''101 Dalmatians'' is an American

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

owned by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

and based on

Dodie Smith Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (3 May 1896 – 24 November 1990) was an English novelist and playwright. She is best known for writing ''I Capture the Castle'' (1948) and the children's novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1956). Other works i ...

's 1956 novel ''

The Hundred and One Dalmatians ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith about the kidnapping of a family of Dalmatian (dog), Dalmatian puppies. It was originally serialized in ''Woman's Day'' as ''The Great Dog Robbery'', and details the ...

''. It began in 1961 with the release of the traditionally animated feature film, ''

One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...

''. Various adaptations produced from Disney have been released over the years.

Origin

The source for the first film is the 1956 novel ''

'', written by

. From this The Walt Disney Company developed and expanded the franchise into other media. Smith wrote a 1967 sequel, '' The Starlight Barking'', but this has not been used as source material for any of Disney's work.

Film

Animation

''
One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...
'' (1961)

A 1961 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

produced by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

based on the novel by

. The 17th Disney animated feature film, it was originally released to theaters on January 25, 1961 by Buena Vista Distribution.

'' 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure'' (2003)

A 2003 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

animated

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

produced by

Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney G ...

, and released by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on January 21, 2003. The film is the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the 1961 Disney animated film ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians''. The plot involves the titular scrappy puppy who must come to the rescue of his 98 siblings, after villainous Cruella dognaps them once again.

Live action

''101 Dalmatians'' films

=''101 Dalmatians'' (1996)

= A 1996 American

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

family

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Stephen Herek. It is the second adaptation of Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' produced by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

following the 1961 animated adventure comedy film of the same name. The film stars

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

Cruella de Vil Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...

and

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

as Roger, the owner of the 101 dalmatians.

=''102 Dalmatians'' (2000)

= A 2000 British-American

family comedy film directed by Kevin Lima in his directorial debut and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the

to the 1996 film '' 101 Dalmatians ''and stars Glenn Close reprising her role as Cruella de Vil as she attempts to steal puppies for her "grandest" fur coat yet. Among the puppies she plans to use are the children of Dipstick, a son of Pongo and Perdita. Glenn Close and Tim McInnerny were the only actors from the first film to return for the sequel.

=Potential third film

= In May 2021, Glenn Close revealed that while working on ''Cruella'' as an executive producer, she wrote a new story as a sequel to the films where she would reprise the role of Cruella de Vil. The plot would involve the character in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

''Cruella'' films

=''Cruella'' (2021)

= A

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

film, centered around Cruella de Vil titled ''Cruella'', an origin story of the character, and take place during the 1970s starring

Emma Stone Emily Jean Stone (born November 6, 1988), known professionally as Emma Stone, is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, she ...

as the titular character with

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

Paul Walter Hauser Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his supporting roles in the films '' Cruella'', ''I, Tonya'', '' Late Night'', ''BlacKkKlansman'', and ''Da 5 Bloods''. In 2019, Hauser had his breakout ...

, Joel Fry,

Mark Strong Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...

Emily Beecham Emily Beecham (born 12 May 1984) is an American-British actress and singer. She is best known for her role in the Coen Brothers film ''Hail, Caesar!'', the AMC series '' Into the Badlands'', and the title role in the 2017 film '' Daphne''. She s ...

and

Kirby Howell-Baptiste Kirby Howell-Baptiste (born 7 February 1987) is a British actress. She has appeared as a series regular on ''Downward Dog'' (2017), ''Killing Eve'' (2018), ''Why Women Kill'' (2019), and ''The Sandman'' (2022). Her television appearances also in ...

co-starring in surporting roles. The film was directed by

Craig Gillespie Craig Gillespie (born 1 September 1967) is an Australian-American film, television, music video, and commercial director. He is best known for directing the films ''Lars and the Real Girl'' (2007), ''Fright Night'' (2011), ''I, Tonya'' (2017), ...

with a screenplay by

Dana Fox Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of ''The Wedding Date'' (2005), ''What Happens in Vegas'' (2008), and the television comedy series ''Ben and Kate'' (2012–13). Career Fox graduated ...

and Tony McNamara, from a story by

Aline Brosh McKenna Aline Brosh McKenna (born August 2, 1967) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Her credits include writing '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008), ''Morning Glory'' (2010), ''We Bought a Zoo'' (2011) and co-cre ...

Kelly Marcel Kelly Marcel (born 10 January 1974) is a British screenwriter, actress and television producer. She co-wrote the film '' Saving Mr. Banks'' (2013) and wrote the film ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' (2015), and created and served as executive producer o ...

, and

Steve Zissis Steve Zissis ( el, Στηβ Ζήσης; born December 17, 1975) is an American actor, writer and producer. A longtime friend of Jay and Mark Duplass, he has appeared in and co-produced some of their productions, including the films ''Baghead'' (2 ...

. Andrew Gunn and Marc Platt served as producers, and

served as the executive producer. Costume designer Jenny Beavan later stated that Close's role on the film's production was to help Stone appear as a younger 1970s portrayal of Close's role in '' 101 Dalmatians''. The film was scheduled to be theatrically released on December 23, 2020, but was later pushed back to May 28, 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The film was eventually released on that date, both theatrically and on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

with Premier Access.

=Sequel

= Craig Gillespie and each of the film's respective stars expressed interest in a sequel that would have the style of ''The Godfather Part II''. By June 2021, a sequel was announced to be officially in development. Gillespie will return as director with a script by Tony McNamara. In August 2021, Stone closed a deal to reprise her role in the sequel.

