101 Dalmatians (Disney Animated Version)
Nov. 14th, 2012 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ashkirynThere are tons of entries that I really need to get my ass in gear and finish---the review for Princess Tutu, a Lilo & Stitch one, the odds and ends of various others---but I just have to get this one out. Special Disney movie is special.
Anyway, so, yesterday night, an infrequent event occured in my house---my mom, Lys, and I actually all sat down in the living room, ate dinner together, and watched a movie. As you'll see below, it was almost like our ye olden times. That movie, in case you couldn't guess, was 101 Dalmatians; the Disney animated version.
This movie was like the bible in our house. Not really in the sense of "this is the blueprint to live your life by" kind of way, but more like a "first story you will ever hear" way, back when you're a baby and you can barely even understand what a story is. That sort of bible.
(Then again, I never grew up with an actual Bible in my family, so what the hell do I know about it, I suppose. To this day, I think the only bible that's in our house is one that Lys has---one of those mini ones that people on street corners pass out, and in this case apparently came from one of our neighbors---and possibly an old copy that my mom doesn't remember what happened to. But anyway, I'm digressing. In short, my family ain't religious, and whatever I know about bibles of any kind are gleaned from an outside, and possibly misinformed, perspective and observations of their significance to other people.)
Anyway. The point is that, while it may not have been the first, first, story I'd ever known, but it's pretty damn close to being so. You know that one toy/teddy bear that was your favorite when you were a baby, and that in all of the things you're likely to keep from your infancy, this thing is one of the most likely (apart from your blankie, of course)? Mine was a stuffed Rolly. Still got him, too, though he's a bit...well-loved, shall we say. Before I could walk, I loved playing in the box that this Rolly came in. Even when I honestly probably couldn't understand it, I would still sit quietly and watch the movie---over and over and over and over again.
And then when Lys came along, it only got worse.
Our favorite pretend/imagination games often centered around 101 Dalmatians. We had a huge 'family' of stuffed dalmatian toys. Had themed birthday parties. Colored spots all over our bodies and pretended that we were actual Dalmatians, colored spots all over our bedroom (the walls, the beds, the windows....my mom was pretty pissed about that episode, let me tell you). Watched every single Dalmatian movie/TV show/thing ever.
To say that Lys and I were obsessed with this movie is a severe understatement. The only reason we never got an actual Dalmatian for a pet was because my mom was too smart to do so (we don't really buy the majority of our pets. Mostly, they just...sort of come to us. The only exceptions were a few rats here and there. But my mom flat out refuses to shell out the money to buy any mostly purebred dog, much less one with the health problems that Dalmatians are plagued with). But still, apart from that, we were really, really, really obsessed with this movie. And while other (Disney) movies (see: The Fox and the Hound) have since risen to the dominate the top of my favorites list, 101 Dalmatians has not diminished a whit in Lys's esteem, and it still holds a very special and dear place in my heart. It's like...my childhood in movie form.
However, if I had an entire selection of Disney movies in front of me to watch on my own, I'm pretty sure that I would never pick this one, unless if it was a choice between this and the movies that I actively despise. That might seem odd, but that's because it's never felt like my movie---it's Lys's movie, and I only like watching it when she's around, because then through our history it becomes our movie, the family movie. And it never feels right to me, watching it without her.
101 Dalmatians is hardly the only movie like this---for instance, watching any of the newer Chronicles of Narnia movies, particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, gets ten times funnier and more enjoyable if I watch it with Lys and my BFF Amanda (and now Amanda says that it's practically boring without us, and that we've ruined her forever XD), and etc. It just means that this is another movie with an added layer of positive nostalgia that increases the enjoyment factor for me. :)
So, below the cut shall be more discussion that, you know, actually pertains to the movie itself. ;)
You know, in a lot of the earlier Disney movies, I've noticed that they really put a lot of animation and effort into their opening credits. And this movie's is probably my favorite. Also, seriously, old Disney movies are just drawn so freaking gorgeously. Beautiful, beautiful artwork. Anyway, in this movie's opening credits, it's also got a nice, Fantasia/Melody Time-esque feel to it, what with the spots being animated in time with the music, but without it getting overbearing and, to be honest, boring. Short and sweet, if you would.
Also, this movie is just so incredibly British. Which is good, because it's supposed to be taking place in London/the British countryside, but...wow. And even more than that, it's period British, which is something I'm fairly sure that the sequels/spin-offs just plain don't bother with. And honestly, that's a bit of a damn shame (especially if you're a freak like me and want to try to match up continuities), because all of the period-British-ness of it is all part of the charm.
