Official Synopsis:
101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure Special Edition -

For the first time in almost five years, an irresistible animated classic returns to DVD in the delightful 101 Dalmatians II:  Patch’s London Adventure Special Edition, available to own on September 16, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. For a limited time only, Pongo, Perdita and their adorable brood are back in another action-packed feature. Feisty pup Patch longs to be special but feels lost in a sea of spots. His dreams of being a larger than life hero like his TV idol, Thunderbolt, come true when his brothers and sisters are kidnapped and Patch is the only one who can save them from the clutches of their archenemy, Cruella De Vil!

101 Dalmatians (Live Action) -

Disney’s all-time classic puppy tale comes to life in the live-action adventure 101 Dalmatians, available to own on DVD on September 16, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. In their small London flat, Dalmatians Pongo, Perdy and their human “pets” Roger and Anita welcome a litter of 15 adorable puppies. But their joy turns to dismay when fur-loving Cruella De Vil dispatches her clumsy cohorts, Jasper and Horace, to dognap every Dalmatian pup in London. As Pongo and Perdy rally the city animals for a daring rescue, the pooches manage to outwit their captors long enough to bring on a thrilling final showdown with Cruella and her henchmen! 

102 Dalmatians -

There’s even more outrageous fun for the dog lover in everyone when 102 Dalmatians comes to DVD for the first time in four years on September 16, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The hilarious adventure stars the audacious Oddball, an all white Dalmatian puppy in search of her rightful spots, and Waddlesworth (voiced by Eric Idle), a wisecracking macaw who thinks he’s a Rottweiler. From the streets of London to a posh Parisian bakery, this barking mad duo leads a posse of puppies on a mission to outfox unrepentant fur felon Cruella De Vil. Filled with chases, close calls, hilarious antics and thrilling escapes, this adventure-packed tale is a wacky good time that will have the entire family howling with laughter.

  
Our Take:
Disney is no stranger to double dipping, but this has to be the most pointless trio of re-releases I’ve ever seen. Tying-in to… nothing, exactly (as there isn’t a new 101 Dalmatians movie or DVD on the horizon), Disney has decided to re-release 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure (Special Edition), 101 Dalmatians (Live Action), and 102 Dalmatians on DVD. This would make perfect sense if there were new Blu-ray editions coming out with high definition masters that could be replicated here in standard, but there aren’t. The only new extra feature to be found anywhere on the three discs? A set-top game on 101 Dalmatians 2. Wow. In fact, 101 Dalmatians (Live Action) still boasts a completely bare bones disc. The studio couldn’t even add any new bonus features to a brand new DVD version of a movie that grossed over $100 million at the box office? Weird.

As for the movies themselves, well, I really like one of them. 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure is one of the Disney straight-to-video sequels that I really enjoy. It introduces new characters that don’t feel forced and mix them up with existing characters, and it manages to not completely offend every part of me that loves the original film so much. It’s a fun little romp that kids will enjoy and parents will be able to get into as well, as long as they enjoy Disney animation.

The live action films leave me cold, though. I tried to revisit them here on DVD and see if my opinion of them has changed over the years, but it hasn’t. They’re not terrible films, but I see no reason to ever watch the live action 101 Dalmatians when you can simply watch the Disney classic version instead. The sequel, 102 Dalmatians, is on par with the first one in that it’s a capable sequel, but neither one really does all that much for me.

Here are the bonus features you do get. Again.

101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure Special Edition -

* New! Patch's Twilight Adventure Game
* Try Again Music Video
* Lost In London Game
* You're The One Music Video
* Thunderbolt: A Look Inside
* Behind-The-Scenes Dog-umentary

102 Dalmatians –

* Deleted Scene - "Cruella's Release."

* Three Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes - "Creating Cruella," "Animal Actors" and "Designing Dalmatians."

* Audio Commentary - With director Kevin Lima plus animal coordinator and trainers.

* Puppy Action Overload - Puppy Auditions, outtakes, and a scene montage.

* Dalmatians 101: How To Pick A Dog That Fits Your Personality.

* Interactive Features (DVD-ROM)

* Theatrical Trailer

So, I don’t get it. I see no reason to re-release these films, there’s nothing new on them that makes the worth buying if you already own them on DVD, and with the exception of 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure Special Edition, the films aren’t even all that great. I’m generally a pretty big Disney fan and can excuse them for a lot of their double dips, but these three get a big pass from me.

Overall Picture:
Movie (101 Dalmatians 2): B+

Movie (Live action films): C-
DVDs (average): B-

- Mike Spring

Editor