101 Dalmatians

The film follows closely the original story and tells the tale of London couple Roger and Anita who meet through a Dalmatian dog mixup in a London Park and fall in love, marry and find themselves the happy "parents" of 15 beautiful Dalmatian puppies when their Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita begin a family of their own. Their happiness is short lived however when Anita's boss the dastardly Cruella De Vil spots the puppies and immediately makes plans to have the puppies kidnapped so that she can turn their pelts into the extravagant spotted fur coat she has always dreamed of having. What ensures is a comical tale full of laughs, great stunts and hilarious situations of the "boo the villian, cheer the dogs" variety. The Dalmatian parents, with the aid of many assorted members of the animal kingdom from woodpeckers, squirrels, and assorted sheep pigs, and dogs not only succeed in tracking down the missing puppies in their hideout but also outwit Cruella and her incompetent accomplices at every turn. The animals revenge on Cruella and her accomplices makes for most of the humour as they find themselves being dumped through falling roofs, landing in tubs of gooey molasses and being smelled out by skunks!

No expense was spared on this production and indeed all the live action characters bare an amazing resemblance to their cartoon counterparts. Gleen Close towers over the whole production in her performance as Disney Studios most famous villianess the totally over the top Cruella De Vil. Her makeup, hair styles and clothing is everything you would imagine Cruella to be. It is to the credit of Glenn Close that she succeeds totally in bringing to life such a well known and "loved" cartoon villianess. A supremely talented actress as seen in such diverse roles as those in "Fatal Attraction", "Dangerous Liaisons", "Meeting Venus", and "Paradise Road" among others, she is a total riot as the bizzare fashion designer with an extreme fur fetish. It is she who makes "101 Dalmatians" such memorable viewing and her encounters with the animals in the second half of the film will have you laughing for ages. The sight of Cruella rising out of the tub of molasses where she has been unceremoniously dumped by the animal brigade will bring fits of laughter to the viewer. The film also boasts the great talents of Jeff Daniels and the lovely Joely Richardson as Roger and Anita the loving couple drawn to each other by their fondness for Dalmatians, and the gifted Joan Plowright as Anita's former Nanny who finds herself performing the role again but this time for the 15 puppies in the house. Much of the comedy stems from the great playing by Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams as the wacky Jasper and Horace employed by Cruella who's job it is to steal the puppies for Cruella. They receive the main brunt of the animals "revenge" to great comic effect as does John Shrapnel in the role of the sinister scarred Skinner who is employed to turn the puppies coats into Cruella's new coat. The animal stunts performed in this film will have you gasping as the animals seem top take on human personalities of their own to brilliant effect. The location photography around London and in the snow scenes at Cruella's hideaway also create a very pleasing look to the film.

I never fail to watch "101 Dalmatians" without finding a smile appearing on my face. It is a totally delightful film that is just as much for adults as it is children which is a real credit to the Disney Studios. Glenn Close really makes the film a viewing experience with her over the top playing here but if you are in anyway a dog lover you can't help but be totally captivated by these delightful 101 spotted creatures charming the audience in "101 Dalmatians". Enjoy!


My Favorite movie of all time!   February 21, 2006
Taylor Hodgkins (The 1980's)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

101 Dalmatians is simply my favorite movie of all time. Funny plot and loveable charcthers and great rated G horror movie. I was very young when I saw "101 Dalmatians" in 1996 and I was So scared of Cruella but, that is sort of a good thing because Glenn Close's proformance is so great and that is what I look for in a movie. Almost 10 years later, "Dalmatians" is still fresh and great. One thing I have a problem with is the price for the DVD. Even though I love this movie, Im not going to pay that price. Great movie way awful DVD price.

Summary: Anita {Joley Richardson} and Rodger {Jeff Daniels} are from two totally diffrent worlds. The only thing they have in common is they own Dalmatian dogs. Anita is a fasion designer and Rodger is a video game designer. They meet when thier dogs, Pongo and Perdy find eachother in the park. Rodger and Anita meet, fall in love and marry. So happily eaer after right? WRONG! Anita's boss Cruella Dev il{Glenn Close} happens to love fur and her favorite kind is dalmatian fur. With the help of two henchmen Horace and Jasper, Cruella plans to steal the 15 puppies that belong to Pongo and Perdy. The dogs will get even and that results to a happy ending.

