Glenn Close plays Cruella de Vil as a fashion designer who steals Dalmatian puppies to make a fur coat, and the 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians turns that premise into a live-action chase comedy. The film, directed by Stephen Herek from a script by John Hughes, runs 103 minutes and trades the talking animals of the 1961 cartoon for a cast of human actors and a plot that depends on a very specific kind of menace. It is a movie about a woman who loves fur so much she will kill for it.
Trailer, via American Film Institute.
Cruella Takes the Lead
Close plays Cruella as a high-fashion designer with a deep passion for fur, and she commits fully to the role. She hires a taxidermist named Mr. Skinner to skin a white tiger from the London Zoo and make it into a rug for her home. When Anita, played by Joely Richardson, designs a coat made of spotted fur inspired by her Dalmatian, Cruella sees a chance to go further: she wants to make garments out of actual Dalmatians. The joke is that she would seem to be wearing Anita’s dog.
The film spends its early scenes building that threat. Roger Dearly, played by Jeff Daniels, is a video game designer whose attempt to redesign a chase game fails because the villain is inadequate. His pet Dalmatian, Pongo, meets Perdita, another Dalmatian owned by Anita, and the two dogs fall in love after a chase through St James’s Park. Anita and Roger marry, and Perdita gets pregnant alongside Anita. Cruella visits their home and becomes excited when she learns that Perdita is expecting.
The Theft and the Chase
Cruella offers Roger and Anita £7,500 for the puppies, but they refuse. She fires Anita, saying she will never work in fashion again, and vows revenge. One winter evening, her henchmen Jasper and Horace break into the home and steal the puppies, along with 84 other Dalmatians that were previously stolen. They deliver the dogs to her broken-down country estate, De Vil Mansion.
The chase that follows is the heart of the film. Roger, Anita, Pongo and Perdita set out to rescue the puppies, and the film turns the hunt into a series of set pieces that borrow from the 1961 cartoon but play out in live action. Cruella’s plan is simple and cruel, and the film commits to following through on it.
The Cast Around Cruella
Joan Plowright plays Nanny, and the supporting cast includes Hugh Laurie as Jasper, Mark Williams as Horace, John Shrapnel as Skinner, Tim McInnerny as Alonzo, Hugh Fraser as Frederick, Zohren Weiss as Herbert, Mark Haddigan as Alan and Michael Percival as Police Inspector. None of the animal characters speak, which is a deliberate choice that separates this version from the cartoon. The humans carry the weight, and Close’s performance is the reason the film works at all.
Jeff Daniels plays Roger as a man who cannot fix his own game, and Joely Richardson plays Anita as a woman who designs a coat that sets the whole plot in motion. The chemistry between them is modest, and the romance feels like a setup rather than a destination. The film is built around Cruella, and everyone else exists to support her scheme.
Reception and Numbers
The film was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on November 27, 1996, and grossed $321 million against a $67 million budget. That made it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1996. Critics were mixed. Close was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and the film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair. A sequel, 102 Dalmatians, was released in 2000.
The film’s critical reception was mixed. Close’s performance earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, and the film itself was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair. The box office performance was strong, with $321 million against a $67 million budget, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1996.
What Works and What Does Not
Close’s Cruella is a force of nature, and the film knows it. The character is introduced early and stays dominant throughout. Her desire for fur is the engine of the story, and the film trusts that desire to drive the plot forward. When the film lets Cruella be cruel, it is compelling. When it slows down to explain the stakes, it loses focus.
The film also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Plowright’s Nanny is a presence, and Laurie and Williams play Jasper and Horace with the right mix of menace and absurdity. The henchmen carry the scenes, and the film knows what it wants from them.
The Verdict
101 Dalmatians is a film that knows what it wants to be: a live-action chase comedy anchored by a great villain. It gets that villain right, but it struggles to build a story around her that holds together. The plot is thin, the pacing is uneven, and the middle section drags. Close’s performance is the reason to watch, and the chase scenes are the reason to finish it.
The film is not a failure, but it is not a triumph either. It is a solid, entertaining piece of work that relies too heavily on its star and not enough on its own ideas. It is a remake that respects the source material’s villain while failing to match its wit.
Key Facts Box
- Title: 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Director: Stephen Herek
- Writer: John Hughes
- Runtime: 103 minutes
- Release date: November 27, 1996
- Budget: $67 million
- Box office: $321 million
- Score: 5 of 10
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