Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

[Disney Duster]

But Marce82, I remember lots of times Maleficent bared her teeth, like when she says, "To wake his love, with love's first kiss..." Also, this screencap shows her in a pose just like the one on the Classics VHS with her teeth bared!

I am sorry guys, but every single 101 Dalmatians cover is so boring. Boring compositions, and almost always in a one-color empty background. I will say I like the Platinum Edition most, because I think seeing all those dogs stretch to off into the distance is epic and cool, and the red is actually nice. My next favorite is the French steelbook JeanGreyForever posted, because it's a well-composed single scene with an actual background. The others are so boring and so similar to me I can't really rate them.

[DisneyBluLife]

UK 101 Dalmatians Blu-ray and DVD "Heroes collection" slipcover.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalmatians-Lim ... B00L9SHY9C

UK 101 Dalmatians Blu-ray and DVD "Villians collection" slipcover.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dalmatians-Spe ... B00JVVDO7K

[Farerb]

I don't really have much to say about 101 Dalmatians since they are all very similar. I'll say that the ones I like the most are the ones which have a non-static background like the french steelbook or the UK Blu-ray, which really represent the artistic design of the film. I also like the Platinum Edition for some reason.
The one I hate the most is the Diamond, I just really don't like the ellipse and I'm surprised no one commented on it previously.

[Disney's Divinity]

1. DMC Exclusive ~ Love love love it. The car, the black border, and the perfect shade of red (whereas the Platinum has sort of an orangey red in order to be a gradient between the solid red at the edges and Cruella's yellow fur). Love it all.
2. UK Blu-ray ~ Only above the Platinum because they re-used the superior Pongo and Perdita pictures from the Diamond. Pongo on the Platinum looks okay, but not as good. I also love that they use the neighborhood, adding some of the character of the film to the cover (which you lose with the clipart).
3. Platinum Edition ~ The car looks amazing on this one. I'm glad they re-used it for the DMC exclusive.
4. Signature Best Buy
5. Signature ~ I like that they included the Colonel and Sgt. Tibbs; probably would've liked it more if they hadn't had the two puppies at the bottom. The look of everything (particularly the soft purple in the background) reminds me of that old poster for the film, with Cruella (whose coat is that purple/grey color) and oodles of puppies.
6. Diamond ~ The garish red logo and the DMR symbol are the worst part. It's okay. Pongo looks perfect though, and it looks like just about every cover since then re-used that picture of him.
7. Signature Target ~ Cruella's eyes in this new drawing for the Target and the standard Signature look a little off. You're right, D82, that the cover would probably look better without Cruella, but I still think it's decent.
8. Masterpiece VHS ~ Looks like some kind of New Year's party going on. I think it's the white dots in the logo that makes me think of confetti.
9. Classics VHS ~ This is the one I grew up with. For some reason, I always hated how Cruella looks on this cover although the dogs look fine. They changed the dogs for the foreign covers, but it's interesting that Cruella alone is entirely different on all three (and doesn't look good on any of them, imo, although the Spanish cover is probably the best that it gets out of those three).
10. French Blu-ray
11. UK Villains Slip-Cover ~ It's a little creepy seeing Cruella drawn with the spotted dalmatian fur coat... It's implying she eventually did kill some dalmatians at some point.
12. UK Heroes Slip-Cover ~ Patch's tongue looks oddly shrunken, lol. It's on the Signature Target DMC covers, too, but at least among everything else it doesn't draw much attention to itself. The French Blu-ray covers the mouth up with the logo.

Interesting to know Patch is called "Tuff" in Sweden. Thanks, DisneyBluLife. I see you also noticed Cruella's crazy eyes on the Signature and its Target exclusive covers.

[JeanGreyForever]

I don't really have much to say about 101 Dalmatians since they are all very similar. I'll say that the ones I like the most are the ones which have a non-static background like the french steelbook or the UK Blu-ray, which really represent the artistic design of the film. I also like the Platinum Edition for some reason.
The one I hate the most is the Diamond, I just really don't like the ellipse and I'm surprised no one commented on it previously.

I agree, that ellipse was awful and I hated how the Diamond Editions resorted to that for The Jungle Book, 101 Dalmatians, and Aladdin. They should have left it as a digital only version like for Cinderella and The Little Mermaid and still offered a regular edition with a normal cover. In fact, 101 Dalmatians is probably the least egregious example because it barely had a regular cover unlike The Jungle Book and Aladdin.

