What Do I Think Of 101 DALMATIAN STREET?

NOTE: This was originally posted in April 2019.

Disney's Television Animation division is quite interesting to say the least. While it does borrow from some of its properties in their movies canon like "The Lion King" and "The Jungle Book", as well as much of their Disney Princess catalog, Disney also has lots of passionate animators working on cartoons for the small screen that have interesting and unique synopsises and premises with hopes of these being fleshed out into entire series of episodes that show stronger and weaker points. Cartoons made for Toon Disney, Disney Channel, and in more recent times Disney XD and Disney Junior, were essentially able to be put up against other competing networks known for cartoons, Nick and Cartoon Network being prominent examples. All of Disney's networks have placed their focus on this original content at various points in time, major examples being "Kim Possible" and "American Dragon: Jake Long" for 2000s children or "Star "Gravity Falls" and Vs. The Forces Of Evil" for audiences living in the mid to late 2010s. Lately, though it seems like the TV division has been getting back to borrowing from its theatrical properties. "The Lion Guard" is a major example of this as it is a cash cow that has generated interest by LK fans as well as younger audiences who most likely watch Disney Junior regularly. There is also the "Ducktales" reboot that has enticed several people, as well as shows like "The 7D" that is a spinoff series of "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs". And one prominent example of Disney going back to their roots to attempt to bring back fans of their classic properties is "101 Dalmatian Street".

There is a very interesting story surrounding the circumstances of this cartoon. "101 Dalmatian Street" is the second series in the beloved "101 Dalmatians" franchise, which makes it one of the Mouse House's few properties to have more than one show to its name. But another huge fact that needs to be revealed is that this show is not being produced by the true Disney studio. Two lesser known companies are overseeing this show's production, Passion Animation Studios who has worked on Cartoon Network shows as well as music videos for Gorillaz, and Atomic Cartoons, a Canadian company responsible for production work on "Atomic Betty", who is the titular mascot of the company. That is not to say Disney has no involvement in this, of course, because Disney/ABC Domestic Television is the series main distributor, and they have launched the show in several overseas territories, including the UK, starting on March 18th of this year. No word has been minced on when the American street date is, but it looks likely that we will be getting it in what appears to be a few months, or that's what I hope for at least. The first five ten-minute segments of the series were leaked onto YouTube before being taken down, but luckily I did get a chance to take a look at them to see if this is a show with a promising future ahead of it, so without further adieu, let's look into that.

First, the overall plot of the show, which takes an estimated 60 years later than the original movie. According to the creators of the show at an Annecy Film Festival appearance, they have only claimed to see the original film by Walt Disney, making this more canon to the original story than much of the other media that has come from the franchise, especially the great "101 Dalmatians: The Series", which despite being a classic series is not canon to any of the movies and decides to do its own thing. This show fits closer in the continuity of this franchise than that despite differing animation styles. If you are familiar with the franchise in any way shape or form, yes, it does revolve around 101 dalmatian characters, the two leads in the series being Dylan and Dolly (played by Josh Brener of HBO's "Silicon Valley" and Michaela Dietz of CN's "Steven Universe"), the eldest pups who tend to their many siblings while their working parents, Doug and Delilah (played by Rhashan Stone and Ella Kenion), are away. What makes this setup unique and alluring is that there isn't a single instance of human interaction as the owner, named after the original book's author Dodie Smith, is stated to be an eccentric billionaire and now lives on an island. So, basically, these four-legged characters own this house and make their own rules and regulations which is a unique pitch and can make for very interesting episodes and ideas.

Now, first and foremost, before I get to any of the five episodes and state my opinion on them individually, I'd like to say this about the overall tone of the show and about the characters/animation/et cetera. As previously stated, the show is being handled by a couple of animation studios other than Disney. Whereas Disney likes to focus on designs more true to what an actual dog or animal looks like with humanistic facial features, Passion Animation and Atomic Cartoons have created a cartoon that does its own thing in terms of its animation style. There is a very expressive and well-flowing element to this animation style, particularly in the movement of these characters and their facial expressions, and it works well here. The backgrounds are also visually appealing and feature a lot of color and vibrant looks to them, even in scenes in the show that take place at night. The designs of the characters are also of note here because while they do stick with the iconic dalmatian look, the characters all have different looks to them. One of Dolly's major features, for example, is her long ears which have been heavily comparative to Cadpig's character design from the previous series, but because of the animation style it works very well here. Several other characters have unique ideas including one character that uses a wheelchair for dogs named Delgado (who I haven't seen in an episode yet), and a goth character named Dante who is fearing that the end of the world is coming.

Aside from the characters having a good design to them and being well animated within the construct this series, these are also well executed characters with likable personalities to them. Dylan is a neurotic and apprehensive perfectionist who appears to be somewhat weak and is more likely to back out of a problematic situation. Dolly is the more adventurous tomboy of the two leads and often the one with off-kilter and outlandish ideas. This is a classic contrast we've seen dozen of times in all sorts of media, but it's one that rarely gets old. On this show, it works incredibly well and the voice acting enhances that aspect a ton. Josh Brener and Michaela Dietz are perfect for these characters and I can't see anyone else lending their voices to these characters. Brener's voice fits the more hesitant personality of Dylan, and Dietz has that gruff delivery but still makes Dolly just as appealing to the female audience as she is to the male audience, and both actors make their respective characters extremely charismatic and likable. The other characters have that likability to them as well particularly Dante (Kyle Soller) and Diesel (Bert Davis), but the main characters really carry this show so far as is to be expected in any production. In order for a show or a movie to work, the characters that we primarily focus on have to be engaging without overstepping anything or being generic or flat, and in the case of Dylan and especially Dolly, these are fantastic new additions to the franchise.

