Perdita is very well-mannered, elegant, and ladylike, a complete foil to Pongo's easygoing and carefree nature.
Despite her well-coordinated nature, Perdita tends to fret during hectic situations, but Pongo can calm her. Both Dalmatians are fierce fighters, as demonstrated when they battle Cruella's henchmen, Horace and Jasper. Perdita, sometimes referred to as "Perdy," sports a blue collar and has spotted ears. She and Pongo are the proud parents of fifteen puppies.
ABOUT 101 DALMATIANS:
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as
101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1956 novel
The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. The 17th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the story of a litter of Dalmatian puppies who are kidnapped by the villainous Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson), who wants to use their fur to make into coats. Their parents, Pongo and Perdita (Rod Taylor and Cate Bauer respectively), set out to save their children from Cruella, all the while rescuing 84 additional puppies that were bought in pet shops, bringing the total of Dalmatians to 101.
Originally released to theaters on January 25, 1961, by Buena Vista Distribution,
One Hundred and One Dalmatians was a box office success, pulling the studio out of the financial slump caused by
Sleeping Beauty, a costlier production released two years prior. Aside from its box office revenue, its commercial success was due to the employment of inexpensive animation techniques—such as using xerography during the process of inking and painting traditional animation cels—that kept production costs down. It was reissued to cinemas four times in 1969, 1979, 1985 and 1991. The 1991 reissue was the twentieth highest earning film of the year for domestic earnings. It was remade into a live action film in 1996.
