101 Things You Didn't Know About '101 Dalmatians' | Moviefone 101 Things You Didn't Know About '101 Dalmatians' by Moviefone Staff This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Disney animated classic '101 Dalmatians.' If you've somehow forgotten, the 1961 movie focuses on Pongo and Perdita, two proud Dalmatian parents, and their search for their 15 puppies, who have been kidnapped by the nasty Cruella De Vil. De Vil wants to skin the dogs for her luxurious new fur coat but gets no help from her bumbling sidekicks, Jasper and Horace. Along their adventure, Pongo and Perdy team up with a countryside full of farm animals, rescue 84 additional stray Dalmatian pups, and return to the home of their owners, the Radcliffes, with a family in the triple digits. You may think you know everything about the beloved family film, but did you know about the dogs' alien adventures or their connection to the rock band Styx ?

With sequels, TV shows, remakes and a stage show under its belt, '101 Dalmatians' has amassed a long and impressive history, full of surprising nuggets of trivia. In celebration of the film's 50th anniversary, we present you with 101 things you didn't know about '101 Dalmatians.' But first, refresh your memory by watching a trailer for the classic movie. 1. Technically, the official title is 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians,' but since it's a chore to write that out, it often gets shortened to '101 Dalmatians.' 2. The film is based on the 1956 book 'The Hundred and One Dalmatians' by English novelist Dodie Smith. 3. Dodie Smith herself was the proud owner of nine Dalmatians, including one named Pongo. 4. At one point, Pongo did have a litter of 15 puppies. One of them was stillborn, but Smith's husband managed to revive it. 5. Smith was inspired to write the book after a friend told her "Those dogs would make a lovely fur coat." 6.

Smith's story was first serialized in 'Ladies' Home Journal' as 'The Great Dog Robbery.' 7. In the book, Pongo and Perdita are not the parents of the puppies. In the book, the couple is Pongo and Missis Pongo; Perdita is a stray, who had her puppies sold away, and she becomes the wet nurse for Missis' 15 pups. 8. Perdita's long-lost love is named Prince. 9. In 1967, Smith published 'The Starlight Brigade,' a sequel. 10. In 'The Starlight Brigade,' the Dalmatian family teams up with a few strays and some "honorary dogs" (aka cats) to investigate the mystery of why every human in the country -- including their owners, the Dearlys, and Cruella De Vil -- has fallen into a deep sleep, unable to wake up. 11. Then they are visited by Sirius, Lord of the Dog Star, an extraterrestrial dog who appears as the breed of whatever dog is speaking to him. 12.

He explains that he has come to Earth to rescue all dogs from the threat of nuclear war and owner abuse, by taking them to outer space with him. 13. A council of dogs, led by Pongo, must deliberate on whether to leave the planet or not. 14. They decide to remain on Earth. To ensure their safety, Sirius has all pets returned safely to their owners and gets every stray dog into the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. 15. Battersea is the United Kingdom's oldest animal shelter. Established in 1860, the shelter survives entirely on public donations; it took in almost $20 million in 2009. 16. One reason Smith wrote the sequel is because Walt Disney kept sending her letters urging her to make more Dalmatian stories they could adapt. 17. '101 Dalmatians' has the distinction of being the first animated Disney film to take place in a contemporary setting. 18. A newspaper gag in the film about Captain Henrik Kurt Carlsen and the Flying Enterprise freighter, which sank into the Atlantic, places the movie's events in 1952. 19.

Getting 'Dalmatians' made into a movie was not easy; Disney was undergoing a budget crisis after their previous film, 'Sleeping Beauty,' had been deemed a commercial failure. 20. Prior to the production of this movie, Disney's animation staff had been cut from over 500 to less than 100 animators. 21. Production was finally made possible due to the development of Xerography. 22. Xerography-based animation was developed when legendary Ub Iwerks began experimenting with Xerox photography. In 1959, he developed a Xerox camera that could transfer animator's drawings directly to cells, forgoing the need for inking. 23. The xerography style resulted in hard, scratchy outlines on the final drawings, which then forced Disney animators to change the look of their characters from softer and rounder to more angular and stylized. 24. This new style became the Disney standard, used all the way up until 1977's 'The Rescuers,' when updated technology allowed them to change the look. 25. Walt Disney reportedly disliked the Xerox-based style. 26.

Still, the Xerox technique allowed the film to come in on budget. 27. All of the moving cars in the movie are based on live-action footage of cars painted black and white. 28. Then they were Xeroxed onto animation cells and re-colored. 29. Animators painted all the Dalmatian spots by treating them as constellations, forming a fixed pattern design. 30. Pongo sports 72 spots, Perdita sports 68, and each of the 99 puppies has exactly 32 spots. 31. For the movement of dogs in background shots, animators created a handful of animation loops and Xeroxed them in differing sizes and directions. 32. Individually animating each of the 101 Dalmatians would have more than doubled the film's cost. 33. Due to a continuity goof, the final scene of the movie features more than 101 Dalmatians; there's at least 150 animated spotted dogs in the background. 34.

