In 1996, the sequel to Homeward Bound was released, however, there was a bigger live-action Disney film coming out that year that happened to overshadow it. This movie is often cited as what kicked Disney's remake trend that we see today, where they are reaming every movie they've ever made. Before we know it, there'll be a Tangled remake. The 1996 101 Dalmatians is an interesting beast as it's quite faithful to the source material while having a bit more of a slapstick tone. It has been compared to Home Alone and that does make sense as it was written by John Hughes.
That does make and the comedy is pretty good. And it does make for an enjoyable movie. Moving on, like I've said in the first review, I will not be going over the plot as it is the same as the original film but instead looking at What's the Same, What's Different, and Is it a Good Remake?
With that out of the way, let's begin.
What's the Same
Honestly, the general idea of Cruella stealing the puppies is the same and there is a nod to the Twilight Bark in the movie as well. The movie also starts with Roger and Anita meeting. It was nice that this was kept the same as it showed the movie being faithful while being beholden to the original.
What's Different
There are quite a few things that are different for one thing, more time is spent on developing Roger and Anita's relationship and that is nice as both Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson give excellent performances. Speaking of Roger, he doesn't write music in this version but is instead a game developer. My guess is that it is because they wanted it to be updated for the 90s.
This is even reflected in how the Dog Catcher wasn't scary but when Roger made the villain of his game, Cruella, the game was better. Before we get to Cruella, there is another big change that this movie brought it, Anita being pregnant.
I think this may have been done to parallel the puppies being born and that works. Now, let's move onto one of the biggest changes, Cruella.
Glenn Close is just perfect as Cruella and is even a little more devious while tapping into why she wanted the coat so much.
The film reinvented Cruella as the vindictive, snobbish, and very glamorous magnate of an haute couture fashion house, "House of DeVil", which specialized in fur couture. The character of Anita (played by Joely Richardson) was a couturière and employee of De Vil. Unlike the animated film, the live-action version gives the reason why Cruella wanted to make the puppies into coats at a young age, is that their fur wouldn't be as soft when they fully grow up
This change was perfect and Close's performance as Cruella easily made her the most iconic part of this movie. Close is so game for everything that is thrown her way and the slapstick with her is where Hughes' style of comedy really comes in.
This movie goes all-in on the comedy and it works in that regard as it knows what kind of movie, it wants to be and it works in that regard.
Is This a Good Remake?
Overall yeah, this is a great remake. The original has a more heartfelt tone but that is here in this one as well while also going all-in on the comedy and knowing that it wants people to laugh while also having a good time. Join me next time as we look at the sequel...
102 Dalmatians
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