102 Dálmatas

I saw the original "101 Dalmatians" 3 times while en route from England back home to the USA and I loved it. So when I saw there was a new dalmatians movie, "102 Dalmatians," I was elated and when I saw it, I was NOT disappointed. In fact, I liked this version even better than the first. Glenn Close's performance as "Ella" who has been imprisoned for 3 years for dognapping but who received behavioral modification but reverts to "Cruella" when Big Ben's chimes go off, is delightfully dastardly. And the performance by Gerard Depardieu as the loathsome LaPelt is extraordinary. But the best performances, the ones who "take the cake" are those by the Dalmatians, real or created, especially Oddball, the spotless dalmatian puppy who is obsessed with "S-P-O-T-S." The scene where she goes berserk when she sees a black and white sweater on a puppet in a Punch & Judy show is hilarious. There were scenes in which it looked like the puppies were in real danger but the magic lies in the fact that, when you read the credits, you realize those scenes were created; no puppy was ever in danger. I recommend this movie highly and I should; I've seen it at least 7 times and I also have the video.

I decided that this was going to be the first movie that I took my young daughter to see. Seeing as how she is a dog lover and is riveted to the TV screen every time she sees a commercial or TV show with a puppy, I figured how could I go wrong?

I was sadly disappointed. I found that the movie tried too hard to be dark and sinister....Cruella got way too much screen time and the puppies, too little. The movie just wasn't much fun. Amazingly, my daughter got an hour or so of entertainment from this film, and then got horribly bored. We ended up leaving before the movie was finished, so I'm not even sure how it ended.

The movie was cute, but it ran way too long for the younger set who have a reduced attention span. More time should have been devoted to the puppies and their antics, and less to Cruella and her scheming. I don't believe I was the only one who felt this way....as my daughter and I were leaving the theatre, I noticed two youngsters fast asleep. Not a good testimonial for a children's film.

Save this one for a video rental so your kids can fast forward through the boring bits before they, too, fall fast asleep.

Unlike its predecessor, which was a live action version of the animated 101 Dalmatians, this version is completely new and original. However, the premise is as old as they get: boy finds girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again, and they all live happily ever after. Of course, I'm not giving anything away here because the movie is not about the humans; it's about the dogs and one bird. And you can't leave out the bird. The bird is the real star of the movie. His name is Waddlesworth, and he is a MacCaw that does more than just talk -- he converses. The voice is that of Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame). Waddlesworth thinks he's a dog and cannot fly and is the comic relief for the movie, adding asides for our enjoyment.

This film is better than 101 Dalmatians, which in its own right was very good, and both children and adults will enjoy it. It is pure entertainment. My teenager and six-year-old both liked it and said Waddlesworth was their favorite character. This is typical Disney entertainment: Wholesome with just enough adult humor for mom and dad, excitement for the teenagers, and tenderness for the younger ones. Besides, who doesn't like a little puppy? This movie has 102 of them!

This was like my favorite movie when I was a kid! Cruella was my favorite Disney villain ever! There is no one better than Glenn Close to play this larger than life character!! I loved the over the top costumes, and Glenn's charisma and exuberance while playing the role! I liked all the actors, and thighs they did their job well with their role. Also, the movie is very entertaining for all ages, fun for the kids and teens and adults! Disney did a Great job in my opinion with this film! I feel like they did a good job with both 101 and 102 Dalmatians. Would've liked to maybe see roger and Anita again, but it's not like that was a heartbreaker. 7/10.

Well, Disney has done it again. 102 Dalmatians is even better than the first. Once again, Glenn Close stars as the crazy, out of the box villain of villains, Cruella DeVil. She is totally awesome,and totally believeable as she makes her transition from almost sickly sweet to gleefully evil.

Alice Evans does a fantastic job as Cruella's stern, yet humorous probation officer who is less-than-thrilled about her new client. And Ioan Gruffudd is perfect as the slightly naive dog-lover who is torn between wanting to believe that Cruella has turned a new leaf, and being head-over-heels in love with her probation officer. Tim McInnerny makes a re-apperance as Cruella's flustered, frightened butler, but this time he gets to have a shining moment as he fights a bad guy, and helps to save the day.

The only person I had a problem with was Gereld Depardieu... don't get me wrong, he's a great actor, but honestly, I think this role was beneath him. LePelt is stupid and snibbering, practically in love with Cruella and his jokes (i.e. the tiger head on his pants in one scene) fall hopelessly flat. I think Mr. Depardieu should have demanded some intelligence put in this role... I can look past LePelt because Cruella and the others are so great, and the story line is charming, and the animals are once more, terrific. The addition of the talking Macaw really gave the movie an unexpected comic twist. I give it six stars.