Walt Disney hired actors to perform live-action scenes of all the human characters to serve as a reference for the animators and to find out if those scenes were feasible to animate. 35. The animators didn't like working this way; they thought it limited their creativity. 36. Traditionally, Disney's top team of animators -- known collectively as "the Nine Old Men" -- each animated a single lead character for the entire movie. This was the first production where they teamed up on characters together. 37. Seven of the nine animated Perdita. 38. The only one of the Nine Old Men who worked on his own individual character was Marc Davis, who animated Cruella De Vil. 39. Cruella De Vil's look and personality was inspired by manic Golden Age actress Tallulah Bankhead . 40. Bankhead had caused a scandal in 1932 when she told 'Motion Picture Magazine': "I haven't had an affair for six months. Six months! Too long ... If there's anything the matter with me now, it's not Hollywood or Hollywood's state of mind. The matter with me is I want a man. Six months is a long, long while.

I want a man!" 41. Another one of her famous quotes: "There have been only two geniuses in the world: Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare. But, darling, I think you'd better put Shakespeare first." 42. Tallulah Bankhead's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6141 Hollywood Blvd. 43. Cruella was ranked 31st on the American Film Institute's List of 100 Greatest On-Screen Heroes and Villains. 44. In Italy, she is known as "Crudelia De Mon" -- a play off the word "demon." In France, she is known as "Cruella D'Enfer" -- meaning "From Hell." 45. Synth-metal band Deadsy wrote a tribute song to her entitled, 'Cruella.' 46. The thunder that claps when she first appears is a sound effect from 'Bambi.' 47. Cruella was voiced not by Bankhead but by actress Betty Lou Gerson ; she was honored as a "Disney Legend" in 1996. 48.

After Gerson retired from showbiz, she used her voice for a telephone answering service at her husband's company. 49. The film was different from previous Disney films in that it featured only three songs, just one of which -- Cruella's theme song -- was performed in its entirety. Several more songs were composed by Mel Leven that have never been heard. 50. Captain the Horse (the equine friend of Tibbs the Cat and Colonel the Sheepdog) is voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft . You might know Thurl as the voice of Tony the Tiger, and as the uncredited singer of 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.' 51. Clarence Nash -- who famously voiced Donald Duck -- provided all the dog barks used in the movie. 52. J. Pat O'Malley provides the voices of the Colonel and Jasper, meaning when they come face to face with each other, O'Malley is talking to himself. 53.

This is the first Disney animated feature to be credited to one writer: Bill Peet , who also helped write: 'The Jungle Book,' 'The Sword in the Stone,' 'Sleeping Beauty,' 'Peter Pan,' 'Alice in Wonderland,' 'Cinderella,' 'Mickey and the Beanstalk,' 'Song of the South,' 'The Three Caballeros,' 'Dumbo,' 'Fantasia' and 'Pinocchio.' 54. Lady, the Tramp, Jock, Peg and Bull from 1955's 'Lady and the Tramp' all make cameos during the "Twilight Bark" sequence. 55. Roger Dearly and Pongo make a cameo in Disney's Dickens-by-way-of-canines 1988 hit, 'Oliver & Company.' 56. '101 Dalmatians' was released on Jan. 25, 1961. 57. The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 59. 'Dalmatians' became the 10th-highest-grossing film of 1961, earning $6,400,000 domestically that year. 60.

It was re-released in theaters in January 1969, June 1979, December 1985, and July 1991. 61. The 1991 re-release brought in $60 million and was the 20th-highest-grossing movie of the year. 62. Over its lifetime of theatrical screenings, it has amassed a worldwide box office take of $215,880,014. 63. Adjusted for inflation, its roughly $145 million domestic draw equates to $794 million, good for 11th on the all-time list , according to Box Office Mojo. This even puts it ahead of 'Avatar' in terms of total number of tickets sold. 64. The film was released on VHS on April 10, 1992, as part of the "Walt Disney Classics" video series. 65.Then, it was re-released on video tape on March 9, 1999, as part of the "Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection" video series. 66.Then, it was released on DVD on Dec.

