102 Dalmatians
102 Dalmatians is a 2000 American crime comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Directed by Kevin Lima from a screenplay by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, and based on a story by Buckley and Regan, it is the sequel to 101 Dalmatians, which was a live-action remake of the 1961 animated film of the same name. It stars Glenn Close reprising her role as Cruella de Vil as she attempts to steal puppies for her "grandest" fur coat yet, with Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Evans, Tim McInnerny, Ian Richardson, Gérard Depardieu, Ben Crompton, Carol MacReady, Jim Carter, Ron Cook, David Horovitch, Timothy West, and the voice of Eric Idle in supporting roles. Close and McInnerny were the only two actors from the 1996 film to return for the sequel, while Adrian Biddle and Anthony Powell reprised their respective duties as cinematographer and costume designer.
The film received negative reviews from critics, and grossed a total of $183.6 million worldwide against a budget of $85 million. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
A backstory film in its own continuity, Cruella, was released on May 28, 2021, with Emma Stone in the title role and Close acting as an executive producer.
Plot
After three years in prison following the events of the previous film, Cruella de Vil has been cured of her desire for fur coats by psychologist Dr. Pavlov and become a changed woman. She is released on probation but warned that if she breaks parole she will be immediately sent back to prison, as well as be forced to pay the remainder of her fortune, £8 million, to all the dog shelters in Westminster. Cruella mends her working relationship with her much-abused valet Alonzo and buys the Second Chance Dog shelter, owned by Kevin Shepherd, to save it from insolvency. Cruella's probation officer, Chloe Simon, is the owner of Dipstick ; she suspects Cruella will strike again despite her growing popularity as an animal person.Dipstick's mate, Dottie, gives birth to three puppies: Domino, Little Dipper, and Oddball, who appears to be an albino, and begins to feel self-conscious about her lack of spots as she grows up. Meanwhile, Dr. Pavlov discovers that when his therapy patients are subjected to the chimes of Big Ben, they revert to their former personalities, but he conceals these findings from the public. Inevitably, when Big Ben rings in her presence, Cruella reverts to her former personality. After recognizing Dipstick and remembering her failed attempt of making a dalmatian fur coat, she enlists the help of French furrier Jean-Pierre LePelt. Together, they design a new fur coat, with the intention of using Dipstick's children for a hood as a part of Cruella's revenge.
Chloe and Kevin go out on a date, where Kevin tells Chloe that, if Cruella violates her parole, her entire fortune will go to him, since his dog shelter is the only one currently operating in Westminster. Knowing this, Cruella has Kevin framed for the theft of the first 99 dalmatian puppies LePelt takes, also exploiting the fact that Kevin has a prior record of dog-napping. She invites Chloe and Dipstick to her house for a dinner party to decoy them away while LePelt steals Dottie and her three puppies. Dipstick quickly returns to the apartment but is later captured. Chloe rushes home to save her pets but arrives too late. She is joined by Kevin, who has escaped from prison with the help of his talking macaw, Waddlesworth. Kevin explains that his earlier conviction was for breaking animals out of a lab, where they were being used for experiments.
Upon finding LePelt's lost ticket for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to Paris, Kevin and Chloe attempt but fail to stop Cruella and LePelt before their train departs. Waddlesworth and Oddball, who managed to escape, secretly follow them to LePelt's factory in Paris. Kevin and Chloe get there as well but they are discovered by Cruella, who locks them in a cellar. Despite this, they free the puppies through a hole in the ceiling. Cruella goes after the puppies alone, while Alonzo, having been mistreated beyond his patience, defeats LePelt and frees Kevin and Chloe. They pursue Cruella to a bakery and find that the puppies, led by Oddball, have tricked Cruella into being baked in an enormous cake. Cruella survives, then she and LePelt are both arrested.
Chloe and Kevin, exonerated from the theft accusation, return to London and are personally awarded the remnants of Cruella's fortune by Alonzo himself. Oddball's coat finally develops a few small spots, much to everyone's surprise.
Cast
- Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil
- Gerard Depardieu as Jean-Pierre LePelt
- Ioan Gruffudd as Kevin Shepherd
- Alice Evans as Chloe Simon
- Tim McInnerny as Alonzo
- Ian Richardson as Mr. George Torte QC
- Ben Crompton as Ewan
- Carol Macready as Agnes Wilford
- Jim Carter as Detective Mike Armstrong
- Ron Cook as Mr. Remy Button
- David Horovitch as Dr. Ivan Pavlov
- Timothy West as Judge
- Eric Idle as the voice of Waddlesworth the Red-and-green macaw
- Kerry Shale as LePelt's Assistant
Release
- On November 24, 1999, a teaser trailer was released with Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2.
- On May 19, 2000, a second trailer was released with Dinosaur.
Production
The early working title was 101 Dalmatians Returns. Production began in December 1998 and ended in mid-November 1999 without the use of John Hughes who wrote and produced the 1996 film, due to the critical failure of Flubber and the shutdown of Great Oaks Entertainment. The film was set to be released on June 30, 2000, but was pushed back to November 22. Oxford Prison was used for the scene as Cruella walked out of prison. The teaser appeared in theaters before Toy Story 2 and Stuart Little as well as the home video release of Music of the Heart. 102 Dalmatians was filmed partially in Paris. On November 7, Disney released the soundtrack to the movie, including pre-eminently, a cover of Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" and original songs: Mike Himelstein's "What Can a Bird Do?", "My Spot in the World" and "Cruella De Vil 2000".The film is dedicated in memory of cameraman Mike Roberts, who died before it was released.
Reception
Box office
The film opened at the third position behind M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable and Ron Howard's Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The film grossed $67 million in the U.S. and $116.7 million in other territories, bringing its total to $183.6 million worldwide, making less than its predecessor.Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on 90 reviews, and an average rating of 4.40/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "This sequel to the live-action 101 Dalmatians is simply more of the same. Critics say it also drags in parts-- potentially boring children-- and that it's too violent for a G-rated movie." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 out of 4, writing: "Glenn Close does what can be done with the role. Indeed, she does more than can be done; Cruella is almost too big for a live-action film and requires animation to fit her operatic scale."