For Your (Re)Consideration: One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ 65-Year Legacy As A Disney Classic

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Released 65 years ago, One Hundred and One Dalmatians is still a beloved classic, even with all the changes in Disney films, animation, and storytelling over the decades. The movie first came out on January 25th, 1961, and was one of the final Disney films released before Walt Disney passed away in 1966.

Following the original film, many sequels and spin-offs of One Hundred and One Dalmatians have been released, including the live-action remakes from 1996 (101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians) and the 2021 film Cruella. These additions have solidified the movie’s place in Disney history. Although One Hundred and One Dalmatians does show its age in some ways, it remains a Disney classic, featuring a memorable villain and a story that feels fresh and original compared to some of Disney’s later films.

A Timeless Classic That’s Earned Its Spot As One Of Disney’s All-Time Greats

Cruella De Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians really stands out as a villain. She’s so wickedly evil that her fur coats are shockingly made with multiple animal tails. In fact, many viewers consider her to be the best part of the movie because she’s completely devoid of any good qualities. To be honest, Cruella feels like a Disney villain that wouldn’t be created by today’s standards.

Cruella De Vil isn’t just obsessed with fur coats; she actively plans to have nearly one hundred puppies kidnapped and killed – she tells her henchmen, Jasper and Horace, to use any method, even drowning or blunt force trauma. While Disney has featured frightening villains recently, they rarely go so far as to coldly plot the slaughter of cute animals, and often these villains are later revealed to have sympathetic sides or complex backstories. Cruella, however, lacks that nuance.

Unlike some villains, Cruella in One Hundred and One Dalmatians never really has her motives explained, and she doesn’t experience any kind of redemption. It wasn’t until many years later, with the film Cruella, that her backstory was explored in more detail. Plus, the original movie features a truly unforgettable villain song that’s hard to top.

This movie really captures what made Disney great in the past. Unlike many recent Disney films that feel repetitive or follow a predictable pattern—think of characters like Anna from Frozen, Moana from Moana, and Rapunzel from Tangled, who all share a similar spunky personality—One Hundred and One Dalmatians offers a fresh, unique story and a truly menacing villain.

Clocking in at just over an hour, One Hundred and One Dalmatians charmingly introduces Pongo the Dalmatian as the narrator. The film quickly establishes the connection between Pongo and his owner, Roger, and how they meet Perdita and Anita. It also effectively portrays Cruella de Vil as the antagonist, and sets up the dramatic story of Perdita and Pongo’s fifteen puppies being kidnapped and struggling to survive until their parents can rescue them.

It’s surprisingly exciting at times, even though it’s a children’s movie about dogs. For instance, when Cruella’s menacing car appears right as Pongo tries to hide his puppies, it creates a genuinely suspenseful moment.

Despite Walt Disney personally disliking the visible outlines in the animation – a technique prominently used in this film – it has become a beloved and defining characteristic of One Hundred and One Dalmatians. While Disney preferred smoother lines, the movie’s unique style, which combined traditional hand-drawn animation with a then-new Xerox copying process, is now considered one of its most memorable and successful features.

This artistic style and production method became a hallmark of Disney animation for many years, influencing films like Robin Hood, The Jungle Book, and The Aristocats. Disney didn’t move away from this look—similar to that of One Hundred and One Dalmatians—until 1989, when computer animation became dominant with the release of The Little Mermaid.

Despite its overall charm, One Hundred and One Dalmatians contains some elements that haven’t aged well. For example, there’s a scene where a man criticizes Cruella De Vil’s driving and suggests women are bad drivers. While this moment reflects outdated attitudes for a film from the early 1960s, it’s not overly emphasized and doesn’t ruin the movie as a whole.

Even after all these years, One Hundred and One Dalmatians remains a classic Disney film for good reason. Its surprisingly dark story and genuinely frightening villain are still impressive and could serve as a great source of inspiration for modern Disney movies.

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2026-01-25 19:59