101 Dalmatians (1996)

Truly Dreadful Film

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

It is very true that Glenn Close steals the show as Cruella DeVil. She talks, looks, and acts exactly like a live action version of her should. The car, the costumes, the house, everything about her character is wonderfully done. It's needless to say that she deserved that golden globe nomination. The set and costume designs are great. Cruella's house and the old wear house where they wanna do the skinning is perfect, and also the fashion house, the house of DeVil. The fur coats and fashion designs are incredible, it's better in 102 Dalmatians but it's still great here, Cruella's clothing in damn near every scene was spot on perfect. Joely Richardson was very good and very fitting for the character of Anita. And so was Rodger. The movie is very reminiscent of the 1961 animated feature, except of course they can't have her henchmen crashing into her car at the end, but other than that it's pretty similar. I would suggest this movie to families everywhere because it really is great family fun. There's no surprises and the characters are very cartoon like, but really you have to expect that with a film like this. 7/10 for 101 Dalmatians (1996).

I remember when this came out in theatres I was a little skeptical being a huge fan of the Disney original but after watching it I will say glen close played a spot on version of cruela deville. the movie really followed the storyline of the original quite well and was entertaining by the great cast they used to keep the theme of the original. I actually found myself watching it a few times even with my kids and was happy to see for once that a remake didn't just go with the flow but put some heart in the film that make a realistic remake for once fit the same likability as the original. Definitely one I would watch again and again and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Disney classic!

This is the live-action version of 101 Dalmations, a story where Fashion designer Anita (Joley Richardson) and computer-game writer Roger (Jeff Daniels) meet and got married along with their dalmatians, Perdita and Pongo. The dogs' puppies are later kidnapped by Anita's boss Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close), who is plotting to use their fur for a coat. As a result, Pongo and Perdita set out on a mission to find and rescue all their ninety-nine children from Cruella and her cohorts, Jasper (Hugh Laurie) and Horace (Mark Williams).Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson did an OK job in their acting and the execution and effects of the dogs were nicely done. However, the plot and story were filmed in the way that the animals were portrayed as "so cute that they're annoying." They're just a bunch of animals running around on the set and serving really no purpose or development in the movie, as opposed to the original animated version, where many of the dogs were given his/her own unique personality and charm. As a result, I ended up rooting for the villain. Glenn Close did an amazing job playing Cruella DeVil - crafty, sly and hilariously captivating. She basically stole the stage for me and it is rare that I would be rooting for a villain in a movie, which tells you how corny or annoying the heroes (animals) in this movie were.Overall, it's probably a good one for the little kids, but adults would probably prefer the animated one over this one.Grade C-

So I settled down on a Sunday evening to what should have been a pleasant Disney film. Boy, was I disappointed.This live action version takes the basic elements of the original, but strips out all the charm. There's no cat. There's no scene where the puppies disguise themselves as labradors.Cruella is a mean business woman, who's annoyed that one of her employees (Anita Dearly) wants to get married and have children. Because obviously, you can't mix a career and having a family. The undertones of 'career bad, motherhood good' are just unnecessary in a modern children's film. Cruella is more pantomime than actually scary.The lack of original charm isn't replaced with anything else. It's just boring and predictable.This film has an amazingly talented cast, which is completely wasted here. The jokes are just not funny. Most of the film is taken up with lame, unoriginal slapstick. Part of the first sequence has Roger Dearly accidentally trying to steal Perdy because he has mistaken her for Pongo. That's right. He loves his dog so much, he can't even recognise him. The screenwriter obviously has either never had pets or just assumes children are stupid.The dogs are cute, but have no personality. The puppies have very little screen time at all. If you liked the sequels to Home Alone, you might like this movie. If you liked the original cartoon or any recent children's films that actually have a good storyline, you'll be disappointed. I'm afraid most of the reviewers here are giving this movie a pass because 'it's a child's film and you can't expect that much'. Well I do expect better from Disney and I wouldn't subject my children to this film. Try the book instead.