Charming movie

Definitely one of the better Disney films and rightly a classic. And more entertaining than other animal films of the time, such as Robin Hood.

The characters are very sympathetic, human and canine alike. The relationship between the husband and his wife is one of the most enjoyable in any Disney film. Their meet-cute scene is truly delightful. And the scene where the husband barely, just barely, but does manage to stand up to Cruella by saying, nervously but firmly, that she won't take a single puppy is truly heroic, given how visibly timid he is about it.

And the wife is beautiful and elegant, yet kind and sincere, one of the most engaging of Disney's adult female characters. The couple is presented as one where the wife comes from money and the husband less so, but the film shows what a loving relationship can develop even in that circumstance, even as it also shows some of the pressures of that situation.

If I have any criticism of the film, it's that I wish that there had been more of the couple. I would have enjoyed seeing more of both husband and wife.

Cruelle is, of course, an iconic villain, but I think her greatest importance is as a quasi-mother-in-law, for that is the relationship that she basically has with the couple. (Though obviously she is not actually the mother-in-law, her attitude toward the husband is very much that of a wife's mother-in-law who thinks that her daughter married someone unworthy of her.)

And of course, Pongo is a terrific character, written and acted to perfection, with a touch of British class and a lot of heart.

The story has action galore, but tells a great tale of friendship and loyalty and family. The pursuit through the countryside feels like a WWII film, with the dogs and puppies representing a family caught behind enemy lines and trying to get home, meeting members of the resistance along the way.

The puppies themselves are adorable yet somehow manage NOT to be annoying, as can often be the case with kiddie-type characters.

Besides wanting more of the husband-wife, I would also say that I don't care for this cruder style of Disney animation, which appears in so many Disney films of the '60s and '70s. Though then again, the nature of the story allows for it more than a more epic tale would have.

Very enjoyable film. Deserves its high reputation.