101 Dalmatians

Released: Wednesday, November 27, 1996

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The world has "gone to the dogs" in the live action retelling of Disney's classic 101 Dalmatians --   starring five-time academy winner, Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, and Joely Richardson and directed by Stephen Herek.

In their small London flat, Dalmatians Pongo, Perdy, and their human "pets" Roger and Anita welcome a litter of 15 adorable puppies.  But their joy turns to dismay when fur-loving Cruella De Vil dispatches her clumsy cohorts, Jasper and Horace, to "dognap" every Dalmatian pup in London.  As Pongo and Perdy rally the city animals for a daring rescue, the pooches manage to outwit their captors long enough to bring on a thrilling final showdown with Cruella and her henchmen!

Even though taking a beloved animated Disney classic to the big screen is a risky move, Disney put the film in the well-skilled hands of Director Stephen Herek (Mighty Ducks), and screenwriter John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Home Alone).

While Herek and Houghes could have made your typical family fair with talking dogs, and a nonsensical story, they decided to take the high road and put to life a story featuring all of the ingredients both children and adult audiences need to enjoy a film.

The cast is top notch and provides the perfect ingredients for a great film.  Although not being a fan of Jeff Bridges' work, I was so engrossed in his character, Roger, that I hardly noticed him. Roger's leading Lady, Anita (Joely Richardson), was also superbly cast and brought a great sense of homeliness to her role.

However, all of these performances compare to the main villain herself, Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close).  Not only did Glenn Close take the animated Cruella De Vil and keep her as menacing as ever, she even went beyond that and made her the perfect villain for a Disney film.

The newly recreated 101 Dalmatians DVD is presented in its original aspect ratio of Widescreen (2.35:1), and has a Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Track.

The only thing lacking on the DVD is the bonus feature -- simply because it contains only the theatrical trailer of the film.

If you are a Disney fan or a dog lover, this is one title that should be in your home video library. However, I truly hope Disney releases another version in the next couple of years that will possibly contain a second disc that includes their normally wonderful behind-the-scenes features.

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-- Nathan M. Rose