102 Dalmatians (2000)

Director: Kevin Lima

Cast: Glenn Close, Gérard Depardieu, Ioan Gruffudd

Synopsis: Cruella DeVil gets out of prison and goes after them darned puppies once more.

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Perhaps the biggest surprise about 102 Dalmatians, the belated sequel to Disney’s 1996 picture, 101 Dalmatians, is the fact that it took them 4 years to get around to making it. The story is pretty much the same, with Cruella De Vil returning to her evil ways after the sound of Big Ben’s bells undoes all Dr. Pavlov’s good work with her. Pavlov’s name is about as subtle as the film gets, although it is still a shade better than the original, with a lot less time devoted to slapstick comedy. Most of the original cast have been replaced, with only Glenn Close (Air Force One) reprising her role as the evil Cruella. Gérard Depardieu (Mesrine: Public Enemy Number 1, Life of Pi) joins the cast, and it’s a shame the writers couldn’t have thought of something more substantial for him to do.

One thing from the original movie that its sequel hasn’t improved upon is the over-the-top musical score which never lets up, constantly feeding us musical cues that eventually become overwhelming.

(Reviewed 29th March 2015)