Glycerol (Gly)-plasticized gelatin (Ge) films crosslinked with dialdehyde starch (DAS) as enviromentally friendly crosslinking agent were successfully produced by compression molding, demonstrating the capacity of gelatin of being transformed into films by using thermoplastic processes. The effect of DAS content on the color, light transmission, total soluble matter (TSM), water uptake (WU), water vapor permeability (WVP), oxygen permeability (OP) as well as biodegradability during soil burial was investigated. The addition of Lip to 10 wt % DAS (Ge-10DAS) generated transparent films, with reduced TMS, WU, WVP, and OP values but higher extensivity than the uncrosslinked counterpart. Further incorporating DAS into plasticized-gelatin matrix conducted to phase separation with detrimental effect of transparency and tensile properties. DAS-containing films degraded at slow rate than the uncrosslinked Counterpart, suggesting that biotic attack during soil burial is restricted by covalent crosslinking points induced by DAS. Ge-10DAS films lost about 28%, of their initial mass within the first 8 days of exposure to degrading medium; therefore, the material can be classified as rapidly degradable. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 2166-2178, 2009