"Dog's Best Friend" was the first episode to be released from this show and it gives a good expectation for the series and is proof that these animators and personnel have good ideas in them. The episode revolves around the dalmatians getting a "human pet" after learning that their their next door neighbor Clarissa has a human that does the chores. I really love this concept and it does make for some very creative imagery and scenes. One scene that sticks out very well to me is when Dylan is taking the human, known as Mr. Fuzzy, for a walk. Mr. Fuzzy is seen on his phone throughout the episode and is apparently looking for someone to date, evident in this scene where he stops just like a normal dog would to stare at his love interest so to speak. Dylan is tugging at the leash trying to get Mr. Fuzzy to walk, which eventually leads into a game of fetch using the cell phone. That is a very unique idea that takes this concept we've seen before and applies it to dogs. It's a basic responsibility story that isn't executed in exactly the same way as a lot of other episodes of shows or even movies are executed, and that's what I really enjoy about this episode so much. Admittedly, I feel like the pacing is a bit too fast, but for a ten-minute short, I can easily see how that is a necessary element.

"Boom Night" is the sister episode to "Dog's Best Friend", and admittedly, I am not super big on this one but there is still a unique idea here. It is said to be a parody of horror movie franchise "The Purge", and it revolves around the dogs not being allowed to go out on Boom Night which from what I understand is a holiday that takes place on November 5th in the UK. It isn't as apparent that this is a parody of "The Purge" because it doesn't revolve around the same themes as any of those films like crime, murder, or any of the political undertones, but I do appreciate what they're trying to do with this episode. It's a story similar to "The Purge" that has zero of the "scary" themes that would freak out any children watching and instead goes for a more kid-friendly take on it. I haven't seen any of the movies in this franchise even though surprisingly I have one on DVD and I've seen clips from that particular movie, so I am so not sure what fans of the franchise will think of this if they happen to come across it. Maybe they'll find it to be a serviceable parody of the source material and find it funny, or maybe they'll not like it as much, but "Boom Night" works OK as an episode. It's just not the best of this series so far.

Episodes like "Power To The Puppies" and "Who The Dog Do You Think You Are" are more of what I'm looking for in terms of consistent appeal that is somewhat long lasting. These make up the second episode of the show, and boy are they great. Both of these episodes deal with leadership/authority in some way. "Power To The Puppies" focuses on Dylan and Dolly and their abilities to watch over their puppy siblings, leading into a contest to see who is the better watchdog even though in an odd twist of fate their diirty and digging obsessed sibling Diesel is the winner. "Who The Dog Do You Think You Are" revolves around two of the pups, Dizzy and Dee Dee, believing that Dylan had a royal ancestor, attracting Clarissa who turns Dylan into a "king" so to speak. These episodes are insanely good and have a lot of moments that work well. The voice acting is top notch in both of these, even from the child actors, and the story elements they play around with in these episodes are interesting. Admittedly though, "Walkies On The Wild Side", the fifth segment overall, is more along with "Boom Night" in quality in being an episode that is fine, but experiences somewhat of a lull in its first half before really picking up in the second half. Some moments do stick out here, such as the World Wide Woof scene which is the successor to the Twilight Bark, and Dolly trying to cheer the puppies during a thunderstorm, but despite bearing a plotline I am all in for, (it's an episode about Dylan being a wild dog), the episode is really just OK.

Overall, I have faith that this series has a promising future ahead of it. Some episodes are lesser in quality than others as it stands currently but even in these episodes they still work in some elements that can make you come back to them. Again, it's risky to make a parody of "The Purge" with dalmatian characters, and it's interesting how they make it apply to a holiday that is prominent in the United Kingdom. And the episodes that do work REALLY work. These aren't exactly the greatest writers in the world, there are some jokes that don't work as well (there is one bathroom joke in "Dog's Best Friend" that does bring the episode down for just a little bit before getting right back to the goods), but in the construct of this show I can tell that they're trying to make ideas work and they're cognizant of how charismatic the two leads are. These are characters that I can see appealing to any demographic and they're not in any way boring or unlikable. So, it makes sense that they can make this show work well. This is really just scratching the surface as there have been clips released from other episodes like "May Contain Nuts", "Snow Day", and "Winter Funderland", and from what I've seen of them, there is even more potential and even more of a style here. More episodes are bound to be aired so when I have a good opportunity to watch them, I'll give an update and explain if my suspicions ring true. Overall, it does look like "101 Dalmatian Street" is headed towards being one of the best shows Disney has done in a long time. If it's going to be a while before the rumored "Lady And The Tramp" series hits the air, "101 Dalmatian Street" looks like it will be the perfect thing to hold us over until that happens.

What do you guys think of "101 Dalmatian Street" so far? When do you think the show will come out in the US? Do you like the characters and the episodes they've released so far? What do you think of the other episodes that have aired in full internationally for those of you who don't live in America? Leavy any thoughts in the comments down below, and expect more content to be coming your way soon from Scamp4553. Take care.