19, 1999, as part of the "Disney's Limited Issue" DVD series. 67.Then, it was released on DVD for a second time, on March 4, 2008, as part of the "Walt Disney Platinum Edition" two-disc DVD series. 68. There is no official release date yet for the release of the film as part of the "Walt Disney Diamond Edition" three-disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo series. 69. The movie is officially out of the "Disney Vault" for the time being, but once it returns to its fortified holding cell, it will not be available for sale at any commercial outlets for a minimum of seven years. 70. Selena Gomez performed 'Cruella De Vil' for a bonus music video, included on the Platinum Edition DVD. 71. During the first VHS release, a large number of tie-in merchandise was sold to the public with the misspelling "Dalmations." 72. The movie got an official sequel 40 years later on Jan.

21, 2003, with the direct-to-video/DVD film '101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure.' It was not based on Smith's 'The Starlight Brigade.' 73. In the new story, puppy Patch is accidentally left behind during a Dalmatian relocation. He finds his family with the help of Thunderbolt, a canine television star. Think 'Home Alone' meets 'Bolt.' 74. 'Patch's London Adventure' was re-released on Sept. 16, 2008, as a special-edition DVD. 75. In 1996, 'Dalmatians' was remade as a live-action modern-day film. The official title this time around, was simply '101 Dalmatians.' 76. In the remake, Jeff Daniels' Roger Dearly is a struggling video-game designer, instead of a struggling jazz songwriter, and the Dalmatians cannot talk. 77. Glenn Close portrays the iconic Cruella De Vil, while Hugh Laurie stars as her bumbling henchman Jasper. The film was written and produced by John Hughes . 78.

The 1996 version used 20 adult Dalmatians and 230 puppies. 79. Glenn Close's first day on set in the full Cruella costume genuinely scared the dog playing Perdita. 80. In order to get the puppies to lick him on cue, crew members had to rub raw hot dogs on Jeff Daniels' face. 81. John Hughes' contract for this movie allowed him to gain a cut of the merchandising profits. 82. Over 17,000 pieces of merchandise were made for the film. 83. Not surprisingly, then, '101 Dalmatians' turned out to be John Hughes' most profitable writing assignment. 84. The 1996 version grossed over $320 million worldwide, but has received a "rotten" rating of 41 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 85. That movie's success led to the November 2000 sequel, '102 Dalmatians.' Even though Close was the only star to return, the installment still grossed over $183 million worldwide. 86.

One of the characters in '102 Dalmatians' is Oddball, a completely spotless dalmatian. The puppy-actor's spots had to be digitally removed, one by one, by a team of 55 computer artists. 87. A spin-off animated series, '101 Dalmatians: The Series,' was launched in September of 1997, as part of the Disney Afternoon syndicated block, and blends elements of the original novel, the animated feature and the live-action remake. 88. The TV show stars three puppies in the lead: Lucky the leader, Rolly the fat one (he's smart, too!) and New Age-y sister Cadpig. The trio, along with their brothers, sisters and farm animal friends, contend once again with Cruella De Vil, who has now become a corporate villain. 89. The dogs have been the stars of two video games: '101 Dalmatians: Escape from De Vil Manor' for the PC, and '102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue' for the Sega Dreamcast and Sony Playstation. Both games mash-up the animated and live-action versions. 90.

The canine family also appears in the wildly successful original 'Kingdom Hearts' game. Pongo and Perdita ask Sora to help locate their 99 puppies, which have been lost among the worlds of the universe since their home planet was destroyed by darkness. 91. According to the 'Kingdom Hearts' wiki : "It is not a requirement to find all of the puppies in 'Kingdom Hearts,' but doing so yields various rewards, which includes unlocking the secret ending, an Aero upgrade, as well as a full Gummi Block collection." We have no idea what that means. 92. In 2009, Purina Dog Chow sponsored a live theatrical musical based on Dodie Smith's original novel; first premiered at Minneapolis's Orpheum Theater, before embarking on a national tour that culminated with a 2010 engagement at Madison Square Garden. 93. 'The 101 Dalmatians Musical' featured lyrics from Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung , 15 actual Dalmatians and simulated dog perspective via the use of stilts. 94. The production received mixed reviews. 95.

Dalmatian breeds have experienced a continuous boost in domestic popularity since the movie phenomenon began. 96. Dalmatians are active dogs that require a large amount of outdoor activity. Their loyal and athletic dispositions have made them ideal for rescue and guarding. 97. Unfortunately, many Dalmatian owners are undereducated about proper breeding responsibilities. Because many homes are not capable of raising such high-energy dogs, massive numbers of Dalmatians have been abandoned to animal shelters. 98. Many Dalmatian rescue organizations have arisen to take care of unwanted Dalmatians and find proper housing for them. 99. The breed of dogs originated in the Dalmatia region of the Republic of Croatia, then were brought to England. They served as guard dogs and guides for horses and firefighters. 100. There are 113,760 frames of film in the original '101 Dalmatians.' 101. The final tally of Dalmatian spots in all those frames of film: 6,469,952.