And like with The Fox and the Hound, there's a lot to enjoy in this movie for more adult audiences, and a lot of it is stuff you won't get even in its sequels/etc. See, because the puppies are (obviously) the most popular with their children audiences, most of the sequels/whatevers have the focus be mostly on them: Patch in his London Adventure, Oddball in 102 Dalmatians, and Lucky and two others (Rolly? Some girl puppy?) in that animated series. But in the original movie, it's the parents, Pongo and Perdita, that are the main characters and have most of the focus in the movie---Pongo even moreso, because the movie starts with him and it's his narration we here in the 'first act'. Therefore, we get to deal with the adult concerns of trying to find their missing childrens, the logistical problems of travel, food, disguise, and covering their tracks.
(As a quick note, regarding the focus of the different Dalmatian movies being mostly on the puppies: the exception to this is the live-action 101 Dalmatians, but only in the sense that the focus is truly more on the humans around them dealing with their antics (102 Dalmatians follows this trend a bit as well, but the main protagonist is clearly shown to be Oddball, and such a clear-cut protagonist character is not presented to us in its predecessor), and it's the only one in the Dalmatian 'verse that has this mostly-human focus, and not a focus that's on the parents or the puppies. This is one of the many things that actually makes it quite a different movie from the animated incarnation.)
One of the things that particularly stuck out to me about this movie, apart from its distinctly British flavor, is the fact that Cruella is not truly defeated, not in the way that most Disney villains are defeated, and not even defeated in the way that happened in the live action movie 'verse. I mean, in the live action movie, she's arrested and sent to this (kind of experimental?) institution. But, in this original movie, Cruella isn't arrested, nor does she die, or has anything about her truly resolved. She just....crashes her car. And the last we see of her is yelling at and berating Horace and Jasper. Sure, she doesn't get the fur coat that she wanted to make, and she loses the 84 puppies that she bought, but...she's not truly punished for any of it, not that we get to see. Technically, Roger and Anita still have no proof that Cruella was the one who had their puppies stolen, or anything at all against her that would be admitted to a court of law. That poor grocer, so far as we know, never got her arrested from trying to push him off a goddamned mountain road, and no one ever issued Cruella a speeding ticket for any of her other atrocious driving antics. There's nothing to suggest that Cruella couldn't have just gone on and continued living her life as she had been.
I'm not pointing any of this out to say that it's a bad narrative choice. Just that it's kind of an interesting one, when taken in the context of all of the other Dalmatian movies, and most other Disney movies.
Perhaps we're meant to take this as a sort of message for forgiveness? Something against seeking out revenge that's rendered rather redundant? (And whoo, alliteration! :P)
Anyway, moving on. Another point of interest that I noticed is that, out of the 15 puppies, we're only given the names of 5 of them in this movie, I believe (Patch, Lucky, Rolly, Penny, and Freckles (this last one I'm not quite sure about, but I think we do get that one). I've never read the original book, so I wonder if it's like that in there as well?
Also, sometimes I get so swept up in this movie that I actually forget the powerful, positive message this movie sends out for adopted families. That's kind of strange, especially as that seems to be so obvious. If I want to be kind to myself, I suppose I can just say that it's deceptively brilliant---except that I don't know how many people are like me in not quite connecting the dots (heh). Oh, well.
Minor notes of logical fail: Nanny. NANNY. I'm sorry, but why the fuck would you attempt to call the police by running out into the street and screaming for them?! Surely there's like a 911 number that you can call in London? You do have a telephone. (Speaking of, what is the equivalent of calling 911 in other countries? Or is it the same as in the United States?)
Logical Fail #2: Why did none of the puppies notice the hole in the wall before Sgt. Tibbs pointed it out? If not to escape through, then surely just to explore out of boredom or curiosity?
Logical Fail #3: I'm sorry. But I would have been WAY, WAY more suspicious if an enormous amount of "Labrador" puppies appeared in the same place that I was looking for an enormous amount of Dalmatian puppies. I mean, really. What are the odds, doubts about the intelligence of dogs or not? Sure, Cruella's suspicious, but she does buy the deception enough to where she hesitates a long time.
One last note: 101 Dalmatians-based video/computer games are ridiculously fun, and me and Lys loved them just as much as any other of our Dalmatian obsessions.
