- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: '101 DALMATIANS' PREMIERES IN LONDON
- Date: 4th December 1996
- Summary: LONDON, UK (DECEMBER 4, 1996) RTV- GLENN CLOSE ARRIVES AT THE ALBERT HALL FOR PREMIERE OF "101 DALMATIANS" HUGH LAURIE, WHO PLAYS A BURGLAR, ARRIVES JOELY RICHARDSON POSES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS AND SAYS IT WAS "BRILLIANT" PLAYING IN THE FILM
- Embargoed: 19th December 1996 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVADRSKJCQ6NM9X9WJTA34FFUGRO
- Story Text: The new "live action" version of the Disney classic 101 Dalmatians premiered in London on Wednesday evening (December 4), with all the stars -- except the dogs -- arriving for the gala opening at the Albert Hall.
Glenn Close stars as the scheming fur-lover Cruella de Vil and reportedly based her evil aristocratic drawl on Joanna Lumley's accent in the television series Absolutely Fabulous.
The film tells the story of a young London couple, Roger and Anita (played by Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson) who meet and fall in love through their identical Dalmatian dogs "Pongo" and "Perdy." The family grows even more when the dogs produce a huge litter of adorable Dalmatian puppies.
But evil comes knocking on the door in the form of Cruella de Vil, the head of a successful London fashion house who wants the pups (and their spotted coats) for a new line of clothing. At first she offers to pay for the dogs, but when she's turned down, she turns to more devious methods of getting what she wants.
Soon, two bungling burglars are employed to steal the animals and Pongo, Perdy, and a resourceful group of animal allies must set out to find the missing puppies.
The filmmakers' biggest challenge was casting the 99 puppies, several adult dogs, and many other animals. For help, they brought in head animal trainer and coordinator Gary Gero, who sent legions of puppy trainers to the far corners of England to train litters belonging to several private breeders. No one had ever before attempted to train eight-week-old puppies for a film, and certainly not over 200 of them at once.
The films has proved a hit in the United States and is expected to enjoy the same success in Britain.
However, not everyone is enamoured of the film. The British Dalmation Club has begun raising thousands of pounds (dollars) for an expected influx of unwanted puppies after Christmas. It's believed unscrupulous breeders will try to exploit the success of the film and club members predict hundreds, even thousands of neglected dogs will be returned when inexperienced owners realise they can't cope. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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