Disney to unleash 'Dalmations' Wednesday

Expect to see spots as Walt Disney Pictures' "101 Dalmatians," starring Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil, opens Wednesday, Nov. 27.

In this story remake of romance and dog-napping, Dalmatian couple Pongo and Perdy (along with their "human pets" played by Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson) must save their pups from an evil fur-coat future. And all paws are pointing at the villainous Cruella De Vil as the plotter of the scheme and dog-napper of the couple's pups.

"I didn't shy away from the style of the original cartoon," said director Stephen Herek, "but I didn't want to be locked into it either. Both movies are similar in that they revolve around animals. We have updated the story but kept the romance and the old-fashioned view of London."

Playing one of the most beloved villainess of Disney animation, Close took the part of Cruella De Vil seriously.

"It was quite daunting to play an icon of cartoon evilness and I didn't presume that I necessarily could be better than the original," Close said. "Cruella walks a very thin line between being truly frightening and also entertaining."

As no two Dalmatians look the same, harmless vegetable dyes were applied on the dogs to add or remove spots.

More than 200 dogs were used in this live-action adaption of the Disney animated classic.