Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at 101 Dalmations 2: Patch's London Adventure

It sometimes baffles me what Disney chooses to make a sequel out of. I mean with the other sequels we covered, they at least came out within five years of the original, a reasonable window for a timely sequel. This, this came out a whomping forty-two years after the original 101 Dalmations was released in 1961. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was incredibly popular at the time and continued to be so with subsequent video releases and re-releases but still, this seemed a bit out of nowhere to me. In any case, let’s go over the story. The 101 Dalmations are back and all set to move to their Dalmation Plantation. However, one of the puppies, Patch, is feeling bit left out. When you’re the middle child of ninety-nine, it can be easy to feel a bit neglected getting noticed can become a struggle. On the day of the big move, Patch finds himself left behind. Patch soon learns that his hero, Thunderbolt, the One of a Kind Wonder Dog is in London and leaps at the opportunity to meet him. Unfortunately, Thunderbolt is turns out to be an egocentric glory hound who’s nothing like the character he plays on TV. When Thunderbolt is told by his jealous sidekick, Little Lightning, that the writers are killing off his character, Thunder manipulates Patch, who has every episode memorized, into helping him impress the public and get his job back by saving the day and taking down villains for real. Speaking of villains, everyone’s favorite psychotic fur enthusiast, Cruella De Vil, returns with an even more sinister and disturbing scheme in store for the puppies this time around, and it’s up to Thunderbolt and Patch to save the day. While by no means one of the strongest films we’ve covered, it’s still a fun little film. Let us waste no further time and Dive into, 101 Dalmations 2: Patch’s London Adventure.

Main Character:

Shifting the focus to one of the individual puppies was actually a very interesting choice. The question posed by this film is, what does it mean to be an individual when one is part of a set of ninety-nine. While Patch loves his family, he also longs to be more than just one of many. It’s only natural that Patch would be drawn to Thunderbolt, whose own tagline describes him as “One of a Kind.” Speaking of, I also love that Patch is an absolute nerd, memorizing insignificant details from every episode of the Thunderbolt show and actually using it to save his siblings from Cruella. Speaking as someone who loves memorizing TV shows and movies, I actually kind of relate to Patch in that regard. Is Patch one of the most engaging Disney protagonists, not really, but he is still more relatable than one may think and I really enjoyed following his journey to prove that being one of ninety-nine doesn’t mean you can’t be one of a kind.

Villain:

SHE’S BAAAAACK! That’s right, while other Disney Sequels we’ve covered in this retrospective have introduced new antagonists to varying degrees of success, there was no way Disney was going to repeat the mistake they made in The Rescuers and let one of their most celebrated baddies sit on the sidelines. Hell no, Cruella’s back and she’s even crazier than ever. It seems that, while Jasper and Horace have been left to rot in prison, Cruella managed to get away with a restraining order and a court mandate that she no longer be allowed to buy furs. Now, personally, I think that last part will only incentivize her into acquiring furs through less than legal means, which it does, but we’ll get there. To her credit, Cruella does at least make a token attempt to go legit, attempting to fill the void in her twisted life by immersing herself in the world of modern art. To that end, Cruella becomes enamored with the work of an artist named Lars who works in the medium of, what else, spots. Cruella and Lars hit it off and she becomes his muse. However, when Lars’s later works fail to impress her, Cruella believes that the only way to give her new friend some inspiration is springing Jasper and Horace from the hoosegow and having them kidnap the puppies… again. And what does Cruella want with the puppies this time? Hold on to your butts people because things are about to get weird. So apparently, Cruella wants to skin the puppies alive, make canvases out of their pelts and presumably paint those canvases with their blood. JESUS CHRIST! I don’t even know where to begin with that! Cruella’s even more psychotic in this movie than she was in the original! No wonder she gets put in a straight-jacket and hauled away by the men in white coats at the end. Still, much like the first movie, Cruella is far and away the most entertaining and memorable thing in this film and if Emma Stone is able to capture a fraction of this level of crazy in the upcoming Cruella movie, then the film will be something truly special.

Side Characters:

Not too much to comment on here since most of the characters from the original are sort of pushed to the side and aren’t really given much to do. Little Lightning, Thunderbolt’s jealous sidekick voiced by the great Jason Alexander, is an asshole. I get that an egomaniac like Thunderbolt probably isn’t the easiest to work with but Lightning tricking him into thinking that they’re killing off Thunderbolt to manipulate the writers into making him the star shows that the little corgi isn’t much better.

Lars, voiced by Martin Short, is a lot of fun. While he seems like he’s above it all at first, he later reveals that he has a heart of gold. He and Cruella play off one another very well, usually getting some of the biggest laughs in the film.

Finally, there’s Thunderbolt, voiced by Barry Bostwick, whom many of you may know as Brad Majors from The Rocky Horror Picture Show or the mayor from Spiny City. Thunderbolt is at first a self-absorbed jerk at first, only wanting to act like a hero because it looks good for the camera, and only keeps Patch around because he’s memorized the show. Still, he’s not all bad as he does eventually develop a soft spot for the kid and steps up when Patch learns his family is in danger. He’s a character we’ve seen a million times before, but he’s not necessarily a bad one.

While there's a reprise of Dalmation plantation at the beginning as well as a montage song while Patch is bonding with Thunderbolt, neither one is really worth discussing in detail so we're skipping the song section for this one.

Memorable Scenes:

Literally any scene between Cruella and Lars is an absolute laugh riot. I mean it when I say the two are hilarious together and giving Cruella a weirdo artist sidekick was an absolutely brilliant idea.

On a more serious note, I actually liked the scene where Patch finds out that Thunderbolt has been using him all along. You actually do feel Thunderbolt’s pain here. This kid really believed in him and he let him down. I actually appreciate the genuine emotion as Thunderbolt’s ego is stripped away and he’s forced to admit to Patch, and himself, that he’s a fraud. That also leads nicely into the final scene where Thunder tells Patch that while he only pretends to be a one of a kind wonder dog, Patch really is one. This endorsement from his hero combined with his own heroic defeat of Cruella De Vil finally gives Patch what he's always wanted, to be more than just one of ninety-nine.

Story:

While a film like this isn’t especially concerned about having a strong moral, there still are some present. The whole theme of never meeting your heroes and asserting your own individuality are both very strong, especially the latter. My mother comes from a family of nine children and I’ve heard stories from both her as well as my aunts and uncles that it can be tough to find your place being part of such a large family. Patch clearly seems to be going through the same thing, and it’s tough. However, what the film appears to be trying to say is that a situation when it can be difficult to assert one’s individuality is when it is needed most.

We've already covered Cruella's psychotic art project and other than that, the film is pretty light hearted so lets skip the Dark Disney Factor and head straight on to the wrap up. Final Thoughts:

There's really not much to say about this movie. It's a fun and entertaining, if a bit untimely, sequel to one of Disney's classics. It's not a groundbreaking work of animation and it's not really trying to be. If you have a younger kid and you're looking for something to watch, maybe give this one a go, you might just have a good time. Anywho, next time, we return to Deep Dive Pixar as we once again dive down deep beneath the ocean waves, this time to look for a certain clownfish. Next time, Finding Nemo.