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Disney remade their classic animated film of the same
name 35 years after the original, as a live-action movie
in 1996. The tale is familiar to most: two Dalmatians, Pongo
& Perdy, bring their owners together. Roger (Jeff Daniels)
and Anita (Joely Richardson) fall in love almost at first
site when they meet in the park. They get married and their
Dalmatians have puppies. Sounds like a lovely romantic tale,
right? It would be if it weren't for Anita's boss, the evil
Cruella de Vil (Glenn Close). Cruella is a fashionista who
loves fur...and her latest desire is to own a coat made
of Dalmatian fur. When she learns that Anita's dog has had
a litter of 15, she sets her sites on them to make her desire
come true. Anita & Roger turn down her offer, so she sends
her bumbling minions Jasper & Horace (Hugh Laurie & Mark
Williams respectively) to steal them for her.
Does it equal the original? No, not really...but this
is not a surprise. How could you top Marc Davis' animation
of Cruella, one of the most memorable characters in animation
history? Still, you have to give Glenn Close much credit
for making Cruella her own...remove her and you have little
reason to watch this film. With her fright wig and amazingly
over the top costumes, Close truly comes close...she is
an evil delight to watch as she barks orders (pun intended)
and does everything in her power to make the fur coat a
reality. Laurie (now starring in the hit series "House")
and Williams are excellent as her bumbling henchman. The
animals are also lots of fun to watch, as they often show
that they are much smarter than their human counterparts.
Note to parents: this movie is somewhat darker than
the animated versions, with a few creepy scenes with the
taxidermist. Nothing major, but still parents might want
to be careful as Glenn Close's characterization is more
frightening and nightmare inducing than her animated namesake.
Image & Sound:
The widescreen (2:35:1) picture is excellent (enhanced
for 16x9 TVs), and there is a wonderful Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround mix.
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