STUDIO: Disney
RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2008
STARRING: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, Cate Bauer, Lisa Daniels, Ben Wright, and Frederick Worlock
WRITTEN BY: Bill Peet
DIRECTED BY: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton S. Luske, and Wolfgang Reitherman
FEATURES: Cruella De Vil Music Video
Virtual Dalmatians Game
Pop-Up Trivia Facts
101 Dalmatians Fun With Language Game
Redefining The Line: The Making Of 101 Dalmatians
Sincerely Yours, Walt Disney
Cruella De Vil: Drawn To Be Bad
Deleted Songs

Ask most people their favorite Disney animated classic and a sizable percentage will say 101 Dalmatians, a film that became its own industry, continuing to inspire spin-offs, sequels, toys, and games. 101 Dalmatians is easily one of the best classic Disney films, a movie that was such a gigantic hit that it was the number one movie of the year (and the highest grossing animated film of all time as of that year) when it was released in 1961 and remains so beloved that it was a box office smash when it was re-released thirty years later, making another $61 million and becoming one of the top twenty grossers of 1991. Pongo, Perdita, and Cruela De Vil have become such a part of the tapestry of pop culture in the five decades of their existence that they're as instantly identifiable as Mickey Mouse, Snow White, or any other classic Disney creation that you could name. It's a film that has crossed generations and will continue to do so for years to come. As us diehard classic Disney fans can tell you, not every "Platinum Edition" is created equal. Some have better picture restorations than others and some have inferior collections of extras. With that in mind, we have good news for movie fans - the Platinum Edition of 101 Dalmatians is one of the best yet.

Disney releases are typically full of fun special features for the kids, but the technophiles who are still kids at heart can sometimes be ignored. Not this time. 101 Dalmatians features possibly the best digital restoration we've seen yet. The colors are unbelievably vivid and the line detail is incredible. Growing up, 101 Dalmatians was always one of my favorite films. I saw it several times, but I never really saw it until this version. Perhaps it's just something that comes with age, but 101 Dalmatians isn't just a fun kids movie, it's a gorgeous film visually and the digital restoration with enhanced picture really allows the movie to shine. The 5.1 Surround Sound track matches the video transfer in its perfection. On a technical level, this is one of the best DVDs in the entire Disney canon.

It sounds incredibly cliched, but the special features on 101 Dalmatians honestly do offer something for everyone. The kids will love the "Virtual Dalmatians Game" that allows them to adopt, train, and care for their very own puppy, historians will drool over the window into the process that's offered by "Sincerely Yours, Walt Disney," a collection of correspondence between Walt Disney and the author of the book, and everyone will love the pop-up trivia tracks. No one really wants a commentary interfering with 101 Dalmatians, but a pop-up track is perfect for this kind of release. It offers up much of the same information as a commentary would without interfering with the movie itself. There are even two tracks - one for the family and one for the fan. We told you - something for everyone. The incredible two-disc package is rounded out by featurettes, deleted songs, and more.

101 Dalmatians isn't just a timeless classic, it's an incredibly important film in the Disney canon. The film grossed over $150 million in its various runs and marked a significant step forward in several arenas, including the first Disney film set in present, non-fairy tale day and to use xerography to give the film such a unique look. It's a perfect animated classic and, luckily, it's been given a perfect DVD treatment by Disney. It could easily be the best family DVD of the year. Don't miss it.