101 Dalmatians (1996)

Long before Disney got on the live-action remake train in the 2010s, they first tried it in the 1990s with the movie 101 Dalmatians.

The Movie:

Coming just five years after the last re-release of the animated version and still riding on that movie's popularity, 101 Dalmatians was released to mixed reviews but commercial success, enough so that a live-action sequel was released four years later.  (That movie is not on the docket today.)  Though being credited as another adaptation of the Dodie Smith book, the movie clearly draws much inspiration from the 1961 animated film.

101 Dalmatians uses almost all the major beats and even several chunks of dialogue from the 1961 movie.  The setting is updated to (at the time) the present day.  Roger (who is given his book last name of Dearly instead of the animated movie's Radcliffe) is now an American video game designer living in London.  Anita's relationship to Cruella de Vil is now that of an employee, and Cruella is made a high-end fashion designer.  Horace and Jasper are now joined by a third character, Skinner, who is the taxidermist who makes Cruella's special projects.  Notably, unlike the animated film, none of the animals in this version talk.

Overall, this movie is a decent family film.  The lack of talking from the animals helps to differentiate it from the original, but in doing so you lose much of the personal motivation from Pongo, who in the 1961 is obviously the central protagonist.  This movie does flesh out the human characters a bit more, but overall it doesn't add enough new to fully justify its existence.  The most fun comes from the actors.  Glenn Close chews up the scenery every time she is on screen in her portrayal of Cruella de Vil.  (Her acting was the only consistent point of praise from the critics.)  Jeff Daniels does a fine job as Roger, and it is fun to see Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams bumble around as Jasper and Horace knowing the significant roles they would later play.  (That would be Dr. House and Arthur Weasley, respectively)

And then there is the music.  The animated film's highlight track, "Cruella de Vil," is here relegated to the closing credits, sung by Dr. John.  But my goodness, the score, by the late Michael Kamen, almost doesn't realize it is in a light-hearted family film.  Most of the tracks would fit right in with Kamen's work in The Three Musketeers and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  Unfortunately, many times the action on screen is nowhere near as awesome as the music playing over it.

Presence in the Parks:

As is typical with popular Disney live-action films, this movie had some promotion in the park when it debuted in 1996.  Since at the time, MGM Studios was the park devoted to the making of movies, there was a display of items from 101 Dalmatians there.  Interestingly enough, Earful Tower even got a 101 Dalmatians make-over to promote the movie.