[DisneyBluLife]

Japanese covers of 101 Dalmatians

VHS cover (similiar to the UK, but the puppy on Pongo's head is a different drawing and Cruella is gone from the cover)
https://mobile.twitter.com/tdrexplorer/ ... 6461979648

Laserdisc cover
https://good-squid.myshopify.com/produc ... 6334239878

DVD Platinum edition (A very different cover from the rest
https://s.cinemacafe.net/article/img/20 ... 10650.html

Blu-ray Diamond edition
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Dalmatian ... B00QSYRWU8


What do you think?

[JeanGreyForever]

I really like that DVD Platinum cover. I always felt that was a great image from the film and I like how it was utilized for something. The VHS/Laserdisc cover is nice because of how different it is from the usual fare for this film. Surprising that there's no Cruella though.

[Marce82]

Hey DisneyDuster,

I didn't mean Maleficent never "bares" her teeth... I meant she never grits her teeth in rage... which is a little too cartoony for her. I thought this was what you meant about the classics VHS cover.

The scene you point out is her making the S sound with her mouth, which would show her teeth.

Moving on....

[Marce82]

About 101 Dalmatians...

Interestingly, this one is a bit the opposite of Sleeping Beauty: the execution is generally very good, but the compositions/concepts are kinda bland.

So here we go:

1) Uk blu ray 2012: Great composition, all characters on model... LOVE the background having the xerox line! And this cover does kinda show (or imply) the 99 puppies way off into the distance. The bad: The puppies above the title are a little too small in relation to their parents. Oddly enough, I remember when the Platinum edition was announced in the US, they were going to use this cover, except with Pongo and Perdita with xerox outline. THAT would have been amazing! (update: I just looked up that cover... actually I like the UK cover better... the placement of the puppies is better and Pongo/Perdita are drawn better in the final version)

2) Platinum edition: a little too red... but characters are on model (almost in Pongo's case) and there is an attempt at a background.

3) Spanish VHS: it is semi recycled from the classics VHS, only Cruella looks A LOT better.

4) Diamond Edition: HATE the ellipse thing... but all characters are very on model.

5) Classics VHS: sad that the original cover is so low on the list. The dogs look good, but the background looks cheaply made, and Cruella is way off.

6) Masterpiece dvd: kind of a cute concept, but it's little too cheerful. Someone said on here Cruella looks like a happy neighbor... I AGREE! And she is off model anyway (they made her look like she has cheeks... she doesnt. She has bony cheekbones, no fat in the face).

7) Signature blu: I kinda like it. I like the white background with the purple watercolor-ish stain. Pongo looks great, but Perdita is crosseyed and her eyebrows don't match. They recycled Cruella, but opened her eyes... and she looks VERY strange that way.

8 ) DMC Exclusive: It's a little bland... too red. And it's mostly recycled clip art.

9) Target: All recycled clip art... and cluttered. Same notes as Signature about Cruella.

10) UK VHS: dogs look good (though recycled from other art), but Cruella looks terrible. Poorly drawn hands, and is posed like a simpleton baddie. Where is her refinement?!?! The background looks TERRIBLE. Badly drawn, flat and poorly rendered.

11) Best Buy: who picked that pose for Cruella??? It's so bland... so unlike her. And her coat is not voluminous enough. Her face isn't well drawn and her expression looks like a pouty teenager who didnt get her way.

Overall, 101 got some pretty decent covers!

[Farerb]

I kind of like Cruella with her open crazy eyes because she is CRAZY.

[DisneyBluLife]

About 101 Dalmatians...

Interestingly, this one is a bit the opposite of Sleeping Beauty: the execution is generally very good, but the compositions/concepts are kinda bland.

So here we go:

1) Uk blu ray 2012: Great composition, all characters on model... LOVE the background having the xerox line! And this cover does kinda show (or imply) the 99 puppies way off into the distance. The bad: The puppies above the title are a little too small in relation to their parents. Oddly enough, I remember when the Platinum edition was announced in the US, they were going to use this cover, except with Pongo and Perdita with xerox outline. THAT would have been amazing! (update: I just looked up that cover... actually I like the UK cover better... the placement of the puppies is better and Pongo/Perdita are drawn better in the final version)

Here is the cover, concept art for 101 Dalmatians Platinum edition.
https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/DEC074991

[Disney Duster]

Okay Marce82, you're right.

DisneyBluLife, that Platinum Edition preliminary cover is the best one!!!!

[Marce82]

Hey DisneyDuster...

