One of the most beloved animated…wait, a minute, those aren’t cartoons. This is the live action 101 Dalmatians we’re talking about. In 1996, director Stephen Herek and writer John Hughes remade the 1961 animated classic (which was in turn based on Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel) and though some elements were modernized, the plot and characters didn’t change much. The lynchpin of the whole operation of course was the casting of Cruella DeVil, the villain we love to hate. Rich, arrogant, fur-wearing, cigarette-smoking—she’s the Cadillac of evil. Luckily, Glenn Close (Academy Award nominee and winner of multiple Emmys and Tonys) took on the role and played Cruella with sinister relish.

Jeff Daniels plays Roger Darling, a computer game designer, who lives in London and owns a male Dalmatian named Pongo. From Pongo’s point of view, Roger is the pet so when he spies a lovely female Dalmatian accompanyied by an equally lovely woman, Pongo resolves to get all four of them together. After some careful doggy maneuvering, Roger meets Anita (human/fashion designer) and Pongo sniffs Perdy (dog) and everyone falls in love. I don’t know how Pongo manages such careful social manipulations—he doesn’t even have thumbs.

Roger and Anita get married and very soon they welcome a happy addition to their family: Pongo and Perdy’s 15 Dalmatian puppies. General good will abounds until Anita’s boss, Cruella DeVil, enters the picture with her two-tone hair and a passion for fur. Cruella wants the puppies for their striking spotted coats and won’t take no for an answer. Roger and Anita are appalled by the idea and refuse to give in to Cruella’s bullying, which prompts her to hire two henchmen to kidnap the poor pups. Jasper and Horace may be bumbling thieves but still manage to abduct the brood and take them outside the city. The distraught parents start the “Twilight Bark” to locate their missing puppies and find not only them, but also 84 more little Dalmatians waiting to become fur collars. Pongo and Perdy are too kindhearted to leave the other puppies to such a cruel fate so they engineer a great escape aided by local farm animals. The villains’ plans are thwarted and Cruella, Jasper and Horace are justly treated to muddy pratfalls and barnyard patties.

This movie became an instant favorite with children and families and everything kid-related came in black and white spots for a while. Disney released a Saturday morning cartoon—101 Dalmatians: The Series—and four years later a sequel, 102 Dalmatians, followed.