101 Dalmatians [1961] [VHS]

The story of 101 Dalmatians starts with the two heroes of the tale, Pongo and Perdita. But when their litter of dalamatian puppies is dognapped by the evil Cruella De Vil’s cronies, the pair must spring into action to save their offspring before Cruella gets herself the new coat that she desires.

But while Pongo and Perdita may be the pair you end up rooting for, the undoubted star of 101 Dalmatians is Cruella De Vil. A wonderfully twisted, genuinely nasty villainess, she’s an astounding creation and adds a real menace to the film. That said, it’s not a downbeat or scary tale: toe-tapping musical numbers, plenty of imagination and a good few chuckles make up the rest of the ingredients, and rarely have they all come together quite so well as they do here.

Retold by Disney in live action form in 1996, it’s nonetheless its animated take on 101 Dalmatians that remains the definitive filmed version. And now packed into a special collectors’ DVD set, there’s never been a better reason to treat your family to a copy. Unmissable, and a reminder of why Disney’s reputation in this field is quite so towering. --Simon Brew