One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman · 1961
Two London Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, cross the country to rescue their kidnapped puppies from the fur-obsessed socialite Cruella de Vil, picking up 84 more stolen Dalmatians along the way. Adapted from Dodie Smith's novel by Bill Peet, the only writer credited on the finished script, the film used a new Xerox transfer process to keep costs down after Sleeping Beauty's expensive failure had studio executives openly discussing whether animation was worth continuing at all — and the film's box-office success settled that question decisively.
