101 Dalmatians is a 1996 American family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes, and directed by Stephen Herek. It was produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures, and is a live-action remake of the 1961 animated Disney film One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which in turn was based on Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The film stars Glenn Close as the iconic villainess Cruella de Vil, and Jeff Daniels as Roger, the owner of the 101 Dalmatians.
Unlike the 1961 animated version, Pongo, Perdita, and the 99 Puppies are all played by real-life Dalmatian actors and none of them talk. Its theatrical sequel, 102 Dalmatians, was released in 2000, with Close reprising her role.
Plot[]
American video game designer Roger Dearly (Jeff Daniels) lives with his pet dalmatian, Pongo, in London. One day, Roger takes Pongo for a walk, and he sets his eyes on a beautiful female Dalmatian named Perdy. After a frantic chase through the streets of London, Roger and Pongo discover that Perdy likes Pongo; and her owner, fashion designer Anita Campbell-Green (Joely Richardson), falls in love with Roger when they meet in St. James's Park. They get married along with Perdy and Pongo.
Anita works as a fashion designer at the House of de Vil. Her boss, the pampered and very glamorous Cruella de Vil (Glenn Close), has two passions in life: cigarettes and fur. Anita, inspired by her Dalmatian, designs a coat made with spotted fur. Cruella is intrigued by the idea of making garments out of actual Dalmatians. When she learns that Perdy has given birth to 15 puppies, she offers the couple a decent price for them, but they refuse. Flying into a maniacal rage, Cruella dismisses Anita and seeks revenge against her and Roger. She has her henchmen, Jasper and Horace (Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams), steal the puppies and deliver them to her ancient country estate, De Vil Mansion.
With the help of the other dogs and animals scattered throughout London, the puppies manage to outwit Jasper and Horace, and escape to a farm, where their parents have been called to wait. But shortly after, Cruella, the glamorous 'city girl', shows up and tries to retrieve them. However, she is kicked into a pig pen full of mud by a horse, she having already been covered in molasses. All of the Dalmatians get home by the Metropolitan Police Service, who then arrest Cruella (now covered in molasses and mud) and her henchmen. Roger and Anita adopt the other Dalmatians she stole, bringing the total to 101. Roger designs a successful video game featuring Dalmatian puppies as the protagonists and Cruella as the villain, and they move to the English countryside with their millions.
Cast[]
- Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil
- Jeff Daniels as Roger Dearly
- Joely Richardson as Anita Campbell-Green-Dearly
- Joan Plowright as Nanny
- Hugh Laurie as Jasper
- Mark Williams as Horace
- John Shrapnel as Mr. Skinner
- Tim McInnerny as Alonzo
- Hugh Fraser as Frederick
- Zohren Weiss as Herbert
- Brian Capron as Television News Reporter
- Frank Welker as the voice of Pongo and Perdita (creature sounds)
International Versions[]
Danish[]
| DANSKE STEMMER | · KARAKTER | · ORIGINAL STEMME | |
| Timm Mehrens | · Allan | · Mark Haddigan (Alan) | |
| Michael Bahné | · Pongo | · Tom Juddy (Pongo) | |
| Lars Thiesgaard | · Alonzo | · Tim McInnerny | |
| Pauline Rehné | · Anita | · Joely Richardson | |
| Birgitte Raaberg | · Cruella De Ville | · Glenn Close (Cruella De Vil) | |
| Ann Hjort | · Dame På Bænk | · Hilda Braid (Woman On Park Bench) | |
| Torben Sekov | · Frederik | · Hugh Fraser (Frederick) | |
| Michael Boesen | · Harry | · Mark Williams (Horace) | |
| Mathias Klenske | · Herbert | · Zohren Weiss | |
| Bertel Abildgaard | · Jesper | · Hugh Laurie (Jasper) | |
| Lasse Lunderskov | · Kommissær | · Michael Percival (Police Inspector) | |
| Grethe Mogensen | · Nanny | · Joan Plowright | |
| John Hahn-Petersen | · Præst | · Neville Phillips (Minister) | |
| Søren Spanning | · Robert | · Jeff Daniels (Roger) | |
| Lars Thiesgaard | · Øvrig Medvirkende | ||
| Lasse Lunderskov | · Øvrig Medvirkende | ||
| Timm Mehrens | · Øvrig Medvirkende | ||
| Torben Sekov | · Øvrig Medvirkende | ||
Production[]
The animatronic creatures used in the film are provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Producer Edward S. Feldman guaranteed the adoption of every puppy used in the film. Over 300 Dalmatian puppies were used over the course of filming, because "we could only use them when they were 5 or 6 weeks old and at their cutest." Filming took place at Shepperton Studios in London.
John Hughes, who wrote the film's screenplay, approached Glenn Close for the role of Cruella de Vil, but she initially turned it down. The film's costume designer Anthony Powell, who was working with Close on the Broadway show Sunset Boulevard, then convinced her to take it.
Minster Court was used as the exterior of Cruella de Vil's fashion house. Sarum Chase was used as the exterior of her home. Cruella's car is a modified 1976 Panther De Ville.
Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, 101 Dalmatians has an approval rating of 41% and an average rating of 5.32/10, based on 37 reviews. The site's critic consensus reads: "Neat performance from Glenn Close aside, 101 Dalmatians is a bland, pointless remake." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.