Anyway. In conclusion, if you don't like this movie.....what the hell is wrong with you? And if you've lived through your life without somehow watching this movie even once....then your childhood is woefully incomplete (and yes, I am completely biased).
Anyway, so, yesterday night, an infrequent event occured in my house---my mom, Lys, and I actually all sat down in the living room, ate dinner together, and watched a movie. As you'll see below, it was almost like our ye olden times. That movie, in case you couldn't guess, was 101 Dalmatians; the Disney animated version.
This movie was like the bible in our house. Not really in the sense of "this is the blueprint to live your life by" kind of way, but more like a "first story you will ever hear" way, back when you're a baby and you can barely even understand what a story is. That sort of bible.
(Then again, I never grew up with an actual Bible in my family, so what the hell do I know about it, I suppose. To this day, I think the only bible that's in our house is one that Lys has---one of those mini ones that people on street corners pass out, and in this case apparently came from one of our neighbors---and possibly an old copy that my mom doesn't remember what happened to. But anyway, I'm digressing. In short, my family ain't religious, and whatever I know about bibles of any kind are gleaned from an outside, and possibly misinformed, perspective and observations of their significance to other people.)
Anyway. The point is that, while it may not have been the first, first, story I'd ever known, but it's pretty damn close to being so. You know that one toy/teddy bear that was your favorite when you were a baby, and that in all of the things you're likely to keep from your infancy, this thing is one of the most likely (apart from your blankie, of course)? Mine was a stuffed Rolly. Still got him, too, though he's a bit...well-loved, shall we say. Before I could walk, I loved playing in the box that this Rolly came in. Even when I honestly probably couldn't understand it, I would still sit quietly and watch the movie---over and over and over and over again.
And then when Lys came along, it only got worse.
Our favorite pretend/imagination games often centered around 101 Dalmatians. We had a huge 'family' of stuffed dalmatian toys. Had themed birthday parties. Colored spots all over our bodies and pretended that we were actual Dalmatians, colored spots all over our bedroom (the walls, the beds, the windows....my mom was pretty pissed about that episode, let me tell you). Watched every single Dalmatian movie/TV show/thing ever.
To say that Lys and I were obsessed with this movie is a severe understatement. The only reason we never got an actual Dalmatian for a pet was because my mom was too smart to do so (we don't really buy the majority of our pets. Mostly, they just...sort of come to us. The only exceptions were a few rats here and there. But my mom flat out refuses to shell out the money to buy any mostly purebred dog, much less one with the health problems that Dalmatians are plagued with). But still, apart from that, we were really, really, really obsessed with this movie. And while other (Disney) movies (see: The Fox and the Hound) have since risen to the dominate the top of my favorites list, 101 Dalmatians has not diminished a whit in Lys's esteem, and it still holds a very special and dear place in my heart. It's like...my childhood in movie form.
However, if I had an entire selection of Disney movies in front of me to watch on my own, I'm pretty sure that I would never pick this one, unless if it was a choice between this and the movies that I actively despise. That might seem odd, but that's because it's never felt like my movie---it's Lys's movie, and I only like watching it when she's around, because then through our history it becomes our movie, the family movie. And it never feels right to me, watching it without her.
101 Dalmatians is hardly the only movie like this---for instance, watching any of the newer Chronicles of Narnia movies, particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, gets ten times funnier and more enjoyable if I watch it with Lys and my BFF Amanda (and now Amanda says that it's practically boring without us, and that we've ruined her forever XD), and etc. It just means that this is another movie with an added layer of positive nostalgia that increases the enjoyment factor for me. :)
So, below the cut shall be more discussion that, you know, actually pertains to the movie itself. ;)
You know, in a lot of the earlier Disney movies, I've noticed that they really put a lot of animation and effort into their opening credits. And this movie's is probably my favorite. Also, seriously, old Disney movies are just drawn so freaking gorgeously. Beautiful, beautiful artwork. Anyway, in this movie's opening credits, it's also got a nice, Fantasia/Melody Time-esque feel to it, what with the spots being animated in time with the music, but without it getting overbearing and, to be honest, boring. Short and sweet, if you would.
Also, this movie is just so incredibly British. Which is good, because it's supposed to be taking place in London/the British countryside, but...wow. And even more than that, it's period British, which is something I'm fairly sure that the sequels/spin-offs just plain don't bother with. And honestly, that's a bit of a damn shame (especially if you're a freak like me and want to try to match up continuities), because all of the period-British-ness of it is all part of the charm.