The 101 Dalmatians - Listening Books Listening Books Reviews The 101 Dalmatians is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith, author of the iconic coming-of-age novel I Capture the Castle. At a dinner party attended by Mr. and Mr.s Dearly, who are owned by a couple of Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil expresses her philosophy that all animals are worthless. Subsequently, the couple's new litter of Dalmatian puppies disappear. Pongo and Missis Pongo, the puppies' parents, set out to find them and with the helpof other animals and the "Twilight Barking", they eventually discover their whereabouts along with many other missing Dalmatians in Suffolk England and a determined race against time to rescue them commences. Pongo and Missis Pongo are a pair of Dalmatians who live with the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Dearly and their two nannies. Mr. Dearly is a "financial wizard" who has been granted life-long tax exemption and lent a house on the Outer Circle in Regent's Park in return for wiping out the government debt.

The dogs consider the humans their pets, but allow the humans to think that they are the owners. Missis gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies. Concerned that Missis will not be able to feed them all, Mrs. Dearly looks for a wet nurse, and finds an abandoned Dalmatian mother in the middle of the road in the pouring rain. She has the dog treated by a vet and names her Perdita. Mr. and Mrs. Dearly attend a dinner party hosted by Cruella de Vil, an intimidating and very wealthy woman fixated with fur. The Dearlys are disconcerted by her belief that all animals are worthless and should be drowned. Shortly after the dinner party, the puppies disappear. The humans fail to trace them but through the "Twilight Barking", a forum of communication in which dogs can relay messages to each other across the country, the dogs manage to track them down to "Hell Hall", the ancestral home of the de Vil family in Suffolk. Pongo and Missis decide to run away from home and find them, leaving Perdita to look after the Dearlys.

After a journey across the countryside, they learn that there are 97 puppies in Hell Hall, including their own 15. Thus commences a determined attempt to rescue the Dalmatian puppies quickly before they end up as fur for one of Cruella de Vil's famous black and white fur coats. Release date: May 27, 2010 Duration: 04:32:48 Release date: May 27, 2010 Duration: 04:32:48 10 of 10 copies available Available formats Languages English The 101 Dalmatians is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith, author of the iconic coming-of-age novel I Capture the Castle. At a dinner party attended by Mr. and Mr.s Dearly, who are owned by a couple of Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil expresses her philosophy that all animals are worthless. Subsequently, the couple's new litter of Dalmatian puppies disappear.

Pongo and Missis Pongo, the puppies' parents, set out to find them and with the helpof other animals and the "Twilight Barking", they eventually discover their whereabouts along with many other missing Dalmatians in Suffolk England and a determined race against time to rescue them commences. Pongo and Missis Pongo are a pair of Dalmatians who live with the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Dearly and their two nannies. Mr. Dearly is a "financial wizard" who has been granted life-long tax exemption and lent a house on the Outer Circle in Regent's Park in return for wiping out the government debt. The dogs consider the humans their pets, but allow the humans to think that they are the owners. Missis gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies. Concerned that Missis will not be able to feed them all, Mrs. Dearly looks for a wet nurse, and finds an abandoned Dalmatian mother in the middle of the road in the pouring rain. She has the dog treated by a vet and names her Perdita. Mr. and Mrs.

Dearly attend a dinner party hosted by Cruella de Vil, an intimidating and very wealthy woman fixated with fur. The Dearlys are disconcerted by her belief that all animals are worthless and should be drowned. Shortly after the dinner party, the puppies disappear. The humans fail to trace them but through the "Twilight Barking", a forum of communication in which dogs can relay messages to each other across the country, the dogs manage to track them down to "Hell Hall", the ancestral home of the de Vil family in Suffolk. Pongo and Missis decide to run away from home and find them, leaving Perdita to look after the Dearlys. After a journey across the countryside, they learn that there are 97 puppies in Hell Hall, including their own 15. Thus commences a determined attempt to rescue the Dalmatian puppies quickly before they end up as fur for one of Cruella de Vil's famous black and white fur coats.

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The 101 Dalmatians: Dodie Smith: 9780760704066: Amazon.com: Books The 101 Dalmatians Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Accidental Exiles Bruce Perry Memories of the Iraq War and a Texas childhood merge with a soldier's fateful affairs in Europe. Kirkus compared it with Lost Generation fiction. the berkeley plan barry powell Told by three characters in the person, two men and a woman, this novel displays the craziness and madcap society of Berkeley in the late sixties.

