6 out of 8 in the Silver Era

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2013)

Due to the under performance of Sleeping Beauty, many changes were made in the studio, and they had to lower the budgets of their films, thus the Xerography process. Two years after Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians was the first film to be made in Xerography, and is considered the start of the Dark Ages to many people.
The story is about a dog couple named Pongo and Perdita, who give birth to 15 puppies. An old friend of their owner Anita named Cruella DeVil comes by to attempt to buy the puppies, but when Anita's husband Roger refuses, she storms off and sends two men to kidnap them. They end up with 84 more puppies, and Pongo and Perdita has to rescue them before the 99 Dalmatians are skinned for fur coat.
The characters in the movie are alright. Roger and Anita are your modern, quirky couple, Pogo and Perdita are your everyday dogs, and the Dalmatians are... Dalmatians. The breakthrough and the most memorable character in this movie is the infamous Cruella DeVil. She is so classy yet trashy at the same time, and is so rambunctious. Her sidekicks are the enjoyable bumbling fools.
There is only one song in this movie called "Cruella DeVil". It has a sophisticated jazzy sound to it, and the score is decent.
The animation is a HUGE change from all of its predecessors. The xerography process gives the film this trashy, lazy look that makes the film look cheap, so it is not as good as the other films. This is one of the few films where the xerography process looks good, but it is still not up to par with the earlier films.
This film has your attention, even though the plot is not necessarily strong and the characters are not the most endearing. It is an entertaining, fun film which the family will like, even though it is not as good as the other films.