101 Dalmatians 2

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Cartoon

101 Dalmatians II, 2003

The Plot

The 101 Dalmatians are finally moving to their country home but during the move, one of the puppies, Patch, is mistakenly left behind. Determined to make his mark on the world he befriends a movie star dog, Thunderbolt.

Starring

Bobby Lockwood, Susanne Blakeslee, Tim Bentinck, Barry Bostwick, Martin Short, Jason Alexander, and more.

The Review

I thought I’d be disappointed when I learned that the only one Dalmatian would be featured in the sequel and that the film would focus on a storyline that didn’t involve the main characters from the first film, but rather focus on new characters: Thunderbolt and Lightning, but I wasn’t. 101 Dalmatians it isn’t, but if you think of it as a separate film, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how cute it is.

The film starts off with Patch feeling very lost—emotionally. He loves having such a large family but can’t help but wonder where he fits in and if he’s unique enough to be different—to stand out from the crowd. Sadly, he chooses to ask his father, Pongo, a very serious question when he’s so tuckered out that he couldn’t possibly give a good answer. That, of course, leaves Patch feeling even more lost than before.

So when Patch, one of the original 15 Dalmatian puppies is mistakenly left behind, he ceases the opportunity to audition for his favorite television series, “The Thunderbolt Adventure Hour” in hopes of making his mark on the world. There’s just one problem, his television hero is a bit stuck on himself and to make matters worse, Thunderbolt’s co-star, Lightning, informs him that he’s going to be cut from the series unless he finds a way to save his career. With Patch’s uncanning knowledge of the series, Thunderbolt uses Patch to help him save his career and together they walk the streets of London in search of “hero” opportunities.

In the meantime, a newspaper leak divulges the whereabouts of the remaining 101 Dalmatians and Cruella De Vil sets her sights on kidnapping the pups all over again.

After fouling up one attempt at heroism after another, Thunderbolt is about to throw in the towel when the “Twilight Bark” reveals the kidnapping of Patch’s family. Thunderbolt musters up enough courage to help Patch save his family and together they bring Cruella to justice again.

What I liked best about this particular version is the fact that it moved along so quickly. There weren’t any lulls in the storyline and the focus remained on Patch—not Cruella and her kidnapping scheme, which could have proved to be a bit tiresome a second time around. In the end Patch discovers that whether he was 1 of 101 or 1 of 1, he is indeed special and unique.

Your Task

Take this opportunity to build up your child’s self-esteem. After watching the film together, talk to your children about their strengths and what makes each one of them special and unique. Then ask each of them to say one kind and uplifting thing about each member of the family.

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