101 Dalmatians (Live Action)

What’s the Story?

Disney's updated movie version of 101 DALMATIANS stays true to their 1961 animated classic with some minor changes, most noticeably of which are the careers of the three main human characters. Instead of being a lyricist, Roger (Jeff Daniels) makes video games and Anita (Joely Richardson) is a clothing designer for nasty Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close), a fashion maven who specializes in exotic furs.Roger and Anita are lonely singles before they are brought together by the antics of their dalmatians -- Pongo belongs to Roger and Perdita belongs to Anita -- and it isn't long before the human couple is married and the spotted couple has a litter of 15 pups. Once Cruella gets it in her mind to have her own dalmatian fur coat, the story kicks into gear and the familiar mayhem ensues. When Cruella isn't able to buy the puppies from Roger and Anita, she hires goons to "puppynap" them, along with 84 other dalmatian puppies, bringing the total to 99. Pongo and Perdita must set out to find the puppies and save the day, sticking it to Cruella in the meantime.

Is It Any Good?

Glenn Close plays Cruella with gusto and it's easy to see that she had fun with the part. Despite the slight modernization of the storyline, 101 Dalmatians retains most of the original innocence of the story. Sure it gets a bit sappy, but it's refreshing, and more appropriate viewing for younger kids, when the humor isn't tongue-in-cheek and jaded.