101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney and Best Buy have collaborated on a store exclusive 'Signature Collection' SteelBook release for the 1961 fan-favorite animated film '101 Dalmatians.' The disc and digital content is identical to that found in the 'Signature Collection' wide release. See the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below for more on the SteelBook's look and feel.

101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a full video review, please click here; note that this link points to the 2015 Diamond Edition release of the film.

101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For a full audio review, please click here; note that this link points to the 2015 Diamond Edition release of the film.

101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For this SteelBook release, Disney has chosen for the front cover not a fluffy and friendly dog theme but rather a focus on the film's villain, Cruella De Vil. Against a sinister, menacing red backdrop, the fur-obsessed character stands on the left, full body visible, wearing a fur coat, arms crossed, and scowling. An eyebrow is frighteningly arched, and the outfit is completed by red shoes just a couple of shades lighter than the background. The film's title appears to her left, on the SteelBook's right, slightly above the center axis. The "101" in the title is debossed and is in white, spotted type, reflecting the look of a Dalmatian. The Signature Collection stamp appears bottom-right. Its center is also a red color. The rear side is more playful. A solid black background is the setting for a heap of Dalmatian puppies -- certainly not 101 of them, but rather about three dozen or so -- gathered around Pongo and Perdita. A few of the pups are looking back at the camera, but most are looking lovingly up to the elder animals. The spine brings over the red color and the same type for the title, which runs much of the spine's length. The only difference is that the "101" is not debossed. A Disney Blu-ray logo appears at the top and a Disney logo appears at the bottom. The front and rear panels will show fingerprints but they are not ultra-slick.

Inside, the digital copy code is tucked underneath the left-hand-side tabs. The two discs, one UHD and one Blu-ray, are situated on the right in staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features a hand-drawn image of Pongo and Perdita walking with a good number of Dalmatian puppies across city grass; a stretch of buildings sits behind them. In the doorway of one of the buildings on the left is Cruella in the same pose as seen on the front cover.

For full breakdown of what's supplementally included with this release, please click here.

101 Dalmatians Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

101 Dalmatians may often be overlooked in the long and storied list of Disney's best animated features, but it's a very good entry filled with heart and adventure. The SteelBook is a departure from the expected; the red stands out and the focus on villainy for the front cover is a welcome change of pace. The rear panel is a little more basic and the interior paneling is nice for the more crude but in many ways more fundamentally attractive hand-drawn rendering. Video and audio carry over from the previous issue as do most of the extras (some are new, some are gone, and some are now digital-only). For first-time buyers and packaging enthusiasts only.