101 Dalmatians

"So many dogs. So little time."

1996 1h 43m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🥫

39%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 3,741🥫39%Rotten Tomatoes●50Metacritic★5.8IMDB · 123,975

FamilyComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An evil, high-fashion designer plots to steal Dalmatian puppies in order to make an extravagant fur coat, but instead creates an extravagant mess.

“So many dogs. So little time.”

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Cast

Glenn Close
Cruella de Vil
Jeff Daniels
Roger
Joely Richardson
Anita
Joan Plowright
Nanny
Hugh Laurie
Jasper
Mark Williams
Horace
John Shrapnel
Skinner
Tim McInnerny
Alonzo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stephen Herek
Writers: John Hughes
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $54M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "101 Dalmatians (Live-Action) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stephen Herek, shot by Adrian Biddle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stephen Herek directs. Adrian Biddle behind the camera. Michael Kamen scores. Trudy Ship cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $54M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 5.9× over at the box office.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "101 Dalmatians (Live-Action) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Stephen Herek, shot by Adrian Biddle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Michael Kamen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Trudy Ship shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Glenn Close and Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "So many dogs. So little time.".
11IMDB entry: tt0115433 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "london, england", "fur", "fashion designer", "puppy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Adrian Biddle
Original score: Michael Kamen
Editing: Trudy Ship
Production design: Assheton Gorton
Costume design: Anthony Powell
Makeup / hair: Belinda Hodgson
Sound: Tim Chau
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $54,000,000
Box office: $320,689,294
Return: 594% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: 101 Dalmatians (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 39% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 50/100
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 123,975 votes
MPAA: G

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award3 wins & 10 nominations total

Part of

101 Dalmatians (Live-Action) Collection

The 101 Dalmatians (Live-Action) Collection centers on the delightful adventures and misadventures of the famous 101 dalmatians, their parents Pongo and Perdita, and their infamous nemesis Cruella De Vil. Starting with the charming "101 Dalmatians" (1996), where Cruella first attempts to capture the puppies for her diabolical fashion needs, and followed by "102 Dalmatians" (2000), which sees a supposedly reformed Cruella return to her old tricks, this collection offers a live-action retelling of the classic tale. This set culminates with "Cruella" (2021), a prequel that delves into the origins of the notorious villainess.

Also by

Stephen Herek

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andre Gonzales2023-03-18
★ 6/10
A true classic. Who doesn't like this movie. If you haven't seen it, I really recommend it. Especially for kids.
CinemaSerf2023-08-27
★ 6/10
Unfortunately, this is really just a vehicle for a wonderfully sinister Glenn Close as Dodie Smith's aptly named "Cruella De Vil". She has a penchant for fur; and the finer and more rare the better. When she discovers that Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson have a whole 101 Dalmatians, she reckons a new coat beckons and dispatches a couple of her crazily inept henchmen to carry out the simple task of dognapping them. At times it is quite funny, but all in a rather predictable way. A solid British cast help to keep this simmering along but it's really just one for the kids and not really a patch on the animation.
tmdb766221952024-01-20
★ 4/10
Disney plumbs the depths of their classic animation and creates a one hundred minute commercial for their Dalmatian products. Glenn Close perfectly embodies Cruella DeVil. She is the fashion designing boss of Anita (Joely Richardson). Roger (Jeff Daniels) has a Dalmatian, like Anita, but he is unsuccessful as a video game designer- living in that hotbed of video game designing- London. Anita and Roger meet overly cute, and their dogs Pongo (his) and Perdy (hers) fall in love, too. Anita and Roger marry, and get pregnant. Pongo and Perdy marry, and get pregnant. Poor Perdy squeezes out fifteen puppies, under the watchful, slumming eye of Joan Plowright, playing Nanny. Cruella returns and offers to buy the puppies. Inspired by one of Anita's designs, she plans to make a giant fur coat out of them. She and her henchmen have been collecting puppies, and these final fifteen will give her her frock. Anita and Roger do not sell. The puppies are dognapped by henchmen Jasper (Hugh Laurie) and Horace (Mark Williams), who look exactly like their animated counterparts from the better Disney film. The very long finale is one giant rescue scene, as the puppies are helped by other animals to escape, with Cruella, the henchmen, and a psychotic mute taxidermist named Skinner (John Shrapnel) on their collective tails. Screenwriter John Hughes apes his "Home Alone" ingredient of having grown men injured by cute creatures so often, I though I was watching an unofficial sequel. Director Stephen Herek is no Chris Columbus, however. While Columbus can direct (usually), Herek is all over the place, not quite sure what he should be capturing in order to double over the audience with laughter. The scene where Anita and Roger meet after wrecking their bikes thanks to their runaway dogs is milked for all it is worth and runs way too long. The editing is not tight, as Herek switches back and forth between multiple cameras, and capturing extreme close-ups of "funny business" instead of just letting the actors be funny. Daniels and Richardson get lost in the shuffle, making no impression on the audience whatsoever. Glenn Close is just right for the part, with some amazing costumes and hair, but she seems reined in as well. The film makers cannot decide if their audience is innocent children or their tired parents. Some of the dialogue is harsh, like the villains' plans for the puppies, but that is offset by sugar coating too many scenes, including the finale. There are also a couple of clips from other Disney films in the movie, but this does not seem like an inside joke so much as free advertising for other Disney videos. In the end, "101 Dalmatians" fails to deliver on its intent. Close almost breaks free from the shackles of marketing mediocrity, but the real loser here is the audience. The puppies are adorable, though.