And like with The Fox and the Hound, there's a lot to enjoy in this movie for more adult audiences, and a lot of it is stuff you won't get even in its sequels/etc. See, because the puppies are (obviously) the most popular with their children audiences, most of the sequels/whatevers have the focus be mostly on them: Patch in his London Adventure, Oddball in 102 Dalmatians, and Lucky and two others (Rolly? Some girl puppy?) in that animated series. But in the original movie, it's the parents, Pongo and Perdita, that are the main characters and have most of the focus in the movie---Pongo even moreso, because the movie starts with him and it's his narration we here in the 'first act'. Therefore, we get to deal with the adult concerns of trying to find their missing childrens, the logistical problems of travel, food, disguise, and covering their tracks.
(As a quick note, regarding the focus of the different Dalmatian movies being mostly on the puppies: the exception to this is the live-action 101 Dalmatians, but only in the sense that the focus is truly more on the humans around them dealing with their antics (102 Dalmatians follows this trend a bit as well, but the main protagonist is clearly shown to be Oddball, and such a clear-cut protagonist character is not presented to us in its predecessor), and it's the only one in the Dalmatian 'verse that has this mostly-human focus, and not a focus that's on the parents or the puppies. This is one of the many things that actually makes it quite a different movie from the animated incarnation.)
One of the things that particularly stuck out to me about this movie, apart from its distinctly British flavor, is the fact that Cruella is not truly defeated, not in the way that most Disney villains are defeated, and not even defeated in the way that happened in the live action movie 'verse. I mean, in the live action movie, she's arrested and sent to this (kind of experimental?) institution. But, in this original movie, Cruella isn't arrested, nor does she die, or has anything about her truly resolved. She just....crashes her car. And the last we see of her is yelling at and berating Horace and Jasper. Sure, she doesn't get the fur coat that she wanted to make, and she loses the 84 puppies that she bought, but...she's not truly punished for any of it, not that we get to see. Technically, Roger and Anita still have no proof that Cruella was the one who had their puppies stolen, or anything at all against her that would be admitted to a court of law. That poor grocer, so far as we know, never got her arrested from trying to push him off a goddamned mountain road, and no one ever issued Cruella a speeding ticket for any of her other atrocious driving antics. There's nothing to suggest that Cruella couldn't have just gone on and continued living her life as she had been.
I'm not pointing any of this out to say that it's a bad narrative choice. Just that it's kind of an interesting one, when taken in the context of all of the other Dalmatian movies, and most other Disney movies.
Perhaps we're meant to take this as a sort of message for forgiveness? Something against seeking out revenge that's rendered rather redundant? (And whoo, alliteration! :P)
Anyway, moving on. Another point of interest that I noticed is that, out of the 15 puppies, we're only given the names of 5 of them in this movie, I believe (Patch, Lucky, Rolly, Penny, and Freckles (this last one I'm not quite sure about, but I think we do get that one). I've never read the original book, so I wonder if it's like that in there as well?
Also, sometimes I get so swept up in this movie that I actually forget the powerful, positive message this movie sends out for adopted families. That's kind of strange, especially as that seems to be so obvious. If I want to be kind to myself, I suppose I can just say that it's deceptively brilliant---except that I don't know how many people are like me in not quite connecting the dots (heh). Oh, well.
Minor notes of logical fail: Nanny. NANNY. I'm sorry, but why the fuck would you attempt to call the police by running out into the street and screaming for them?! Surely there's like a 911 number that you can call in London? You do have a telephone. (Speaking of, what is the equivalent of calling 911 in other countries? Or is it the same as in the United States?)
Logical Fail #2: Why did none of the puppies notice the hole in the wall before Sgt. Tibbs pointed it out? If not to escape through, then surely just to explore out of boredom or curiosity?
Logical Fail #3: I'm sorry. But I would have been WAY, WAY more suspicious if an enormous amount of "Labrador" puppies appeared in the same place that I was looking for an enormous amount of Dalmatian puppies. I mean, really. What are the odds, doubts about the intelligence of dogs or not? Sure, Cruella's suspicious, but she does buy the deception enough to where she hesitates a long time.
One last note: 101 Dalmatians-based video/computer games are ridiculously fun, and me and Lys loved them just as much as any other of our Dalmatian obsessions.
Anyway. In conclusion, if you don't like this movie.....what the hell is wrong with you? And if you've lived through your life without somehow watching this movie even once....then your childhood is woefully incomplete (and yes, I am completely biased).
