How the dogs were trained in 102 Dalmatians - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

Those who have seen 101 Dalmatians and the currently-showing 102 Dalmatians must be wondering until now how the director, Kevin Lima (of the sequel), and the animal trainers were able to make all those animals (the adult dogs and the puppies, including the parrot) act in synchrony with the human actors (Glenn Close again as Cruella De Vil, Gerard Depardieu as her French-designer partner-in-crime, and newcomers Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans).

I would have, too, hadn’t I talked to director Lima and animal trainer Gary Gero in November last year during the press junket for the movie held in New York, attended by almost a hundred entertainment print and TV journalists from all over the world.

Were there really 101 spotted little creatures in the first Dalmatian flick and 102 in the current one?

That was about the only question Lima and Gero happily – and intriguingly – refused to answer, perhaps so as not to spoil the mystery and to keep us Dalmatian-lovers guessing in more sequels. But who cares how many dogs and puppies were actually involved in the making of the movie as long as what we see on the screen is a delightful movie that leaves us spotty-eyed and, that’s it, wondering how the animal actors "acted" according to the script and the directors’ cues?

But for sure, the animals were protected on and off camera, treated maybe even more specially than the human actors. They were billeted in dog shelters and fed well (burp!).

Among the spotted bunch (count ’em and see if you reach up to 102) are the adult Dalmatians Dottie and Dipstick who are parents to Little Dipper and Domino and Oddball, names that should be familiar to Dalmatians fans. The new ones include Drooler (a Bullmastiff), Digger (a Borzoi) and Chomp (a Border Terrier), plus Fluffy, the tiny dog given to Cruella by Depardieu on her release from jail and a Chinese crested dog.

How did Gero find all these furry friends?

"I began casting the animals in May 1999," said Gero, "when we first arrived in England (where the movie was shot). I and my team of top trainers began recruiting and training adult dogs to play the lead characters and started planning for puppies.

"The casting of the adult Dalmatians, who were to play Dottie and Dipstick, was one of the most straightforward elements for our team. All the Dalmatians used to play Pongo and Perdy in 101 Dalmatians had returned to the US on completion of filming; they live with me and my trainers. So I brought back Freckles and Maisie to star in the sequel.

"We also acquired Kita in Britain to play Dottie, alongside Maisie. But, of course, one of the most alluring and captivating characters is Waddlesworth, the Macaw that thinks it’s a dog."

Once all the dogs and puppies were accounted for, some of them recruited through advertisements in the British press, the formal training (as in "acting workshop") started, conducted right at the homes of the dog owners before they were later transferred to cozy shelters in the studio. Dog-owners who wished to keep an eye on their pets were booked in nearby hotels. After the 13-week shoot, the puppies were safely returned home to their owners.

All 102 of them? The puppies were so lovable that the human actors simply fell in love with them.

Said Ioan, who plays the good-natured and trusting manager of the dog shelter, "I’ve never been around dogs, never had any pet dog, nor had friends or neighbors with dogs. But during the shooting of the movie, I discovered how gentle and tender creatures dogs were. Now I’m in love with dogs."

Alice, who plays Cruella’s dog-loving probation officer, also developed a lasting friendship with the furry creatures and planned to have pet dogs after finishing the movie.

"I auditioned in London," related Alice. "I was given a rolled-up sweater which was supposed to be Oddball. Not having had any pet dog, I had to use a lot of imagination. I had to improvise my way through the hour. I added a lot of comedy to the character and had enormous fun and left still thinking that I had no chance of getting the role. Thank heavens I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how lovable dogs could be."

102 Dalmatians is Lima’s first live-action feature film after having done animated features (Tarzan being one of them).

Talking about the film’s two-legged actor – Glenn Close, that is – Lima admitted that his knees were shaking when he seriously thought that he was directing Close.

"I’d worked with big names directing voices in animation, but working with Glenn for six months on a role she created and knew better than anyone was pretty daunting."

Lima even gave a tip on how to fully enjoy the movie (and others of a similar genre).

"In order to feel the joy of the story you have to experience the other side, in this case, fear. The best Disney films embrace this in a big way. I remember being scared to death as a kid by the wicked Queen in Snow White. The key is that it helps children realize that they can conquer what they feel are desperate issues in their lives. In the case of 102 Dalmatians, if puppies can conquer evil, they can too. It’s a very empowering event for kids."