101 Dalmatians **** (1996, Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Hugh Laurie) – Classic Movie Review 2224

Director Stephen Herek’s sprightly 1996 live-action version of the 1961 Walt Disney animation classic spot-lights comedy, fantasy and fun-filled adventure, in an adorable, irresistible story based on the 1956 novel by Dodie Smith. It sits up and begs for you to love it!

The inimitable Glenn Close is magnificent as a deliciously campy, evil Cruella De Vil, a fashion house boss who simply must have a spotty coat made from puppy skins. And so, she is soon plotting a fur-ocious scheme to get her ultimate Dalmatian garment. Close makes a veritable banquet of her turn as the iconic villainess Cruella.

Joely Richardson plays fashion designer Anita and Jeff Daniels is Roger computer-game writer she falls for and marries, setting up home with their Dalmatian pups Perdita and Pongo. But the puppies are kidnapped by Anita’s boss Cruella, who is kidnapping young Dalmatians to make that coat. Pongo and Perdita set out to find and rescue the 99 pups from their captors Jasper (Hugh Laurie) and Horace (Mark Williams).

With an easy-going, engaging screenplay by Eighties Brat Pack writer-director John Hughes, Disney’s live-action version of its famed cartoon feature is daft and predictable, but, pleasingly so, even the hard-to-pull-off slapstick comedy. And it’s also still a lot of fast and fur-ious fun. Fortunately, they made a wise decision to have no talking animals this time. That would have been just too silly.

Jeff Daniels co-stars and there’s a useful round-up of the usual suspects in supporting actors Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright, Hugh Laurie, John Shrapnel, Tim McInnerny, Margery Mason and Hugh Fraser. The animatronic creatures are by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

The UK première of the film was held on 4 December 1996 in London at the Royal Albert Hall, whose exterior was lit with Dalmatian spots. Disney found the world was going to the dogs when the film performed very well at the box office, earning $136million in the United States and $314million worldwide. Critics attacked the slapstick humour but praised Close’s performance. A sequel, 102 Dalmatians, followed in 2000. In 2015 a live action Cruella de Vil film is in development by Disney.

Minster Court was used as the exterior of Cruella’s fashion house and Sarum Chase was used as the exterior of her home.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2224

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