If you have young children I reccomend the 1961 animated movie. The animals talk and Cruella is less scary. Please wait untill your kids are older before viewing this movie. If your going to buy this movie, buy the VHS or wait untill hopefully, the price of the DVD goes down. What would please me would be a 10th anneversery DVD with lots of extras and for it to be reasonablly priced. Check out the sequel to this movie "102 Dalmatians", although it might not be as good as this it's a fair sequel.

Taylor Hodgkins 2/20/06


BEWARE- Not For Easily Scared Children.   December 6, 2001
Hillary (Brooklyn, New York)
6 out of 12 found this review helpful

While I thought the animated old version was adorable and funny, this remake is far from that..........I bought this video for my daughter when she was 4, and after watching it, she became upset for months about Cruella and scary robbers. This movie gave her her first nightmares, even though we hadn't even finished the film. While we were watching, she started to get tears in her eyes. I asked her if I should shut it off, and she said yes. She saw enough dark gloomy scenes in the castle, evil dialogue from the robbers, and Cruella talking about smashing the puppies heads in and skinning them to traumatize her for quite awhile............I was so angry about this being considered a movie suitable for all ages, that I e-mailed Disney with my angry thoughts. No response. I read a review of one parent saying they watch this repeatedly with a 18 month old and he loves it. Beware, he is responding only to the visual stimuli, not absorbing the plot. An older child between 3 and 8 might find this quite frightening. ..................Disney movies aren't necessarily heartwarming or innocent. Everyone loves a great villain, but when they are played by real people and not cartoons, a young child WILL find them frightening. There's too much violence and cruelty in 101 Dalmatians, and this film should only be for children over 8. By that time, they have a better understanding of reality and fantasy. No matter how bright, (my daughter is gifted), below the age of 8, their emotions are not ready for this film. ...............As much as Cruella is a great character, can't deny that...she's not for the young and impressionable. Know what you are showing your child ahead of time if you have any reservations about possible inappropriate content by previewing alone first. I learned the hard way, but worst of all, my daughter didn't have to if I'd known. Robbers, stealing, killing, assaulting and gloom are not pleasant at any age, but for your child? Consider this carefully, also factor in your childs age and temperament before allowing this "Disney Classic" onto your roster.


Family Funny   November 21, 2005
Lonnie E. Holder (Sullivan, Illinois United States)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

In 1996, Disney remade the animated classic "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" into a live-action movie. The plot was kept very similar to the original, with enough variation from the original to keep the plot fresh. I found this version to be enjoyable and sufficiently family friendly that I have enjoyed watching it more than once.

Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) is a fashion maven who loves fur. Cruella is also more than a little wacko. Anita (Joely Richardson) is a mousy designer who designs new fashions for Cruella. Off in another orbit, Roger (Jeff Daniels) is an unsuccessful geek video game designer. All is well with the world until Roger and Anita's paths cross, courtesy of Pongo and Perdita, their pet Dalmatians. One splash in the pond leads to another, and the next thing you know everyone is married.

Somewhere along the line we learn that Cruella's latest love is spotted fur, and Cruella has her eye on Dalmatians to provide her with a new fur coat. Initially Anita and Roger are blissfully unaware of Cruella's new obsession, until Cruella attempts to buy the puppies. After Anita and Roger refuse, Cruella calls on two bumbling henchmen Jasper (Hugh Laurie) and Horace (Mark Williams) to steal the puppies. Fortunately for all the dogs are smarter than the bad guys and the good guys alike, because they end up needing to save themselves.

The beginning of this movie is a bit cumbersome and barely held my interest. However, once the dogs take center stage the movie picks up and gets quite funny in places. When the dogs take over in the search for the puppies and then plot the escape of the puppies I got several good laughs and a lot of smiles. Even better, Cruella De Vil is sufficiently cartoonish that she is unlikely to scare nearly anyone, which is why this movie is rated G.

There is always danger in remakes. However, I think this remake works. This remake does not replace the original, but is an addition to the original that can stand side-by-side with it. Each version has its charms, and I will resist the temptation to compare the two very much, instead leaving it to the discerning viewer to determine whether they have a favorite.