Color, G (nothing objectionable), 70 min., VHS $24.99, DVD $29.99
DVD: featurette, two music videos, Lost in London game)
Street: Jan. 21, Prebook: Dec. 10
First Run: Video Premiere
Voices: Barry Bostwick (The Secret Agent Club), Jason Alexander (Shallow Hal), Martin Short (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius),
Susan Blakeslee (Cinderella II),
Bobby Lockwood
Directors: Jim Kammerud, Brian Smith
WALT DISNEY/BUIENA VISTA
Story Line: Dalmatian puppy Patch (Lockwood) leaves behind his 100 siblings when they move to their new farm and sets out to meet his hero, canine TV star Thunderbolt (Bostwick). Thunderbolt uses Patch to help him execute real--life heroics, while the dastardly Cruella de Vil (Blakeslee) seeks the puppies--dead or alive--as models for "spot artist" Lars (Short).
Bottom Line: Patch's London Adventure picks up where the action of the original 101 Dalmatians left off some 42 years ago (not counting the two recent live action versions of the doggy story). Kammerud and Smith have retained the warm '30s aura of the first saga, and the two films could play back-to-back with little noticeable difference (the animation quality in this one is, admittedly, slightly less fluid). The catchy original songs by composer Randy Rogel work well to move the story along. Will Young, winner of the British Pop Idol TV contest, sings the film's best number, the foot-tapping "Try Again." Coupled with the entertaining story enacted by familiar characters, the whole enterprise can't help but hold the attention of viewers of all ages. And in the great Disney tradition, the experience is heightened by some funny/poignant lessons about uniqueness and friendship. Not quite a classic, Patch's London Adventure is still a fine follow-up with a high repeatability factor. --Buzz McClain