101 DALMATIANS

Saturday, August 30th 2003 at Creek Park in San Anselmo

Showtime: 8:30 pm

Sponsored by Ciao Ragazzi childens store

1961     79 min     Disney    Rated G Three hundred artists worked on this project for three years and came up with one of the best feature cartoons ever produced by Disney Studios. The story, a romance with an interesting detective twist, is combined with exquisite caricatures of both humans and dogs. The plot revolves around a dog, Pongo, and his master, Roger, who fall for Anita and her dog, Perdita. Roger and Anita marry, allowing Pongo and Perdita to be together and produce a litter of 15 Dalmatian puppies. Wicked Cruella De Vil is overly persistent in her desire to have all 15 puppies, but Roger refuses her, prompting the wealthy woman to hire a pair of cockney crooks to steal the pups. Roger and Anita try everything to locate them, but to no avail, so Pongo resorts to the "twilight bark," a system of dog signals that locates the puppies in a deserted mansion on the outskirts of London. Pongo, assisted by a dog named the Colonel, a horse, and a cat, then sets out to rescue the puppies, discovering in the process a total of 99 Dalmatians that the evil Cruella has gathered to make herself a rare coat. Throughout the story are subtle visual elements creating an atmosphere that transcends mere cartoon reality. The characters are also evocatively voiced by a cast that includes Rod Taylor as Pongo. For fun, note the physical resemblance between many of the dogs and their masters.