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Sequel littered with similarities

'102 Dalmatians' a happy, familiar romp

graphic

In this story:

Changed her spots?

Good direction, great costumes



(CNN) -- If you liked "101 Dalmatians" you may love "102 Dalmatians."

The stunning costumes, the off-kilter set design and the simple plot of this sequel are so close to the 1996 film (that one based on an animated, 1961 movie) that it may seem like falling into the familiar arms of an old friend.

On the other hand, you may feel like you've just been hoodwinked into spending money to see the same old film all over again.

The deliciously diabolical Glenn Close is back as Cruella De Vil. This time, she has just been released from a London rehabilitation center where she has undergone intense behavioral modification with the famous Doctor Pavlov (David Horovitch). Now she has an aversion to fur of any kind, plus a newfound love of puppies. She's released on the condition that if she reverts to her old dog-napping tricks, her entire fortune will be turned over to dog shelters in her neighborhood.

Her parole, officer Chloe Simon (Alice Evans), just happens to be the owner of Dipstick, one of the puppies featured in "101 Dalmatians." Grown now, Dipstick and his mate have just had their own puppies, including Oddball, a little guy with no spots.

Changed her spots?

Simon is skeptical that Cruella -- she now calls herself Ella -- has transformed, and becomes even more so when the onetime puppy chaser buys Second Chance, a local dog shelter. It is owned by an idealistic and optimistic young man, Kevin Shepherd (Ioan Gruffudd), and the business is on the brink of going under.

His business is aptly named. It is full of misfits no one else will take. Most prominent is Waddlesworth, a green-winged macaw that labors under the misconception that he is a dog. The fact that the bird can talk makes it possible for this delightful character to enter the action and the plot.

De Vil's ownership of Second Chance allows our two protagonists, Chloe and Kevin, to get together. Unlike Chloe, Kevin fully trusts the new Ella.

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But neither are prepared when her cure stops working and the awful Cruella springs forward, filled with a fur lust and planning a second Dalmatian coat. This time, she's designed a coat with a hood; that calls for 102 Dalmatians.

Tim McInnerny again plays Alonso, Cruella's whimpering valet, but De Vil's main partner in crime this time is someone new. She has turned to Jean Pierre Le Pelt, an outrageous Parisian fashion designer (is that redundant?), for help. Le Pelt is played by a nearly unrecognizable Gerard Depardieu, who sports a blond brush cut, dangling earrings and (brace yourself) hot pants made from fur.

The cast and stage are now set. From here on, it's all paint-by-the-numbers.

Good direction, great costumes

Director Kevin Lima ("Tarzan," 1999) pours on the all the patented touches from the original, and the four credited screenwriters (Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White), never stray far from the tone established by John Hughes, the original film's scribe. Of course, Hughes' script for "101 Dalmatians" never strayed far from the formula he used in "Home Alone" (1990), but whatever...

Another strength -- or weakness, depending on your point of view -- is that most of the main, behind-the-scenes players from the original are again along for the romp.

Three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Anthony Powell has done the impossible with the outfits worn by Miss De Vil: They are as good as -- perhaps better -- than the wildly theatrical wardrobe Close wore four years ago. The film also welcomes back the same director of photography, Adrian Biddle, and the same production designer, Assheton Gorton.

The climax is a hoot in this big, splashy and colorful movie. It's been carefully built, brick by brick, to be formulaic holiday fun for the whole family.

It's nothing new, just the same delightful brew. It's up to you.

"102 Dalmatians" opens nationwide on Wednesday. Rated G. 100 minutes.



RELATED STORIES:
Pups, Close make '101 Dalmatians' a howl
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102 Dalmatians


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