up trivia facts and Disc 2 extras add considerable value to a reasonably-priced set. If you already have the 1999 “Limited Release” DVD, you could consider an upgrade if the bonus features or technical improvements since then appeal to you. If you have the VHS, I’d strongly recommend this DVD.
But skip the Deleted Songs featurette. Seriously.
Endnote: On Equipment
Everyone’s home theater environment is different, and my impressions of this DVD were influenced by the equipment on which I watched it. For this reason, I’m listing the current components of my home theater. I don’t think this particular DVD requires a high-end system in the same way that a big-screen summer blockbuster does, but a clear picture and clean sound are always nice to have.
- TV: Maxent MX-58HPT51 58″ plasma (in 4:3 mode for this movie)
- Amplifier: Sony HT-DDW790 home theatre system (5.1)
- DVD player: Toshiba SD-K860SU
- Connections: HDMI (DVD to TV), Digital Coax (DVD to amplifier)
