101 Dalmatians was released 65 years ago this week. The $4 million film would gross $14 Million DOM during its initial run.

by helpmeredditimbored

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  1. helpmeredditimbored on

    Re-releases in 1969, 1979, 1985, and 1991 would put its total domestic box office at 144.8 million dollars

    It would spawn a franchise with a direct to video sequel in 2003, a live action remake staring Glenn Close in 1996, a live action sequel in 2000, a live action retelling starring Emma Stone in 2021, and two television shows (premiering in 1997 and 2019 respectively)

    This was the first Disney animated film to use Xerography in the animation process. The process gave the film (and all Disney films of this era) a distinctive look as characters needed thicker bolder outlines in order for the xerox machines to properly copy the artist’s drawings. The process would significantly reduce the time and cost of animation for the studio, which became important after 1959’s Sleeping Beauty bombed at the box office

  2. It’s no exaggeration to say that this movie saved Disney’s animation department.

    After the 1941 Disney Animators strike, Walt Disney began to lose interest in animation and began putting his interests in other projects like live action film, television, and Disneyland.

    Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959 and lost money because of how expensive it was to produce all of the lavish animation. About 2/3rds of the Disney animation unit were laid off as a result and Walt Disney was on the verge of closing it altogether.

    Ub Iwerks developed a process using xerox for 101 Dalmatians to prove that animation could be profitable, cheaper to produce but also keeping the Disney quality. Utilizing Walt Peregoy’s modernist background artwork as well as Bill Peet’s tight storytelling, 101 Dalmatians was released to good reviews and became one of the highest grossing films of 1961.

    Even though Walt Disney never quite was happy about the look of the films using the xerox process, the financial success of Dalmatians convinced Walt Disney that animation still had a place and films like the Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes, Sword in the Stone, and the Jungle Book were allowed to be produced.

    101 Dalmatians remains one of the most thrilling and cool looking Disney animated features and has an unforgettable villain in Cruella DeVil.

    It’s a classic on both sides of the Pond.

  3. Purple_Quail_4193 on

    One of my favorites from WDAS. It’s always astonishing seeing that this and Snow White were the big two before the renaissance financially. It kind of deserves it

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