One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1961, One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a comedy, adventure, family and animation film directed by Hamilton Luske, running about 82 minutes. “The Canine Caper of the Century” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement. In a Disney animation classic, Dalmatian Pongo is tired of his bachelor-dog life. He spies lovely Perdita and maneuvers his master, Roger, into meeting Perdita's owner, Anita. The owners fall in love and marry, keeping Pongo and Perdita together too. After Perdita gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies, Anita's old school friend Cruella De Vil wants to buy them all. Roger declines her offer, so Cruella hires the criminal Badun brothers to steal them -- so she can have a fur coat.

Who’s in it. One Hundred and One Dalmatians stars Rod Taylor as Pongo (voice), J. Pat O'Malley as Colonel / Jasper (voice), Betty Lou Gerson as Cruella De Vil / Miss Birdwell (voice) and Martha Wentworth as Nanny / Queenie / Lucy (voice), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.2/10, One Hundred and One Dalmatians has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $85M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Disney Plus and rent or buy it from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch One Hundred and One Dalmatians page.

If you liked it. Fans of One Hundred and One Dalmatians tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.