Kindle Edition Walking with Shadows Luke Romyn Left for dead after crashing in the Amazon, Jonas Drake must save not only himself but also the one other survivor: a ten-year-old boy. Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Ignite your imagination with these editor's picks from Kindle books. See more Product Details Publisher: Barnes Noble (January 1, 1996) Language: English Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces By Julie Plancarte on January 19, 2006 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase There are wonderful parts of the book that are skipped over in the Disney movie. For example, Cruella de Vil has her own history- she's married!- which adds a lot of depth to the plot. And the combining of Perdita and Missus into one character in the movie was really awful, since Perdita has her own sad story that deserves attention. I love this story. It's utterly charming. So many wonderful characters. So much fun.

if you can get this book for your child's collection, do it. The movie just doesn't cut it. By Amazon Customer on March 22, 2014 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase First off, allow me to assure you that this book is 100% better than the animated classic, and 500% better than the dreadful live version movie. The book has far more depth, way more characters, and a lot more story. It's utterly charming. I've owned and read this book since I was a child, and knew it would be a perfect gift for my niece, who loves animals. However, when I ordered her copy, I was dismayed to find that her edition did not have the same illustrations as mine! The original line drawings by Janet and Anne Grahame-Johnstone are an integral part of the story; definitely do what you can to make sure your edition has them. I truly adore this book and can't recommend it highly enough. By N. Adams on December 29, 2008 Format: Hardcover Completely and utterly charming.

I very much enjoyed listening to this book (there's just nothing like a British actor, reading to you!), and can see myself reading this to my children in just a few short years. Of course, we've seen the movie, and while the folks at Disney did their best to remain true to the story, there just isn't anything like reading (or hearing) Dodie Smith's words come alive on the page. Just fabulous. Highly recommend. By Juska on November 18, 2010 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase I'll start by saying that I grew up with the Disney movie, which I love very much. I had just recently purchased a VHS tape of the movie and watched it, only to be reminded that it was based on a novel (during the credits). So finally I went online and decided to buy it. The book is very different from the movie, much more involved with the dogs' world than the humans', which I liked. It seems Disney left many characters out of the movie, and changed most of the ones they kept. For example, Perdita is a lost, liver-spotted dalmatian that "Mrs.

Dearly" finds alongside the road, who helps foster the 15 puppies birthed by "Missis", who is Pongo's actual wife. Perdita later finds her lost puppies at Hell Hall and is reunited with them, along with her husband who is taken away after they are "married". Other left out characters include an old Spaniel, a Staffordshire Terrier, Cruella's Persian cat, and a show dog. Cruella DeVil's husband, who is a furrier (one who makes animal skin coats) is never mentioned. "Saul and Jasper" in the book are replaced with "Horace and Jasper", and there are two nannies (Nanny Butler and Nanny Cook) instead of one. I found two typos in the book (my copy, at least), one is where "that" is misspelled "tht" and a stray parenthesis mark. This book has a certain charm and a clever way of portraying the way dogs think and act. The emotions are strong and well-portrayed in each character, and you definitely get a feeling to how they are coping with situations in the story.

The one I felt was the strongest was Missis having to deal with life outside a warm cozy fire and all the comforts of home as they search for their children. Overall, I like the story very much, and I'll probably re-read it over and over as time goes on. By Clare O'Beara on May 21, 2013 Format: Hardcover A great adventure story. Pongo, a Dalmatian, thinks his life is perfect. He and his Missis have a litter of puppies, and liver-spotted Prince and Perdita have another litter in their loving home. The pups include Patch, with a black ear, and cute little girl Cadpig. But charmless rich woman Cruella DeVille buys up the pups to make herself a fur coat, not that that she tells Pongo's owners about that. When the dogs find out through a chain of communication called Twilight Barking they have to rush off to rescue the pups... and it turns out Cruella has gathered up quite a lot of them! There is a sequel to this book, called The Starlight Barking, which is more of a fantasy but is also a good read.

Articles about Dalmatians - tribunedigital-chicagotribune 3 Dalmatian Notes By Glen D. Mayer, D.V.M., Chicago Veterinary Medical Association | November 29, 1996 I am concerned about and disappointed in your Nov. 12 Tempo article headlined "Trouble spots." Although I agree with the comment by Jane Stern of the Anti-Cruelty Society that Dalmatians are not for everyone, the implication of this article was that all Dalmatians are overbred, hyperactive and deaf. As past president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association, past owner of Dalmatians and the only veterinarian in the state who provides hearing testing for Dalmatians, I can assure you of three things. NEWS New Cruella for '101 Dalmatians' By Chris Jones, TRIBUNE CRITIC | January 30, 2010 Rachel York has abruptly left the Chicago-bound tour of "101 Dalmatians." Her replacement as Cruella De Vil will be Sara Gettelfinger (an actress previously on Broadway in "Seuessical" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels").

