--- title: "One Hundred and One Dalmatians: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 12 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 5/5. The review describes it as a hardy perennial from Disney with deft mix of cute animals and foolish humans. It singles out the draughtsmanship and personalities of the dalmatians plus the poignant twilight bark sequence. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-cox65i/one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians/) ## Empire — Phil Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls the film one of Disney's finest and most underrated, praising its witty, scary, beautifully paced and brilliantly animated qualities as the timeless Disney formula at its best. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/one-hundred-one-dalmatians-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Charles Solomon Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 1991. Thirty years after release, the 1961 Disney film remains fresh, funny and thoroughly entertaining in re-release, with a clean simplified design reflecting early '60s graphics. Cruella de Vil is genuinely menacing and outrageously funny as the first of Disney's comic villainesses. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-12-ca-2075-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2008. The critic praises the film as one of Disney's best for its compelling take on family and aesthetics, highlighting Cruella De Vil as a tour-de-force villain who embodies fashion-as-death with her striking design, voice, and menace. The review singles out the gritty Xerox animation process and Cruella's mundane yet terminal evil for praise while noting the film's embrace of destructiveness. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/101-dalmatians/) ## Time Out — RP Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2014. The critic calls the film brilliant entertainment and Disney at his finest. It highlights the voice-over narration by Pongo and the mix of thematic concerns around the dognapping plot. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/101-dalmatians) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The review praises the film's discretion in handling sentimental material and the engaging plot from the kidnapping onwards. It singles out the lovingly detailed backgrounds and the distinct, engaging personalities of the dogs for particular praise. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=66) ## The New York Times — Howard Thompson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 February 1961. Walt Disney's latest animated feature spins a cozy and sentimental yarn about Dalmatians threatened by a dognapping villainess, with the dogs proving cute and friendly. The film should appeal especially to younger children despite the menacing female antagonist. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/11/archives/disney-film-on-dogs.html) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1960. The painstaking creative effort is not as indelibly enchanting as some prior Disney animated films but should amuse even hardened adults with several passages in its story of puppies rescued from Cruella De Vil. The canine sleuthing network is a highlight of the London-set yarn. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians-1200419931/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 1991. The 1961 Disney animated film is an uneven but passable family entertainment in its 1991 re-release, with moments of inspiration amid a conventional kidnapping-and-rescue tale. It is not among the studio's greatest classics, but the character of Cruella De Vil stands out as first-rate. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/101-dalmatians-1991) ## The Times — Louise Cohen Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 2008. The 1961 Disney animated feature is beautiful though it lacks the cosy fantasy of earlier classics. The bonus disc of extras on this DVD re-release makes it worth revisiting, with details on animation techniques and historical context. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/101-dalmatians-k99jvnj5n8n) ## The New Yorker — Edith Oliver Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 1961. Disney's full-length cartoon contains ingenious ideas but suffers from the studio head's focus on both kids and the box office, resulting in more failures than successes. The story of Cruella kidnapping puppies for a fur coat is ultimately uncomfortable rather than fully engaging. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1961/03/18/half-step) ## Polygon — Susana Polo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2023. The critic celebrates the film as brilliant despite Walt Disney's personal dislike of its style, highlighting its role in saving Disney animation and its modern, relatable approach. She singles out its realistic contemporary setting and innovative production techniques for praise. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/century-of-disney/23693307/101-dalmatians/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians.md