Yoo Hoo, BRUCE!
On November 27th '96 you wrote to ALL:
 BM> We saw the live action version of "101 Dalmations" today. While I didn't
 BM> like it as well as the original animated version (but then I hardly ever
 BM> like remakes). Seen by itself, it's a good film--but I'd like to see a
 BM> review from someone who hasn't seen the previous version (a refugee from
 BM> Outer Mongolia, perhaps).
I haven't seen the animated version in a long time.  I saw the 101D and liked
it better than I thought I would after having seen the IMHO two wretched hype
TV shows about it (the show on ABC-TV on Thanksgiving night, and the "Making
of..." show on the Disney Channel).
 BM> Some things have been updated in the 31 years since the animated version
 BM> was released (and the 40 years since the original book was published).
 BM> Roger no longer writes songs, he writes video games.
The graphics are excellent, BTW.  I wonder.... will there be a 101D video
game, since one was so prominent in the movie.... I wonder.... :: smirk ::
 BM> In fact, the only
 BM> music in the film (other than a few scraps) is "Cruella de Vil" sung by
 BM> Dr. John over the closing titles.
The good Doctor is "in" musically and it was a good rendition of the
Disney song.  I'm glad to see Dr. John (a native of New Orleans) part of
the Disney tradition.
 BM> Marta loved Cruella's outfits, which were--if anything--wilder than
 BM> those in the animated version. We both loved Kipper's performance. He's
 BM> an airdale, and a character who did not appear in the animated version.
 BM> Kipper took on most of the active role of Sergeant Tibs (who had,
 BM> regretably, only a non-speaking cameo) in rescuing the puppies from the
 BM> Mansion deVil. Marta thought he was very cute--almost as cute as Sgt.
 BM> Tibs (which is high praise from a cat-lover like her).
There was _a lot_ of Jim Henson's production company's puppetry and
some audio-animatronics in the film.  I think the newborn pup was
actually a puppet, and clearly some of the animals were.
 BM> The Mansion deVil is worthy of comment in and of itself.
The set design was interesting, austere and not warm, as the character
was.
 BM> Some of the early criticism of the film concerned Glenn Close's
 BM> over-the-top treatment of Cruella--arguable the best villian in the
 BM> Disney ouvre. I disagree--Close's Cruella is indeed over-the-top, but
 BM> how else could one play her? Indeed, the only way mere humans can
 BM> portray toons is to try to overdo it. Even the most extreme human
 BM> actions are mere suggestions of normal toon behavior, so one may as well
 BM> let 'er rip!
A few years ago an interviewer asked Jack Nicholson what inspired him
in his portrayal of the Joker in the "Batman" movie he appeared in.  He
replied that he simply "played the suit".  I think Glenn Close had a
interesting evil character to add to her repertoire, but I also think
she "played the suit".
The first half of the movie was fast moving and the plot had some
momentum to it and it was all a nice comedic romp about dogs and their
owners.  The dog escape sequence towards the end of the film dragged
on and on.  The director of 101D is the same man, John Hughes, who
directed "Home Alone", and the second half called to mind a comparison
to "Home Alone" pratfalls, "Homeward Bound" animals finding their way
home and 101D.
 BM> Another criticism heard was that the dogs don't talk--even to each
 BM> other--except to bark. The suggestion being that understanding the
 BM> motives of Pongo and Perdita is essential to understanding the story.
 BM> Posh and tuttle! These animal actors were most expressive, and as anyone
 BM> who has had a pet will tell you, they speak volumes even when silent. I
 BM> had no trouble following the mental processes of any of the animal
 BM> actors.
Me neither, but the film could have benefited by more editting.  The pacing
was sllllllllllooooooowwwwwwww.
 BM> It's only fair to note that many of the animal actors were born at Jim
 BM> Henson's Creature Shop. Credit was not given to the puppeteers, and they
 BM> should probably be thankful--some of the performances were of a quality
 BM> usually reserved for films like "Caddy Shack" (and if you haven't seen
 BM> it, yes, that was an insult). A few scenes--like the one in the teasers
 BM> where the raccoons give each other a high five--are clearly fake, but so
 BM> funny you don't care. Others--like the rat who showed Kipper the way to
 BM> the puppies by pointing with his tail--inspire groans of, "Come on, we
 BM> know you can do better than that!"
Someone from Knight-Ridder wrote a review that called the film "spotty"
and I agree it was all very uneven.
There is a licensed product called "Wettin' Whizzer": You feed the
plush toy water from a bowl and it flows through the base to wet specially
treated newspapers at the dog's other 'end'.  Whizzer in 101D only has
one very short scene of wetting, the other wetting scene is with Lucky
but then most of the dogs look alike after awhile.  For $30 "Wettin'
Whizzer" isn't much of a toy and it's based on a very minor scene.  If
you find toys like "Wettin' Whizzer" to be tasteless, someone on the
Disney newsgroups is urging people to write comments at www.disney.com to
let them know this sort of product is not a good idea.
I thought the assault of Joan Plowright (Nanny) was rather violent, and
the accidents the two puppy-nappers kept getting into were _very_ violent.
 BM> Is CID destined to be considered one of Disney's masterpieces? Not on
 BM> your spots. Is it one of Disney's worst? Certainly not--I'd gladly trade
 BM> it for "Robin Hood" and both "Flubber" movies.
You may have seen that Disney is remaking "That Darn Cat".  I guess
Disney is remaking a lot of their old product for more contemporary
audiences.  "That Darn Cat" trailer looked very silly.  The "Hercules"
trailer song "Zero to Hero" looked _GREAT_, I like the departure in
animation style.
101D isn't a great film and it isn't an awful film.  I felt it was
much better than the barrage of merchandising would lead one to
expect (did you know that Disney licensed 17,000 items related to 101D?)
IMHO, see it out of "Disney curiosity".  I heard it raked in $46 million
at the box office over Thanksgiving, more than it's nearest competition.
IMHO just to see the "Hercules" trailer in completed form is worth the
price of matinee admission, but your mileage may vary.  101D is a
comedy romp with a great star as a villain and dogs and puppies who
upstage even the great star.
 BM> While it won't likely
 BM> show up on my (very short) shelf of videotape masterpieces,
But it will show up on home video someday, with more merchandising. ;-)
My guess is that like "Toy Story" it will hit home video next
September/October, but that is a guess on my part and not an announced
fact yet by Disney.
Anyone else see 101D?  What did you think of it, or the Disney trailers
that showed with 101D?
--Carol Koster: CKoster@neosoft.com or Fido c/o Rich Koster 1:3828/1.3
  FidoNet Disney Echo Moderator
 * Minnie: "Ready or not, here comes the future!"  Donald: "C'mon, let's go!"
 * The Gang: "Yeah!"  Minnie: "Oh!"  Chip: "The future!"  Dale: "The final
 * "frontier!"  Goofy: "To boldly go where no dog has gone before!"
 * Pluto: "Woof!  Woof!  Woof!"  -Splashtacular
--- April V1.0+
(1:3828/1.3)
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