Movie Review: 101 Dalmatians (Live Action)
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this movie contains mild,
slap-sticky humor as well as a theme of skinning animals for
their fur.
Families can discuss villains and heroes. What makes Cruella De Vil a spectacular villain (or, very mean lady)? Why doesn't Anita see right away that she's up to no good? Why do Pongo and Perdita make such great heroes? How are they helped by other animals to find the lost puppies? Who are your favorite storybook good guys and bad guys?
Common Sense Media Review
Disney's updated movie version of 101 DALMATIANS stays true
to their 1961 animated classic with some minor changes, most
noticeably of which are the careers of the three main human
characters. Instead of being a lyricist, Roger (
Jeff
Daniels) makes video games and Anita (
Joely
Richardson) is a clothing designer for nasty Cruella De Vil
(
Glenn
Close), a fashion maven who specializes in exotic furs.
Roger and Anita are lonely singles before they are brought together by the antics of their dalmatians -- Pongo belongs to Roger and Perdita belongs to Anita -- and it isn't long before the human couple is married and the spotted couple has a litter of 15 pups. Once Cruella gets it in her mind to have her own dalmatian fur coat, the story kicks into gear and the familiar mayhem ensues.
When Cruella isn't able to buy the puppies from Roger and Anita, she hires goons to "puppynap" them, along with 84 other dalmatian puppies, bringing the total to 99. Pongo and Perdita must set out to find the puppies and save the day, sticking it to Cruella in the meantime.
Glenn Close plays Cruella with gusto and it's easy to see that she had fun with the part. Despite the slight modernization of the storyline, 101 Dalmatians retains most of the original innocence of the story. Sure it gets a bit sappy, but it's refreshing, and more appropriate viewing for younger kids, when the humor isn't tongue-in-cheek and jaded.
Families who like this movie might also enjoy 102 Dalmatians or 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
