PHOTO PROVIDED Glenn Close was unforgettable as the eccentric and sinister Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians.”

Listen folks, I haven’t watched Disney Plus’s newest live action film “Cruella” but I already know one thing. There is only one live action Cruella De Vil and she was portrayed by the uber talented Glenn Close in 1996’s “101 Dalmatians.”

That bold statement is my somewhat brutal way of saying I’m reviewing this classic Disney film for my Throwback Thursday this week. A big difference between my previous slasher themed review two weeks ago (I’m never consistent, we know this by now.)

“101 Dalmatians” which was released on Nov. 27, 1996, is of course already a remake of Disney’s 1961 animated film of the same name. And both films are inspired by Dodie Smith’s novel “The One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”

It follows Dalmatians Pongo and Perdy and their owners — game designer Roger Dearly (Jeff Daniels) and fashion designer Anita Campbell-Green-Dearly (Joely Richardson) in London.

The couple meet when Pongo, spotting Perdy while on a walk, causes Roger to careen into a lake on his bicycle.

Meanwhile, inspired by her dogs fur, Anita creates a design based on the spotted dogs that catches the eye of her boss, Cruella. This gives the villainous woman the idea to make the design out of Dalmatian fur.

Following Roger and Anita’s marriage, the couple learn that Perdy is pregnant… and Anita is too. Cruella is at first disgusted at the concept of Anita’s pregnancy. She changes her tune, however, when she learns Perdy is pregnant.

The night Perdy has her 15 puppies, Cruella offers to purchase them. Roger refuses, the two never having gotten along to begin with, and is followed soon by Anita. In a fit of rage, Cruella fires Anita and storms out of the house.

Later, she has henchmen Jasper (Hugh Laurie) and Horace (Mark Williams) break into the home and steal the puppies.

From there, while Anita and Roger contact the police, Pongo enlists the help of dogs all over Great Britain to find his lost children. One dog, follows Jasper and Horace to an abandoned mansion where he helps the puppies, as well as 84 other Dalmatian pups, escape. He brings the puppies to a nearby farm where they meet Pongo and Perdy.

When Cruella discovers the theft, she takes matters into her own hands, tracking the dogs to their hiding spot.

In classic Disney antics, Cruella is outwitted by the dogs, finding herself thrown into a vat of molasses before being shot into a window with a pigeon.

The puppies are reunited with Roger and Anita, and Cruella joins Horace and Jasper in the back of a police vehicle.

Meanwhile, Roger and Anita learn that the other 84 puppies have no homes to go to. They decide to adopt them all and move to the countryside after Roger creates a majorly successful video game based on the puppies adventure. A farm filled with dogs roaming free and living their best life? That’s my dream quite frankly.

However cute the dogs are in this film, Close is definitely the star of this film. She brings so much to her role as Cruella with manic laughter, rage filled eyes and just general insanity. Pair these characteristics with Cruella’s signature black and white hair, eccentric fashion sense and classic cigarette holder and you’ve brought the 1961 animated character to life.

The remake itself is okay, albeit a little unnecessary. But Close’s performance makes it much more worthwhile. Like I said at the start of this review, I can’t imagine anyone slipping into Cruella’s furs.

If it weren’t for the animal cruelty you could almost make the case that Cruella is just another over the top rich person that’s lost touch with reality.

Overall, “101 Dalmatians” is great for a family movie night, or with your own furry companions. Like most Disney films, it’s simple to follow with a fun storyline and… of course… adorable animals throughout.

“101 Dalmatians” is rated G and can be viewed on Disney+, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Vudu.

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Laura Jameson is a staff reporter at The Express.