- Title: USA: AMERICAN PREMIERE OF "102 DALMATIONS" STARRING GLENN CLOSE
- Date: 12th November 2000
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 12) (REUTERS -ACCESS ALL) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) GLENN CLOSE SAYING This movie is so much more involved, practically on every level. I think the script is more intricate, the characters are more interesting, my costumes are more elaborate, and a greater challenge for Anthony because he had to come up with an Ella look. S
- Embargoed: 27th November 2000 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, US AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA9A9ITLWQS8Y3SXVZJUSLFZ2H4
- Story Text: Four years after she turned a cartoon villainess into flesh and blood, Glenn Close returned to the character of Cruella De Vil in New York when she attended the World Premiere of "102 Dalmatians," the sequel to the blockbuster Disney film "101 Dalmatians."
Walt Disney kept the typical red carpet in storage and instead rolled out the spotted carpet for Monday night's event, held at the world famous Radio City Music hall.
Although star Glenn Close was the marquee name, the real stars were the Dalmatian puppies who steal the film right out from under her feet.
As in the first film, which grossed 136 million dollars in the United States alone in 1996, "102 Dalmatians" features Close as Cruella De Vil, one of Disney's most notorious villains.
In the sequel, Cruella emerges from prison three years after she was convicted of dognapping, but she's a changed woman.
No longer fixated by fur or dazzled by Dalmatians, she has become the new savior of the animal kingdom and a dog's best friend.
No one is more surprised by this change of heart then her dog-loving probation officer, played by Alice Evans, and the good natured dog shelter manager played by Ioan Guffudd.
Their suspicions are justified when De Vil suddenly slips back into her old ways, teaming up with evil fashion designer Jean Pierre Le Pelt, played by French actor Gerard Depardieu.
Together, they hatch yet another dastardly plan to kidnap more Dalmatian puppies, this time 102 of them, and turn their fur into a lavish coat.
Taking his first turn behind the camera for a live action film is Kevin Lima, who previously directed the animated Disney hit "Tarzan," to which Close lent her voice as the character of the ape Kala.
In fact, Close was instrumental in getting Lima hired as director of "102 Dalmatians."
Returning from the original film is veteran animal trainer Gary Gero, who supervised a team of hundreds of trainers and just as many Dalmatians.
Making this project even more challenging then the first film, Gero also had to work with three other breeds of dog and a talking bird.
For Close, getting back into character meant getting back into some of the most outrageous outfits ever put on film. She worked closely with costume designer Anthony Powell in creating the wild and over-the-top style of the wicked Ms.
De Vil.
"102 Dalmatians" hits theaters throughout the United States on Friday, November 22, just in time for the American Thanksgiving holiday.
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