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:

cruella de vil character | square | lover | leash | bowl | 

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Taglines:

Puppy Love.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

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

Lara Flynn Boyle were considered for the role of Cruella DeVil.

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Goofs

When Cruella attempts to hand over the cheque to Anita and Roger, it can be clearly seen dated in the American format, mm/dd/yy. Also the bank sort code on the top right doesn't correspond to the second set of figures at the bottom, which is the case with UK cheques.

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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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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)
(uncredited)
Composed by Harry Dacre
[Roger and Anita ride their bicycles around a gazebo where a band plays this song]

User Reviews

Great children entertainment.

"101 Dalmatians" is perfectly good clean children entertainment. It's has a fun feeling and atmosphere and some great characters.

John Hughes his writing style is notable in this movie. The characters and the humor are similar to his other movies such as the well know movie "Home Alone". The humor is slapstick like at times (especially with the villains Jasper and Horace) which works very effective for a fun children movie like this one.

Of course everything is terribly predictable and nothing that happens in this movie comes as a surprise. It's simple fun and entertainment. The humor is simple but it's good and works effective.

Glenn Close is perfectly cast as über-villain Cruella De Vil and portrays a highly memorable character. She truly is the highlight of the movie and steals the show. She also seemed to had lots of fun playing the over-the-top villainous but oh so fun character. Also good are the more slapstick like, stereotypical villains Jasper and Horace played by Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams. Another fun villain role is played by John Shrapnel who is perhaps best known for his role in "Gladiator".

The fun and perhaps also a bit underrated musical score is done by Michael Kamen. It quite honestly is one of his better works.

Children will enjoy watching this movie and I can know, since I actually saw this movie back in the cinema, when I was still a child myself.

6/10

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