In an announcement on her Web site, York told her fans she is "returning to California." There has been talk on Broadway of the show's struggles -- the musical is based on the 1956 book by Dodie Smith (as opposed to the 1961 animated Disney version) and features music by... Advertisement The Dalmatian Fascination By Lou Carlozo | November 26, 1996 The live-action version of Disney's "101 Dalmatians" will attract large crowds when it opens Wednesday. But Dalmatian fans might want to think twice before rushing off to the nearest pet store after the movie - the dogs aren't for everyone. "I'm very concerned that people don't pick them up as a fun thing," says Joyce Klassen of Chandler, Ariz. Klassen has owned four of the spotted pooches over 14 years. "You need to make an investment of time and care and love." Dalmatians can grow to 65...

ENTERTAINMENT Villains, orphans, and a few timeless tales: Classics for the young and the young at heart By Beth Franken, SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE | January 15, 2010 In this line of work (writing), the term "orphan" doesn't come up that much, unless someone's talking about the last, lonely word that falls at the bottom of a column of type. Also, last night's bottle of beer, now warm, that's sitting next to the computer. But in fiction, frequently -- especially children's literature -- "orphan" is the exposition, the very premise of the narrative, the hero or heroine's fearful but exhilarating... ENTERTAINMENT Craftsmanship Animates `101 Dalmatians` By Clifford Terry | July 12, 1991 The lost art of animation has been found through the re-release of "101 Dalmatians," the 1961 Disney classic in which an archvillain tries to operate as a one-woman spot remover.

It was made in the days when the Disney animators who were fondly known as the "nine old men" were in their stride; among those working on this film were Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas and Eric Larson. The movie introduced the Xerox process, an electromagnetic technique for transferring the animator's drawings... NEWS Foster dogs can fetch you comfort and joy By Mary Schmich | December 11, 2009 The last time I wrote about Valerie Kennedy, the movie "102 Dalmatians" was a holiday blockbuster and Kennedy wanted to spread a message to shoppers: Do not go out and buy a Dalmatian just because you like those movie dogs. That cute dotted puppy could turn into an unhealthy, hyperactive hound you'll soon discard. Kennedy got in touch a couple of days ago with a different Christmas tune: Why not adopt a dog, even if it's just for the holidays? Kennedy isn't suggesting...

NEWS New Cruella for '101 Dalmatians' By Chris Jones, TRIBUNE CRITIC | January 30, 2010 Rachel York has abruptly left the Chicago-bound tour of "101 Dalmatians." Her replacement as Cruella De Vil will be Sara Gettelfinger (an actress previously on Broadway in "Seuessical" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"). In an announcement on her Web site, York told her fans she is "returning to California." There has been talk on Broadway of the show's struggles -- the musical is based on the 1956 book by Dodie Smith (as opposed to the 1961 animated Disney version) and features music by... ENTERTAINMENT 'Frankenstein,' 'Dalmatians' are coming By Chris Jones, TRIBUNE CRITIC | May 7, 2009 Mel's back! Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" will play for six weeks in Chicago Nov. 3 through Dec. 13, Broadway in Chicago is set to announce Thursday. The show was grim on Broadway -- but a touring production will allow another chance to curb the initial excesses.

Also to be announced: "In the Heights," featuring the music of Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, plays Dec. 15 through Jan. 3. Robert Longbottom's highly anticipated touring production of Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen's... ENTERTAINMENT `Dalmatians` Spotlights Disney Marketing Mastery By John Singh, Knight-Ridder/Tribune | April 10, 1992 You`ll have to take Walt Disney Co.'s word for it-there are 6,469,952 spots in "101 Dalmatians," the 1961 classic that last year shattered box-office records for an animated re-release. The April 10 video release of "101 Dalmatians" is the icing on the cake for Disney, which has had a remarkably successful year in the home-video business. How successful? If the company were given $100 for every spot in "Dalmatians," that would still be less than its 1991 take in the... NEWS The Original Mean Girl By REDEYE | July 24, 2007 Glenn Close has made a career of playing fierce, scheming women.

"If I were in the room with these women, I'd be totally intimidated," Close told The New York Times about the roles she has played. The Lion in Winter Eleanor of Aquitaine pits her sons against their father, King Henry II. No wonder he locks her up. Dangerous Liaisons Before her face powder can settle, the Marquise de Merteuil destroys the lives of young French lovers. 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians The... NEWS `101 Dalmatians' Debut Takes Top Spot December 2, 1996 Disney's "101 Dalmatians" led the pack in its debut over the long Thanksgiving weekend with an estimated $46 million in ticket sales, according to industry estimates Sunday. The comedy knocked "Star Trek: First Contact" into second with an estimated take of $25.35 million, followed by "Space Jam" with Michael Jordan at $17.9 million. Mel Gibson's "Ransom" was fourth with $17.6 million in ticket sales. The success of "101 Dalmatians," a live-action version--starring Glenn Close--of...

