101 Dalmatians (1996)

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers (WGA):

Dodie Smith (novel)
John Hughes (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

So many dogs. So little time.

Plot:

A woman kidnaps puppies to kill them for their fur, but various animals then gang up against her and get their revenge in slapstick fashion.

Plot Keywords:

Fashion | Puppy | Dalmatian | Coat | Designer

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Cruella De Vil
Jeff Daniels	...	Roger
Joely Richardson	...	Anita
Joan Plowright	...	Nanny
Hugh Laurie	...	Jasper
Mark Williams	...	Horace
John Shrapnel	...	Skinner
Tim McInnerny	...	Alonzo
Hugh Fraser	...	Frederick
Zohren Weiss	...	Herbert
Mark Haddigan	...	Alan
Michael Percival	...	Police Inspector
Neville Phillips	...	Minister
John Evans	...	Pensioner with Bulldog
Hilda Braid	...	Woman On Park Bench #1

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | South Korea:All | USA:G (Certificate #34935) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Italy:T | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U (cut)

Filming Locations:

Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath, Hampstead, London, England, UK

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

The dogs in Jeff's games are exact replicas of the animated characters in the original One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cruella gets thrown in the air in the barn, the glass breaks before she hits it

Quotes:

Frederick: I thought we liked stripes this year.
Cruella De Vil: What kind of sycophant are you?
Frederick: Uh... what kind of sycophant would you like me to be?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Meitantei Conan: The Mysterious Robbers and Mansion Case: Part 1 (#4.8)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Everybody Wants To Be A Cat

Get yer spots on!

I've noticed something about John Hughes' movies: he started out writing about adults with child-like tendencies ("Mr. Mom", "National Lampoon's Vacation"), went on to actual teenagers ("Sixteen Candles", The Breakfast Club"), devolved down to pre-teens ("Home Alone", "Dennis the Menace") and then babies ("Baby's Day Out") and now that he's exhausted all the ages of man (except the elderly - don't give him any ideas) he's moved on to the animal kingdom with "101 Dalmatians".

You know the basic storyline if you've seen the 1961 Disney animated original - Roger and Anita (Daniels and Richardson) meet and marry then their respective dalmatians Pongo and Perdita have 15 puppies which are coveted by the despicable Cruella DeVil (played con brio by Close) who will have them at any cost to make a puppy fur coat.

What's new this time around? The fact that it's all live action, for one, and the formidable assistance of computers helps create the illusion of dogs and other creatures acting with almost human precision, plus the fact that instead of precocious voices for all the animals they act out voiceless against the human baddies, especially Horace and Jasper (Williams and Laurie), as if the animal kingdom were all channeling Macaulay Culkin.

And, of course, since Hughes wrote the script, you know this won't be Shakespeare - slapstick malice is at the forefront with cute but noble good guys, ugly and dumb bad guys and lots of adorable animals.

But not just dalmatians, mind you: there are all manner of dogs - sheepdogs, bulldogs, terriers, etc. Not to mention horses, sheep, raccoons, rabbits, chickens, pigs, cows, birds and even a mouse in one instance. All of them banding together to bring the dalmatians, all 101 of them, together safely.

Director Herek brings everything together with assurance and all the actors make sure you know that this is a story that is first and foremost for the kiddies. Especially Close - complete with claws on her gloves and a different wardrobe for every scene, she not only chews the scenery but nibbles on it with every tooth in her head and savors the taste like a connoisseur. Bless her.

This isn't the kind of movie that can be successfully analyzed. You either like it or not, depending on what kind of tolerance you have for kiddie slapstick. I like that, so I liked "101 Dalmatians".

Seven stars, plus half a star for Close's diabolical work...and a half star more for the donations from the animal world.