When Disney began to share more details about Disney+ last spring, one of the reveals was that 101 Dalmatian Street would make its US debut on the streaming service. November 12th came and went without any sign of the series and Disney even left it off their list of content that would debut on February 28th. To everyone’s surprise and delight, all twenty-seven episodes of the Disney Television Animation series were added last Friday and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
The original 101 Dalmatians was one of the few modern Disney animated films, taking place in the 1960’s when it was released. The work of Dodie Smith has been adapted multiple times by Disney over the years, including a live-action film in 1996 that inspired an ABC One Saturday Morning animated series about the puppies on their Dalmatian Plantation. In addition to the spotted canine breed, the thing they all had in common was that they took place in the modern era and 101 Dalmatian Street is no different.
What surprised me the most is that the familiar dogs from the previous iterations are not carried over. There’s no Pongo, Perdita, Patch, Lucky, Penny, Rolly, Freckles, or Pepper to be found here. In fact, the dogs in 101 Dalmatian Street are descendants of them several generations removed. And while the dogs live in a human world, they lack a Roger or Anita human character to look after them. These independent pups have a father who works as a fire dog who is able to afford their London flat on his salary.
Oldest siblings Dylan and Dolly have their paws full taking care of their 97 younger brothers and sisters while their parents are at work. They go on all kinds of crazy adventures around London and torment their pretentious corgi neighbor in this high-energy animated series that’s fun for the whole family.
With so many dalmatian puppies needing distinct personalities and easy to identify styles, the series’ creators have taken a more stylized approach. Dolly, for example, has big ears and one is always sticking out to make her easy to spot, pun intended. There are three triplets that have varying coiffures, an inverted sibling named Dante, a zen-like sibling with a yin-yang spot on his face, and an artistic one with rainbow colored spots.
The original film’s Xerox look may be gone, but the backgrounds draw some inspiration from the original film. Line art is occasionally intentionally out of place from the background color to a smaller degree than it was in the animated classic. Something that visually sets the backgrounds of the series apart is the sponge-painted look, which gives it a more kiddie esthetic.
101 Dalmatian Street is mostly a new, original series that feels at home on Disney Channel in the 2010’s. It carries over some elements from the original source material, including the “Worldwide Woof” replacing the “Twilight Bark.” Cruella De Vil fans will spot her shadow in the credits and she’ll make an appearance or two before the series ends, but I hope you enjoy the ride leading up to it the way I did.
I give 101 Dalmatian Street 4 out of 5 Worldwide Woofs.