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.

Release Year: 1996

Rating: 5.4/10 (31,272 voted)

Critic's Score: 49/100

Director: Stephen Herek

Stars: Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson

Storyline
Fashion designer Anita and computer-game writer Roger meet, fall in love and marry along with their dalmatians Perdita and Pongo. But the proud dogs' puppies are kidnapped by Anita's boss Cruella De Vil, who is stealing young dalmatians to make the coat she has set her heart on. Enlisting the help of the British animal kingdom, Pongo and Perdita set out to find and rescue all ninety-nine pups from their fearsome captors, Jasper and Horace.

Writers: Dodie Smith, John Hughes

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

Taglines: So many dogs. So little time.

Official Website: Disney |

Release Date: 27 November 1996

Filming Locations: Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath, Hampstead, London, England, UK

Opening Weekend: $45,073,479 (USA) (1 December 1996) (2794 Screens)

Gross: $168,700,000 (Worldwide) (except USA)

Runtime: 103 min

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."

Goofs:
Factual errors: Escaped raccoons have sometimes established small populations in England, including Suffolk, where the climax of the film is set. However, no skunks have ever been recorded out of captivity in the British Isles.

Quotes:
Woman On Park Bench #1: [Pongo runs hard enough to break his leash from Roger's bike, causing it to continue rolling downhill until hitting the bench; he is flung off and over it, into the pond] I don't think he wanted to do that.

Out of the box

Rating:

As a very young child, I grew up on the 1961 101 Dalmatians. I loved the show, and I remember thinking that it was one of Disney's best. So when the 1996 live-action remake came out, I had my doubts that anything could be as good as the original. I was wrong. This movie is absolutely fantastic! It is beautifully written and the dogs are so cute and loveable... but I think the thing that ties it all together is the casting. The characters were brought to life in a totally believeable way--from Jeff Daniels as the Dalmatian-loving, Cruella-hating Roger Dearly, to Ms.DeVil herself, played to perfection by the unbeatable Glenn Close. All of the actors fill the shoes of their characters, the comic timing is just right, and everything about it spells a Disney masterpiece.

Comments: