I doubt that any actress could have essayed the role of Cruella De Vil as well as Glenn Close did in Disney's live action remake of their classic 101 DALMATIANS. I'm an adult and found Close to be a scary presence, so I can only imagine how small children react to her on the screen. Close’s performance is certainly way over the top, plus has a menacing cartoon character quality to it. The plot of 101 DALMATIANS concerns two Dalmatians, Pongo and Perdy, who along with their master and mistress dwell in London. Jeff Daniels is Pongo’s master Roger, an unsuccessful video game designer looking to make that first big sale. Joely Richardson portrays Perdy’s mistress Anita, a young fashion designer from the House of De Vil. One day in the park the dogs meet and it’s puppy love. Not only is it instant attraction for the dogs, Roger and Anita also find love at first site and are soon married.

Meanwhile, Cruella De Vil has become taken with one of Anita’s designs, one that uses Dalmatian spots as an inspiration. Cruella’s strange fascination for fur becomes an obsession when she decides to turn Anita’s innocent design into a Dalmatian fur cape. Soon, Pongo and Perdy produce a litter of fifteen puppies that Cruella is eager to purchase. When Roger and Anita refuse, the puppies are kidnapped along with every other Dalmatian pup in London. Screenwriter John Hughes incorporates a lot of HOME ALONE inspired slapstick into the tale- with the film’s villains suffering no end of indignities and physical abuse. The cast of 101 DALMATIANS also features Joan Plowright, Hugh Laurie, Mark Williams and John Shrapnel.