Additional crew and production details

Television series

''101 Dalmatians: The Series'' (1997–1998)

An American animated television series produced by

Walt Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...

in association with

Jumbo Pictures The Walt Disney Company has owned and operated several animation studios since the company's founding on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; the current Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, Cal ...

. The show ran from 1997 to 1998. It is based on a combination of the 1961 original animated film, and its 1996 live-action remake. The series as a whole, follows the adventures of the numerous puppies from the Disney franchise. Three puppies in particular, Lucky, Rolly and Cadpig, are the main focus of the show along with their friend Spot, a chicken who wants to be a dog.

''101 Dalmatian Street'' (2019–2020)

A British-Canadian Toon-Boom animated television comedy series, set in 21st-century London, which follows the adventures of Dylan and his sister Dolly. Dylan and Dolly are descendants of Pongo and Perdita, who protect and take care of their 97 younger siblings. After first airing sneak peeks in 2018, the series officially premiered in the UK on March 18, 2019, and concluded on February 22, 2020, after only one series. Meanwhile, in Canada, the entire series was released as a

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series on

on February 28, 2020.

Related productions

''Once Upon a Time''

The Disney version of Cruella de Vil appears in the fourth and fifth seasons of the live-action television series ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...

'', where she is portrayed by

Victoria Smurfit Victoria Smurfit (born 31 March 1974) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series ''Ballykissangel'', Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural ''Trial & Retribution'' and ...

. In the series, Cruella is a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

who possesses the power to control animals. Smurfit also played an alternate version of the character in the series' penultimate episode, "

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

''Descendants''

Cruella de Vil appears in the 2015 American live-action

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner nam ...

'' Descendants'', where she is portrayed by

Wendy Raquel Robinson Wendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on The WB comedy sitcom ''The Steve Harvey Show'' (1996–2002), and as sports agent Tasha Mack on The CW/BET/Paramoun ...

. The film's plot involves Ben, the teenage son of King Beast and Queen Belle, who invites the exiled children of defeated villains to attend a preparatory school with the heroes' children; among them is Carlos, the 14-year-old son of Cruella, whom she abuses and treats like a servant, making him sleep near the bear traps she uses to guard her fur coats. Along with other villains, Cruella has been exiled to the Isle of the Lost, where she has lived for at least 20 years.

Other media

Video games

* ''Math Antics with Disney's 101 Dalmatians'' (1996): a video game developed by Appaloosa Interactive, Disney Interactive and published by Sega on the

Sega Pico The Sega Pico, also known as is an educational video game console by Sega Toys. Marketed as "edutainment", the main focus of the Pico was educational video games for children between 3 and 7 years old. The Pico was released in June 1993 in Japa ...

. * '' 101 Dalmatians: Activity Center'' (1996): Part of the ''Disney's Activity Center'' series of games released by

Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversaw various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it wa ...

. * '' 101 Dalmatians Print Studio'' (1997): Part of the ''Disney's Print Studio'' series of games released by

. * '' Disney's Animated Storybook: 101 Dalmatians'' (1997): A point-and-click video game released by Disney Interactive for the PC. The game retold the plot of the 1996 live action film through an animated storybook with interactive games, and songs. * ''101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor'' (1997): A computer game created by Disney Interactive. The game was based on the 1996 live-action movie, although the character designs were based on the original animated film. * '' 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue'' (2000): A video game based on the live-action Disney film ''102 Dalmatians''. The game was released on the Sega Dreamcast and

Sony PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...

. * '' 102 Dalmatians Activity Center'' (2001): A part of the ''Disney's Activity Center'' series of games, released by Disney Interactive. * ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square (video game company), Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya ...

'' (2002): Pongo, Perdita, and their 99 Puppies are characters in the game. Pongo and Perdita live in a house in Traverse Town after their world was destroyed, their puppies being lost in different worlds, and the game's protagonist, Sora, having to find them in different locations. * ''101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure'' (2003): An action-adventure/platforming game based on the film of the same name. It was developed by

Digital Eclipse Software Digital Eclipse is an American video game developer based in Emeryville, California. Founded by Andrew Ayre in 1992, the company found success developing commercial emulations of arcade games for Game Boy Color. In 2003, the company merged ...

, Inc. and published by

Eidos Interactive Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...

for the Sony PlayStation. It was released on November 20, 2003 exclusively in North America. * ''

Disney Magic Kingdoms ''Disney Magic Kingdoms'' is a 2016 city building game developed and published by Gameloft for iOS, Android, and Windows. It is themed off the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. The game was officially launched on March 17, 2016. Storyline The game ...

'' (2021): In a limited time Event focused on ''101 Dalmatians'', Pongo, Perdita, Lucky, Patch, Rolly, Penny and Cruella were included as playable characters, along with some attractions based on locations of the film. In the game, the characters are involved in new storylines that serve as a continuation of the events in the ''101 Dalmatians'' animated film (ignoring other material in the franchise).

Disney Parks and Resorts

One Hundred and One Dalmatians has a small presence at the

Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...

mainly through shops and occasional shows. Cruella is the only

meetable character A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...

from the franchise and is usually located on

Main Street, U.S.A. Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20t ...

Recurring cast and characters

Reception

Box office and financial performance

Critical and public response

References

{{Disney franchises Walt Disney Studios (division) franchises 101 Dalmatians Mass media franchises introduced in 1961 Children's film series Disney animated film series Children's animated films Adventure film series Comedy franchises Animated films about dogs Animated film series