102 Dalmatians Back to Index

Imdb Rating: 4.5
Genre: Comedy
Directed: Dodie Smith (novel), Kristen Buckley (story)
Country: USA
Year: 2000
Duration: 100 min

Media: Hot stuff

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Actors: Glenn Close (as Cruella de Vil), Gérard Depardieu (as Jean-Pierre Le Pelt (as Gerard Depardieu)), Ioan Gruffudd (as Kevin Sheperd), Alice Evans (as Chloe Simon), Tim McInnerny (as Alonzo, Cruella De Vil's Butler), Eric Idle (as Waddlesworth (voice)), Ben Crompton (as Ewan), Carol MacReady (as Agnes (as Carol Macready)), Ian Richardson (as Mr. Torte), Jim Carter (as Detective Armstrong), Ron Cook (as Mr. Button), Timothy West (as Judge), David Horovitch (as Dr. Pavlov), Dick Brannick (as Pavlov's Assistant), Mike Hayley (as Constable)

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Description: "A Spotless New Tail Is Going To Be Unleashed"

After a spot of therapy Cruella De Vil is released from prison a changed woman. Devoted to dogs and good causes, she is delighted that Chloe, her parole officer, has a dalmatian family and connections with a dog charity. But the sound of Big Ben can reverse the treatment so it is only a matter of time before Ms De Vil is back to her incredibly ghastly ways, using her new-found connections with Chloe and friends.

Comment: Unlike its predecessor, which was a live action version of the animated 101 Dalmatians, this version is completely new and original. However, the premise is as old as they get: boy finds girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again, and they all live happily ever after. Of course, I'm not giving anything away here because the movie is not about the humans; it's about the dogs and one bird. And you can't leave out the bird. The bird is the real star of the movie. His name is Waddlesworth, and he is a MacCaw that does more than just talk -- he converses. The voice is that of Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame). Waddlesworth thinks he's a dog and cannot fly and is the comic relief for the movie, adding asides for our enjoyment.

This film is better than 101 Dalmatians, which in its own right was very good, and both children and adults will enjoy it. It is pure entertainment. My teenager and six-year-old both liked it and said Waddlesworth was their favorite character. This is typical Disney entertainment: Wholesome with just enough adult humor for mom and dad, excitement for the teenagers, and tenderness for the younger ones. Besides, who doesn't like a little puppy? This movie has 102 of them!

IMDB TRIVIA FOR 102 DALMATIANS (2000):
- Cruella's cell in the beginning of the movie reads "Prisoner 666-0
- In the beginning of the movie we "meet" Doctor Pavlov in the prison Cruella is. He is obviously named after the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov who is renowned for his landmark study on conditioning, which was done on dogs.
- Cruella's license plate changes subtly between this movie and 101 Dalmatians. Here it is DEV IL; in the previous movie, it was DE VIL. DEV 1L is a legitimate registration number in the UK and many owners of these "cherished" number plates (illegally) re-space the characters to make them better spell words. Perhaps Cruella was caught.

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