One Hundred and One Dalmatians | |
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![]() Original theatrical release poster
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Directed by | |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Story by | Bill Peet |
Based on |
The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith |
Starring | |
Music by | George Bruns |
Edited by |
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Production
company |
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Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date
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Running time
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79 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4 million |
Box office | $215.8 million |
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. The 17th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the story of a litter of dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by the villainous Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson), who wants to use their fur to make into coats. Their parents, Pongo and Perdita, (Rod Taylor and Cate Bauer respectively) set out to save their children from Cruella, all the while rescuing 84 additional puppies that were bought in pet shops, bringing the total of dalmatians to 101.
Originally released to theaters on January 25, 1961, by Buena Vista Distribution,One Hundred and One Dalmatians was a box office success, pulling the studio out of the financial slump caused by Sleeping Beauty, a costlier production released two years prior. Aside from its box office revenue, its commercial success was due to the employment of inexpensive animation techniques—such as using xerography during the process of inking and painting traditional animation cels—that kept production costs down. It was reissued to cinemas four times: in 1969, 1979, 1985 and 1991. The 1991 reissue was the twentieth highest earning film of the year for domestic earnings. It was remade into a live action film in 1996.
Songwriter Roger Radcliffe lives in a bachelor flat in London, along with his dalmatian, Pongo. Bored with bachelor life, Pongo decides to find a wife for Roger and a mate for himself. While watching various female dog-human pairs out the window, he spots the perfect one, a woman named Anita and her female dalmatian, Perdita. He quickly gets Roger out of the house and drags him through the park to arrange a meeting. He and Anita fall in love and get married.