SYNOPSIS:
FIRST
TIME OUT OF THE DISNEY VAULT IN NEARLY A DECADE! Walt Disney's
original classic 101 DALMATIANS has charmed audiences for generations
with its irresistible tail-wagging stars, memorable story and
wonderful blend of humor and adventure. Now, with spectacular
new bonus features including a "Virtual Dalmatians"
game, 101 Pop-Up Trivia Facts and an all-new digital restoration,
this beloved animated masterpiece shines like never before in
a special 2-disc Platinum Edition. Cruella De Vil, Disney's
most outrageous villain, sets the fur-raising adventure in motion
when she dognaps all of the Dalmatian puppies in London -- including
15 from Pongo and Perdita's family. Through the power of the
"Twilight Bark," Pong leads a heroic cast of animal
characters on a dramatic quest to rescue them all in a story
the whole family will enjoy again and again.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Who wouldn’t have heard of the 101 Dalmatians?
Together with other icons like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
The jungle Book and Pinocchio, this 1961 Disney classic deserves
a place on your DVD shelf if you are a die-hard animation
fan. Besides, it doesn’t label itself as the “Platinum
Edition” for nothing.
Pongo
and Perdita are two adult Dalmatians who have a litter of
15 puppies. The infamous Cruella De Vil (who can forget Glenn
Close’s performance as the villain in the live action
movie?) wants to kidnap these adorable puppies to make herself
a lovely Dalmatian skin coat. Holding them captive at her
scary mansion with other kidnapped puppies, Pongo and Perdita
would have to find them in time for a happy ending, which,
well, is expected the second you watch this 79-minute movie.
Whether
or not it is your first time watching this classic, you’d
be charmed by its magic. Who wouldn’t fall in love with
the cute spotted puppies? Who wouldn’t applaud Cruella
De Vil’s defeat? Who wouldn’t chuckle at the animation’s
spot on brand of wholesome humor? After all that, the powers
of merchandising comes to full force by making you want to
go out there and purchase a Dalmatian plush toy.
The
movie’s winning formula is what Disney does best –
a simple yet engaging storyline which everyone can connect
to. The moment the movie opens, we hear Pongo’s voice
telling us how he and his master Roger are bachelors. Then
they fall in love with Anita and her Dalmatian Perdita. Then
the villain appears in the picture and creates some mess,
but everything is cleared up at the end of the day after some
fun adventures and entertaining journeys.
Having
won the Best Animated Film at the 1963 BAFTAS, this movie
features animation which is simple and brings out the appeal
of those vintage animated films from the last generation.
It is a reminder to animators nowadays how magic can be created
with simpler tools like pencils and papers.
You’ll
find yourself smiling at Disney’s brand of magic, and
wished that everything else is as magical now.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Platinum Edition contains a whole load of special
features spread over two Code 3 discs which are perfect for
every family’s collection of DVDs.
101
Pop Up Trivia Facts for Family/ Fan – Depending
whether you are watching this with your family or as a die
hard fan, you can switch this option on which activates pop
up windows while you are watching the movie, telling you facts
like the names of the other breeds of dogs which appears in
the movie.
Cruella
De Vil Music Video – Performed by Selena Gomez,
the catchy tune is given a contemporary makeover.
Sneak
Peeks – Other Disney features like Sleeping
Beauty and Enchanted DVDs are included in this section. You
can also watch a short clip summarizing the contents of bonus
features included in Disc 2.
Adopt
a Puppy – In this virtual game, kids can adopt
a puppy and be informed of its favorite food and toys. Certificates
and licenses of adoption can be printed before kids play and
feed their new “pets”.
Wallpapers/
Screensavers – Download these pretty desktop
items for your computer.
Puppy
Profile – This quiz decides which kind of dog
you are by asking you questions like what you’d do if
you were Cruella De Vil. You can be a poodle, and realize
that you’d be good friends with Disney princesses like
Belle and Jasmine.
101
Dalmatians Fun with Language Games – Kids can
learn words like “telephone”, “newspaper”
and “radio” while playing hide and seek with the
puppies. They can also learn numbers by clicking on cushions
to unhide the puppies.
Redefining
the Line: The Making of 101 Dalmatians – In
this 34-minute feature, animators talk about the magic of
the movie. It was apparently the first movie which featured
a smoking villain and makes fun of commercial jingles, which
was a big deal back then.
Cruella
De Vil: Drawn to be Bad – The seven-minute
clip features the inspiration behind this infamous Disney
villain. You’d learn that Betty Lou Gerson, the voice
behind the character, isn’t that hideous, and that she
was the narrator for Cinderella.
Sincerely
Yours, Walk Disney – This dramatization of
the letter correspondence between Mr. Disney and Dodie Smith,
the author of the book features words of compliments and admiration.
The man playing Mr. Disney in this 12-minute feature does
look like the man himself.
Trailers,
Radio and TV Spots – These promotional clips
range from those produced from 1961, 1969, 1979 and 1985.
You can see how the styles differ as the years go by.
Art
Galleries – You can see pages of visual development,
character design and storyboard animation in this section.
Music
and More – In this section, there are many
deleted and abandoned song sequences, including “March
of the 101” and “Don’t Buy a Parrot from
a Sailor”. You can also listen to demo recordings of
“Cruella De Vil” and “Kanine Krunchies”
accompanied by storyboard drawings.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer features an all new digital
restoration of the all time classic, and there are Dolby Digital
5.1 English, Mandarin and Korean, 2.0 Thai and Cantonese options
for Disc 1. In Disc 2, language options are available in 2.0
English, Japanese, mandarin and Korean - so viewers from all
over the world can enjoy this classic!
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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