But the one who falls for him is Chloe (Alice Evans), Cruellas probation officer.Shes your typical animal-loving, good-at-heart working girl who doesnt trustCruellas born-again act. As someone fastidious to a fault, she turns her back on herlover when Cruella frames him for the theft of the Dalmatians. By this time, Cruella isback to her old tricks. She teams up with a flashy designer, Monsieur Le Pelt (GerardDepardieu), and cooks an even more diabolical schemeshe wants to make a spotted coatwith the skin of 102 Dalmatians.
Depardieu is caricatured as a stuffy, bumbling fascist, and both him and Close carrythe film through their mix of panache and comic-book evil. Close in particular looks likean upperclass witch of Notting Hill and in a fabulous perspective scene imagines the wholeof London in black spots and a white base. McInnerny is close on heelshe adds abizarre, reluctant obsequiousness to his character, which is very Continental in concept.
Read from this point of view, Cruella and Le Pelt are decadent Europeans; Kevin andChloe, on the other hand, are innocent Americans. They are, however, saved from becomingboring by some perky lines and the animal kingdoms support. The spotted victims arenot overtly sentimentalised, even though the hero of the hour is a scrawny, unspottedpuppy who could have been better off with a wrung neck. But the side hero is a pluckyparrottogether they force Cruella into an oven from where she comes out literally asa full-blown cake.
So what if it is cruel as per the dictates of the liberalbrigadeadults might just like it, but the kids are gonna love it.
