Credit: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
While Disney has been made most famous for its extensive use of their princesses, they also have several films based on other cartoon aspects that delight audiences, such as its pure-hearted films about dogs. From the 101 Dalmatians films to The Fox and The Hound, Lady and The Tramp to more, as also noted by other animated studios, with films such as All Dogs Go to Heaven, films with animated dogs, and dogs in general, have always been a hit with audiences, older and young. While there may have been plenty of animated films about dogs, and animals in general, 101 Dalmatians from Disney, based on the book, became an instantly beloved hit and even remains so today with 2021’s Cruella prequel of the series. Below, we’ve detailed the 101 Dalmatians films, from the animated to the live-action and to the most recent release in the franchise, Cruella.
Credit: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
101 Dalmatians Animated
While the very original piece of work related to the 101 Dalmatians film series was the novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, which was adapted into the first animated film for the franchise, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, before the second film, under a slightly updated title, changed future releases of the franchise with one hundred changed to pure numerals with “101”. The first animated film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, was released in 1961. Like many and almost all Disney releases, the animation was unique and original to Disney’s trademark animated works. A little over four decades after the original animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians film 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure was released in 2003, re-released in 2008, and featured one of the dalmatian puppies as they had to attempt to rescue their numerous siblings, yet again from Cruella. A huge difference between the two animated 101 Dalmatians films was that the original wasn’t set in the genre as a musical. At the same time, the sequel was an action-adventure musical animated feature. Disney has also released two animated series, one released in 1997, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, while the second, 101 Dalmatian Street, was released far from its predecessor, in 2019, recent enough to be available on release on Disney+.
Credit: 101 Dalmatians (1996)
101 Dalmatians Live-Action
101 Dalmatians was also given the live-action treatment, receiving two films, an original and a sequel. Still, while the films weren’t the same as the animated ones, they were similar. The first live-action film was called, of course, following the trend of every previous entry in the series, 101 Dalmatians. Unlike the original book and the first animated film, the live-action debut was instantly numerical instead of the entire spelling of the number of dalmatians in the infamous group, presented as 101 Dalmatians. As Disney immediately went with the much shorter title for the live-action, the sequel was that much easier to make an instantly interesting film with 102 Dalmatians, instantly insisting an additional dalmatian from all previous mentions of the franchise before that point. Both live-action films were released between the original animated One Hundred and One Dalmatians film and its sequel, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure. While the live-action 101 Dalmatians films were released shortly after each other, compared to every other part of the 101 Dalmatians franchise releases, the only characters to reprise their roles from one film to the next were Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil, also a producer on Cruella, and Tim McInnerny.
Credit: Cruella
Cruella
Cruella was the first live-action rendition of anything 101 Dalmatians since the sequel to the original live-action movie, 102 Dalmatians. Still, it featured an entirely new backstory that led to the evil character that Cruella had become. The film also featured Cruella’s two companions, Jasper and Horace, and how they came to be so close, as well as other aspects of Cruella’s life that haven’t been discussed in the series previously. While the notorious dalmatians were nowhere to be seen throughout the film, during a mid-credits scene, two dalmatian puppies were delivered to two houses, likely Pongo and Perdita, to Roger and Anita. Since the release of Cruella, a sequel has been slowly getting put into the works, from the director and head writer set to return, followed by Disney’s official confirmation of a sequel and Emma Stone signing on for a new Cruella contract. Although Cruella was set entirely on the evolution of Cruella Da Vil, and no mention until post-credits of the dalmatians or any other character from the 101 Dalmatians franchise. Although the newest iteration of Cruella was announced as early as 2016, the newest animated series premiered before Cruella, but that was likely to attract audiences to the franchise again before Cruella, as animated series are more guaranteed, even for a short bit, over the millions of dollars poured into live-action films.
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