I wasn't trying to be all "me me me, Im right, look at me". I actually think Maleficent's mouth is a little up to interpretation, but I lean one way, and I was just explaining why. But it is not an open-and-shut case.

Ironically, now I WILL have a "me me me, look at me" moment: I AM the one who brought up the preliminary 101 Platinum!
But thank you DisneyBlu for posting it!

And Fareb.... yeah... Cruella IS kinda crazy, but that pose doesn't convey crazy. That is her "Anita dah-ling!" pose... when she is trying to be charming so she can eventually buy the puppies.

[Disney Duster]

Oh, you weren't being like that to me, but thanks for saying that Marce82. And thanks for bringing up that Platinum cover!

[Disney's Divinity]

DVD Platinum edition (A very different cover from the rest
https://s.cinemacafe.net/article/img/20 ... 10650.html

Oh, this one's gorgeous. One of my favorite shots from the movie. I'd put it fourth on my list after the regular Platinum.

I'm not sure what you mean about the Platinum and DMC covers being "too red," Marce82? How are they too red if that's what they're supposed to look like? If it comes down to taste--different strokes, but that color suits Dalmatians very well.

[Marce82]

Hey Disney Divinity....


Ok, I will try to elaborate a little on what I meant by "too red". Red is a very bright color, and in this case, VERY saturated. 101 Dalmatians is NOT a very saturated movie... it is very soft in it's color palette. It's overcast London, snowy landscapes, black and white dogs.... even the lining of Cruella's coat is not that bright a red. So why attach this super strong red to THIS movie?

Having a very saturated red as a dvd cover... yes, it draws attention, but it doesn't really match the tone of the film. And in the case of the DMC cover... it's so lazy: A red flat BG with recycled character art.

I hope this clears up my view of it.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm sure part of the reason is to make the film look exciting on the shelf. But more than that, there are lots of neutrals in Dalmatians--Cruella's black and white hair, black dress, the black and white dalmatians, the white and brown scenery, Nanny, Colonel, Tibbs, Horace and Jasper are all neutrals (grey, brown, black, white). The brightest colors in the thing are the red and blue dog collars, Cruella's red car, red bedroom, red heels, lipstick, and gloves. Her car is a shock of red among the rest of the film, which likely plays a part in why she's what the film is most known for. That's why I think it's appropriate they go with red rather than light yellow or neutrals. It would be pretty drab otherwise.

[D82]

Well, red is a color that suits the black and white of the Dalmatians very well, as you said, Disney's Divinity. I think that's the main reason why they use it in covers. Apart from the red elements in the movie you've both mentioned, it's also used for the title and at the end of the opening credits. Also, most of the theatrical posters for the film have solid-colored backgrounds, so maybe it's a bit of a tradition for this movie. Perhaps because, unlike previous Disney classics, this one has a contemporary setting and these kinds of backgrounds give covers a modern look, which suits the movie. I personally I like them. They may require less effort to make, but if they're well done, they can look elegant and classy, as it's the case of the DMC Exclusive in my opinion.

DVD Platinum edition (A very different cover from the rest
https://s.cinemacafe.net/article/img/20 ... 10650.html

I also love that shot from the film. It may not represent the whole movie too well, but it undoubtedly makes for a beautiful cover.

There's also this special packaging for the Platinum Edition in the UK. It reminds me of the Masterpiece VHS cover but with updated clipart so I'm quite a fan.

That cover has actually grown on me. I still don't like that the puppies are so small in relation to their parents, but it's more refined than the Masterpiece VHS, the other cover in which the characters interact with the title.

[Disney Duster]

Marce82, I think you have an issue with size and perspective when the covers are not meant to literally be the same perspective all over it. Like, for instance, in that 101 Dalmatians cover, Pongo and Perdita are supposed to be big because they are not on the same plane as the puppies or Cruella. They are in a new plane inside the 0. It's like how on, like Star Wars posters, everything is a different size.

[Marce82]

Hey DisneyDuster,


No, I have no issue when they INTENTIONALLY have a character on a different plane, but it needs to make sense: if the character IS part of an environment, it has to make sense (perspective wise) to the ground and other characters in the same space.

EXAMPLE: The puppies above the title (in the 101 UK blu ray) are TOUCHING their parents, which clearly shows they are in the same plane/space as Pongo and Perdita. Their size in relation to their parents is off. The puppies on the ground are ok size wise.

And I have no issue with the characters above the title being in a different size in relation to the rest of the cover... That is clearly intentional.