101 Dalmatians (1996)

An evil high-fashion designer plots to steal Dalmatian puppies in order to make an extravagant fur coat, but instead creates an extravagant mess.

Director:

Stephen Herek

Writers:

Dodie Smith (novel), John Hughes (screenplay)

Stars:

Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Close	...	Cruella DeVil
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

Storyline

After a wild chase in the bustling streets of London, the struggling computer game author, Roger, and his male Dalmatian pet, Pongo--by a welcome twist of fate--are dragged into St. James Park and meet with the charming fashion designer, Anita, and her female Dalmatian companion, Perdita. Soon, one thing will lead to another, and before they know it, Roger and Anita will get married and the adorable Perdita, pregnant. However, their short-lived joy is disrupted when Anita's glamorous but horrible boss, Cruella DeVil, dognaps the innocent puppies with the intention of making a luxurious coat with the dogs' fabulously spotted fur. Eventually, along with Perdita's 15 pups, Cruella will manage to bring the total to the staggering number of 99 Dalmatians; nevertheless, are the cute little puppies as helpless as they look?

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Plot Keywords:

dalmatian | live action remake | dog actor | car set on fire | cruella de vil character | 

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Taglines:

This time, the magic is real.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

101 Dálmatas

Filming Locations:

Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,073,479, 1 December 1996, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$136,189,294

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$320,689,294

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Wizzer Productions, Great Oaks Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Daniels (Roger) says that on more than one occasion, he heard an authoritative voice on the dog-strewn set shout "Sit!" and immediately plopped himself into a chair only to be told, "Not you, Jeff."

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Goofs

Anita somehow did not know she was pregnant until Nanny told her. If Anita had missed a part of her menstrual cycle then she should had suspected she was at least expecting.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Television News Reporter: [on TV] We're all familiar with the illegal poaching of endangered animals in the wild, but never before has an animal in captivity been slaughtered for its pelt. Animal protection groups that monitor the international trade in game contraband have further told us that a white Siberian tiger is so rare that the offer of a pelt would surely draw the attention of law enforcement agencies.
[Perdy whimpers]
Television News Reporter: Shortly before dawn this morning security staff at London Zoo discovered the ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

After the end credits, Cruella's laugh can be heard as the Walt Disney logo appears.

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Alternate Versions

UK theatrical version had some dialogue substituted to secure a 'U' rating.

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Connections

Referenced in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Charlie Rules the World (2012)

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Soundtracks

Cruella De Vil
Written by Mel Leven
Produced by John Clayton and Dr. John (as Mac Rebennack)
Performed by Dr. John

User Reviews

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.