101 Dalmatians is a 1996 live-action comedy adventure film based on Walt Disney's animated 1961 movie adaptation of Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Directed by Stephen Herek and co-produced by John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres, it stars Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil, Jeff Daniels as Roger Dearly, Joely Richardson as Anita Campbell-Green-Dearly with additional roles by Hugh Laurie, Mark Williams and Tim McInnerny.
The film was released on November 27th, 1996 and grossed $320.6 million in theatres worldwide. The film's sequel, 102 Dalmatians was released on November 22nd, 2000 with much of the cast reprising their roles.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
101 Dalmatians made its Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in the 1996 Parade, as a promotion for the film which was released in theatres the previous day. The float, recycled from 1986's Hickory Dickory Dock float, depicts the bustling streets of London with illuminated streetlights and moss-covered brick pillars as Cruella De Vil embarked the Parade route in her hot-rod roadster, joined by her bumbling henchmen Horace and Jasper. Canines Pongo and Perdita watch from high atop a clock tower, meant to represent the iconic Big Ben. Escorting the float down the route were 99 children dressed from head to toe as spotty Dalmatians, dancing and entertaining the crowd along the Parade route.
For the Parade's NBC telecast, Cruella De Vil and her henchmen performed a choreographed dance number to the film's song, Cruella De Vil. The 101 Dalmatians float was retired after the 1996 procession, and was refurbished into a float for the 1999 Parade, which depicted the film Austin Powers and The Spy Who Shagged Me. The last remaining piece of the float is Cruella's hot rod, which was last seen at the Macy's Float Warehouse in 2014.