101 Dalmatians (1996)
Directed by Stephen Herek
An evil, high-fashion designer plots to steal Dalmatian puppies in order to make an extravagant fur coat, but instead creates an extravagant mess.
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What critics compared 101 Dalmatians to
Best of all, she doesn’t ever once try to ape what Glenn Close did the last time Disney felt the need to live-action-fy Cruella de Vil (that’d be in 1996′s 101 Dalmatians, which I guess we all collectively decided to never mention again).
This iteration of the famous Disney villain’s story draws major inspiration from the 1996 live-action 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close (who is also an executive producer on Cruella ) and expands on the idea of her being a fashion designer.
Owning the character in a fashion (pun intended) far removed from what Glenn Close so fabulously created in the live action 101 Dalmatians (1996), Stone’s energy is palpable throughout, strutting across (and off) the screen with a devil-may-care attitude that is equally matched by the imposing Thompson who, as conventional her villainess may be, injects enough colour into a single note to paint a canvas the big screen can barely contain.
This live-action Disney production tells the origin story of the infamous Cruella De Vil, the villain of the animated — and live-action remake with Glenn Close — of “101 Dalmatians.”
So for “101 Dalmatians,” I was expecting them to crank out another iteration of the live-action version featuring Glenn Close 25 years ago, putting iconic villainess Cruella de Vil in the driver’s seat in a family-friendly romp.
1994’s “Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book” and 1996’s “101 Dalmatians” would end up early test runs for the full-on blitz that began in 2014 with “ Maleficent .”
It’s a technique that can be traced back to 1996 with “101 Dalmatians,” but of late it has become a main part of the studio’s output, though until now it has involved substantial changes from the original (“Maleficent,” “Alice in Wonderland”) and/or derived from lesser past efforts (“The Jungle Book” and “Cinderella,” both of which also differed in dropping the songs entirely).
She’s deliciously wicked enough to terrify children but rarely hammy enough to distract the parents in tow, bringing to mind Glenn Close’s turn as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (albeit with a more carefully cultivated veneer of refinement).
Her black goo makeup and thick British accent reminded me of Glenn Close's Cruella De Vil, so that got me good.
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Yeoh, never convincingly sinister, faceplants into a wedding cake during an animal stampede, a la Glenn Close in 101 Dalmations, too forcefully silly to be camp.
That 1997 movie was the first time many American filmgoers entered Miyazaki’s world of myth, magic and lyrical, finely detailed imagery; happily, there are now generations of children who have grown up cherishing such Miyazaki classics as “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” the way their parents played and re-played “Snow White,” “101 Dalmatians” and “The Aristocats.”
Brief stops at the funky, magical Weasley abode, the Burrow (well inhabited by Billy Elliot's Julie Walters, 101 Dalmatians' Mark Williams and -- in a limited but pivotal role -- young Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley) plus the creepy, gothed-out Knockturn Alley keep both Harry and us on our toes.