Disney Plus has your Dalmatian fix as well.
If you’re more of a fan of the characters inspired by Dodie Smith’s novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, then you’re covered, too – not only will the original animated classic 101 Dalmatians from 1961 be part of the lineup, but so will its’ little-known animated sequel 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure.
This is in addition to the wonderfully overlooked 101 Dalmatians: The Animated Series from ABC’s One Saturday Morning lineup, which takes place on Dalmatian Plantation, and the live-action 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians, from 1996 and 2000, respectively, which star Glenn Close (The Natural, Air Force One, Hoodwinked) as legendary villainess Cruella de Vil. (Emma Stone will play the role in an upcoming prequel.)
The incredibly deep (though some might call it “melancholy”) 1981 movie The Fox and the Hound, about the limits of the friendship between Todd the fox )and hound dog Copper, also is included.
This movie stars Mickey Rooney (Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, THe Black Stallion, Night at the Museum) and Kurt Russell (Stargate, Miracle, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), and also features Jack Albertson (Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), Paul Winchell (the original voice of Tigger) and Pat Buttram (The Aristocats, Green Acres).
There was a prequel made in 2006 that’s confusingly titled The Fox and the Hound 2, which stars country star Reba McEntire, comedian Jeff Foxworthy and Patrick Swayze (The Outsiders, Dirty Dancing, Point Break).
The mother of all tearjerkers when it comes to sad animals, 1957’s Old Yeller, based on William Gipson’s novel of the same name, is also available. This story is set in South Texas in the 1860s.
A 1961 film called Grayfriars Bobby is about a Skye Terrier in mid-nineteenth century Scotland, who guarded his master’s grave for 14 years at an Edinburgh cemetery. This doesn’t sound like it would make for a very interesting plot, but it’s a decent premise for a apocryphal urban legend.
The very odd buddy comedy that pairs a fastidious detective played by a young Tom Hanks (A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Toy Story) with a slobbering hulk of a canine in Turner and Hooch is also ready to go from the start. Craig T Nelson (All the Right Moves, Coach, The Incredibles) stars as Hanks’ boss in this murder mystery set in a sleepy coastal Northern California town.
Despite suffering from severe whiplash as far as tone goes, a glacial pacing problem, and far too many scenes of Tom Hanks in his underwear, this is a moving and hilarious classic.