TRAVEL Croatia with 40 nice people By Story and photos by Robert Cross, Tribune staff reporter | June 25, 2006 "These are all nice people. Everybody's nice in my group." Coming from the big, unsmiling Irene Demsar, our Slovenian tour guide, this sounded a little like a threat--or a warning. On a Saturday in May, the beginning of our nine-day, eight-night bus tour of Croatia's Dalmatian Coast and a bit of Slovenia, Demsar gathered us into a lounge at the Argosy, a no-nonsense, group-oriented hotel on a fantastically beautiful chunk of Adriatic shore. Through the magic of travel agencies and the... NEWS `102 Dalmatians' Has Rescue Groups On Alert By Judy Hammond, Knight Ridder Newspapers | November 25, 2000 That cuddly Dalmatian puppy in the window may tug at your heartstrings, but it may not be the best friend for you or your family. The opening of the Disney film "102 Dalmatians" on Wednesday has Dalmatian rescue groups and humane societies on alert for impulse buying of the cute, spotted puppies.

"As a shelter, we are very concerned about the fallout from this movie," said Gary Tiscornia, executive director of the SPCA of Monterey County. "It prompts the viewer to go out and... ENTERTAINMENT Glenn Close tackles her first weekly... By Jay Bobbin, Zap2it | March 13, 2005 QUESTIONS: 1) Glenn Close tackles her first weekly television role by joining the regular cast of "The Shield" as the police drama starts its fourth season Tuesday on FX. She first earned moviegoers' attention in the 1982 comedy-drama "The World According to Garp." Who wrote the novel on which the film was based? 2) Besides being a college friend of his, what was the other link Close's character had to the suicidal man who sparked "The Big Chill" (1983)? 3) Close dubbed the... NEWS Close On Her Toes In `101 Dalmatians' By Tribune News Services | November 29, 1996 Puppies, no sweat. But the spike heels and costumes weighing 90 pounds were a bit of a drag for Glenn Close.

Close, who plays villainess Cruella DeVil in the "101 Dalmatians" movie, wore a corset and teetered on 4-inch heels in the heavy get-up for hours at a time. "You can't let yourself be eaten up by costumes like that," Close said. "There were endless hours of shooting with me standing on the very tips of my toes all day long. I would take soaking baths and go to sleep with my legs... NEWS Dalmatians not your average family type of dog By Ann Landers | April 19, 2003 Editor's Note: Hundreds of Ann Landers' loyal readers have requested that newspapers continue to publish her columns. These letters originally appeared in 1997. Dear Ann Landers: I recently saw that adorable Disney movie, "101 Dalmatians." Although it was delightful entertainment, I'm afraid it is going to do a lot of damage. Everyone who sees it will want to rush out and get a Dalmatian for his very own. As a veteran in the dog-acquiring field, my advice is -- forget it. ...

FEATURES Dalmatian Party Really Hits The Spot By Susan Kubian | August 8, 1993 Dressed in her black-and-white, paw-printed party frock, spotted socks and white patent leather shoes, 2-year-old Valerie Szwaya of Arlington Heights looked like she had just leapt off the page of a children's storybook at last weekend's "101 Dalmatians" party sponsored by the Rolling Meadows Park District at its community center. "She was so excited to wear her Dalmatian dress," said Valerie's mother, Pamela. "They're coming in a minute," said Valerie, animated over the prospect of... ENTERTAINMENT The Legend of Bagger Vance (star)(star)1/2 Director... By Capsule reviews, by Michael Wilmington unless otherwise credited, of new DVDs/videos released Tuesday. John Petrakis | April 6, 2001 The Legend of Bagger Vance (star)(star)1/2 Director Robert Redford's inspirational sports saga, set in 1931, is about a one-time Savannah, Ga., golf phenom (Matt Damon) whose career was cut short by World War I combat traumas.

With inspiration from the title character (Will Smith), he competes in a tournament for $10,000 with the two greatest golfers of the day. Also stars Charlize Theron. (PG-13) Anatomy (star)(star) This German film stars Franka Potente... NEWS Dalmatian Owner Knows Many Dogs End Up In Bad Spot By Mary Schmich | December 3, 2000 A few months after the release four years ago of "101 Dalmatians," in an era when moviegoing children all over America were clamoring for a polka-dot puppy they could call their own, Valerie Kennedy adopted her first Dalmatian. Kennedy didn't know much about Dalmatians back then. She didn't realize that shelters all over the country were suddenly clogged with Cruella De Vil's favorite source of coat fur. She didn't know Dalmatians everywhere were being ditched by owners... TRAVEL The Dalmatian Coast By Thomas Swick, South Florida Sun-Sentinel | March 11, 2001 The next beautiful island, another perfect town.

