When we last saw Roger and Anita, they had taken in all the kidnapped puppies collected by Cruella DeVil. With Roger’s song about the villainess a top seller, he could finally afford to purchase a home, or, as he called it, “A Dalmatian Plantation.”
We begin part two with our loving doggie owners packing up their belongings and getting ready to make the move. With boxes being toted here and there and general chaos everywhere, one little puppy is feeling left out. Patch, son of Pongo and Perdita, doesn’t feel like there’s room for him in the family. With 99 puppies scampering around, it’s hard to keep tabs on everyone, and poor Patch feels that he’s the one getting the short end of the stick. Now, if he were a hero, like his idol Thunderbolt, then everyone would take notice of him!
While watching an episode of “Thunderbolt” that evening, Patch sees an advertisement stating that the star himself would be appearing in London the next day, looking for a new talent for the show. Patch immediately sees himself in this role, and asks Pongo to take him to audition, but Pongo reminds him that it will be Moving Day. Disappointed, Patch goes to bed, only to oversleep the next morning and miss the moving van!
All by himself in the old house, with no idea where his family went, Patch makes his way down to the audition. Thunderbolt (voiced by Barry Bostwick) is there in all his glory, along with sidekick Lightning (Jason Alexander.) Patch’s audition goes poorly, but through a twist of fate, he ends up helping Thunderbolt anyway, calling on his memory of all the episodes to tell Thunderbolt how to get himself out of some jams. By the end of the movie, he’s learned that sometimes heroes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and sometimes what makes you special is what makes you different.
This movie is pleasant enough, but don’t go into it expecting it to be as good as the original. It’s also nothing like the live action “102 Dalmatians.” All in all, my kids liked it and it wasn’t a bad way to spend some time.
A side note: The character of Anita is voiced by Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.” Oh, and keep your ears peeled for a character voiced by Martin Short.
Related Blogs:
102 Dalmatians (live action)