New '101 Dalmatians' missing the magic
By Achmad Nurhoeri
JAKARTA (JP) : If you're a Disney cartoon maniac, you might have sniffed out that Roger and Anita and their human-like dogs Pongo & Perdita are back along with the wicked Cruella De Vil.
The legendary 1961 101 Dalmatians is now jingling all the way back, although the animated classic is now a flesh and blood version. There are some modifications to fit with the 90s, but the setting is still in an elite London suburb and all the characters are the same. Even the "only in cartoons" tricks, like surviving after running into a high voltage fence, are there.
The story begins with computer-game designer Roger (Jeff Daniels of the hit-thriller Speed) trying to sell his latest masterpiece to a big electronics company that uses kids as the game tester. Daniels' 100 percent American accent is irritating in the London setting. The beginning of the movie is the most modified part of Disney's cartoon version. In the cartoon, Roger was a song composer, and in the 1960s computers were still an alien device.
After his work is rejected, Roger runs to his bicycle with his dalmatian, Pongo, who senses a fine looking female dalmatian around. Pongo forces Roger to follow through. But after the wild- goose chase, Pongo finally finds his sweetheart, Perdita (Perdy). Her master is a classical English maiden named Anita (played by a Julie Andrews reincarnation, Joely Richardson). And to make it short, Roger and Anita find out that they like each other, too.
After a nanny joins the two couples, they become the model family. As life goes on, Perdy and Anita realize that the boys have hit the jackpot. They are pregnant.
Thumbs up to the way director Stephen Herek (Mr. Holland's Opus) manages to make Pongo and Perdy as "human" as possible. They can't talk like they did in the animated version but their gestures are more than expected.
Perdy gave birth to 15 cute Dalmatian puppies. Tragedy comes when Cruella De Vil (played by Glenn Close), who is Anita's boss, wants to buy the puppies to make a dalmatian-fur coat. Ironically, the coat's design is inspired by Anita's previous sketches. Cruella's offer is slammed down instantly by the couple. Pongo and Perdy also show their disapproval.
Cruella goes crazy and tries to get the puppies. She hires two moronic henchmen to snatch the puppies while Roger and Anita are not at home. The goons succeed and put the 15 little puppies in their hideout, a wrecked mansion outside of the city. It appears that Cruella has also kidnapped other dalmatian puppies. The new arrival brings the number to 99 dalmatians.
Roger and Anita face a dead end until Anita realizes that her drawings are the root of the problem. Meanwhile, the dogs have their own way of conducting a search. One night Pongo runs up to the roof and starts barking to announce the kidnapping to all canines around England's capital. It passes from one dog to another, from the ears of a bulldog and a cocker spaniel to a German shepherd and a boxer. The dog-to-dog communication turns up a farm dog knows who knows where the puppies are. In a flash the animal kingdom of greater London carries out an operation to free the dalmatians.
Herek's animals -- raccoons, skunks, cows, rabbits, pigs, horses, sheep and, of course, dogs -- are the real stars. Just like in the animated version, they are totally cuddlesome, Disney's clever trick to attract animal-loving kids and adults.
Tragically, the film never comes close to the animated version. The original was a classical Disney recipe of a rolling plot full of drama: tears when the puppies are gone, laughter when the animals do their tricks, the creeps when Cruella appears, harmony when the fabulous musical score is heard. The 1996 flesh and blood version is similar in performance but lacks the witty soul of the animated version.
But perhaps Disney was not aiming to rejuvenate the soul of the classic tale. It is probably more interested in generating profit. The Christmas and New Year's holidays give Hollywood the perfect chance to release easy-to-watch films like 101 Dalmatians
Don't be surprised if your neighborhood malls are already selling Dalmatian merchandise, for in the '90s, it is the tie-in toys that are man's best friend.