Traveling down the Dalmatian coast (especially over water) is like turning the pages of Vogue. What keeps you interested (distinguishing this place from a fashion mag) is the variety of aesthetic pleasure. While Hvar seems adrift in the middle of the sea, the town turned in protectively around its harbor, Korcula feels anchored, with the town jutting out boldly into its calm channel (two interconnecting pieces in the grand puzzle of Croatia) Disney Moving Forward with Live-Action Cruella de Vil Movie Disney Moving Forward with Live-Action Cruella de Vil Movie Share Comment “If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will,” or so claims the most famous tune featured in Disney’s 1961 animated feature 101 Dalmatians (which ranks #11 on the adjusted all-time U.S. box office list – see for yourself ). The “she” in question is Cruella de Vil, the fur-loving villainess who smokes like a chimney and schemes to kill over a hundred puppies – in order to make what she believes would be the most marvelous of spotted coats.

Disney is planning to revisit the 101 Dalmatians property (based on Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians), with a live-action movie based around its antagonist. This marks the second occasion on which the Mouse House has revisited this section of its animation vault – having previously adapted 101 Dalmatians into a live-action film in 1996 (which proved lucrative enough to warrant a sequel, 102 Dalmatians, four years later), starring multi-Oscar-nominee Glenn Close as the infamous fashionista with symmetrical black and white hairs. THR is reporting that the project, titled Cruella, is being scripted by Aline Brosh McKenna, who also co-wrote the studio’s upcoming Cinderella live-action retelling from director Kenneth Branagh and starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett (which is currently in production ).

Of course, McKenna remains best-known for writing the film adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada, which stars Meryl Streep (in – what else – an Oscar-nominated role) as the antagonist: an icy and cutthroat fashion magazine editor, loosely inspired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour. In other words: it should be plain as day, with regard to why Disney has recruited McKenna to write the script for Cruella (Charlie Kaufman was a close second choice – kidding, folks… sadly). This newly-established Disney trend – crafting movies based around the studio’s most iconic villainesses – began with the upcoming Maleficent (starring Angelina Jolie in the title role), which arrives in 2014. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton is reported to have envisioned the Sleeping Beauty revisionist film’s script along the lines of author Gregory Maguire’s re-appopriation of the Wicked Witch of the West character in the Wizard of Oz book, Wicked (for short) – wherein the infamous magic-caster serves as the protagonist – and thus, is cast in a more sympathetic light.

Will McKenna favor a similar approach in her Cruella script – bearing in mind that it’s difficult to imagine how Miss de Vil could be “misunderstood” – or, might she go with a reformation story, where Cruella either begins to abandon her vile ways (a la Despicable Me) or proves that she’s not so terrible (a la Devil Wears Prada)? Of course, Cruella may just be the antagonist in her own movie. That’s assuming that McKenna wasn’t hired to be more innovative and try to make Mis de Vil a dodgy, yet charismatic, baddie, along the lines of a (male) character like Captain Barbossa from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (probably not the case, but still…) Do you think Cruella can work as anything but the antagonist in a story? Are you interested in seeing a movie focused on her? Or were the 101 Dalmatians live-action films starring Glenn Close – including the sequel, where Cruella was psychologically-conditioned into giving up her evil ways – (more than) enough for you? We’ll keep you posted on the status of Cruella as more information becomes available.

Disney Preps Live-Action Cruella de Vil Film (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter 1:16pm PT by Borys Kit Disney Preps Live-Action Cruella de Vil Film (Exclusive) Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection; Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Cruella de Vil (Inset: Aline Brosh McKenna) UPDATED: The writer for the studio's live-action "Cinderella" has been hired to pen the script for what is being titled "Cruella." After making a movie centered on Maleficent, the villainess from Sleeping Beauty, Disney is setting its sights on another bad lady: Cruella de Vil. Aline Brosh McKenna has been hired to pen Cruella, which will bring the dog-fur-loving fashionista from 101 Dalmatians into a live-action feature to be produced by Andrew Gunn, who produced Sky High and Bedtime Stories for the studio. McKenna will also produce. De Vil first appeared in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians but became a Disney icon with the 1961 animated movie. And it's not the character's first incarnation in a live-action feature.

Glenn Close memorably played the character in 1996's 101 Dalmatians and the 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians. In fact, Close is in involved with Cruella, acting as an executive producer.

Question: Who wrote the 1956 novel ‘101 Dalmatians’?
Answer: Dodie Smith