102 Dalmatians litter better
by Ashley Clark, entertainment editor

     What sets 102 Dalmatians apart from 1996s poorly made live action remake of 101 Dalmatians is simply one more dog in the litter.

     Allegedly rehabilitated after receiving electroshock therapy, Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) revives her plan to kidnap 101 puppies to make a Dalmatian fur coat, only this time she needs an additional pooch for a hood.

     She targets a fresh litter owned by her parole officer (Alice Evans) and sets up an animal shelter operator, played by

Ioan Gruffudd, as the fall guy in her scheme.
     Cruella's new partner in crime is Jean Pierre Le Pelt (Gérard Depardieu), a weasel poacher turned fur designer.

     When he first strides onto a fashion show runway wearing a leopard’s head as a codpiece, Depardieu gooses life into the film.

     Alas, he soon proves a stock henchman, unassuming aside from his frenchified pronunciation of puppies as poopies.

     Speaking of which, Depardieu's most humiliating moment finds him falling face first into a commode.

     That's merely one of many slapstick scenes clumsily staged by director Kevin Lima.

     The sequel does have one major attribute that should delight all ages. 102 Dalmatians boasts an aptly cartoonish look.

     Cruella's elaborate two-tone costumes have been cleverly designed by three-time Oscar winner Anthony Powell.

     The screen is fun to watch. The colors are rich and defined, and the makeup gives the characters an enjoyable animated look.

     However, the actors donning it are a little too cheesy for adult audiences to stomach.

     Screenwriter John Hughes gave the last Dalmatians his Home Alone treatment, torturing the villains for sadistic comic effect.

     Though Hughes had no hand in the script this time, the sequel adds more insults and injuries that could traumatize little ones.

     Perhaps the most disappointing element of the film is that the ending leaves the door open for 103 Dalmatians.