These Disney movies were based on books. And I’m not talking about the classic fairytale princesses but. . .

Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten

The Rescuers by Margery Sharp (this was actually a series)

101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith (also has a sequel)

Just a fun thing that I discovered at the local library and so I read the books.

They are a bit old-fashioned, which makes sense considering the publication dates (1923, 1959, 1956 respectively). They are entertaining tales and have additional plots like the fact that Cruella had a just-as-evil Persian cat as the dogs’ nemeses; Bianca and Bernard had a third mice friend named Nils; Bambi has a wise grandmother doe figure named Nettla and so on.

So for a kid-friendly throwback, make it a marathon, read these books and follow it up with the Disney classics.