101 Dalmatians: The Beginning

A prequel for 101 Dalmatians. The film is unrelated to Cruella (2021). The film was mainly about Pongo's traumatic past and Cruella's evil nature from her parents. The film was based on Dodie Smith's Hundred and One Dalmatians. It follows to 101 Dalmatians (1961), its sequels; 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure and 101 Dalmatians 3: The Starlight Barking.

Like the Starlight Barking, it will be released on Disney+.

Plot Summary
Pongo is a youngest of the litter of Ranger's and his unnamed mother's puppies. He enjoyed with his family, until the evil parents of Cruella DeVil murdered his mother and siblings. After Pongo failed to save his father, whose being captured alive, he ran away and never returned.

Joseph Roberts, an American student whose being enrolled in boarding school in London. He had no friends until he met Quill. As he arrived, his roommate was suspiciously murdered. No one in the boarding school knows who killed him, like his headmistress, the assistant headmaster, his peers, and his music teacher Roger Radcliffe. Before Quill's murder, Joseph meets the famous future of all time Cruella DeVil.

As Joseph daydreams, he sees his soon to be friend for the first time. He rescues a stray Pongo from the streets, then he rescues his father who escapes. To make matters worse, Joseph is kidnapped.

In return, the young Pongo must rescue his best friend, and avenge his mother and siblings with the help of his father Ranger, his future owner Roger, and police detective Joel Dearly.

Cast and Characters (voice talents)

 * Emma Stone as Cruella DeVil, the anti-hero of the story.
 * Stone portrayed Cruella (2021) as a protagonist. In this film, its a different prospective of her character.
 * Stone also reprises her role from 2021's Cruella and it's sequel.
 * James Lewis McGill as Joseph Roberts, a boarding school student who wanted to become a dancer.
 * McGill also voices Detective Joel Dearly, a former American police detective who was hired for Quill's murder.


 * Jackson Robert Scott as Pongo, a young main protagonist of the story, Joseph's best friend, and Roger's future dog.
 * Miranda Richardson as Lilith, a main antagonist of the story, Cruella's emotionally abusive mother. She wanted to murder everybody who stands her way; Dalmatians and humans.
 * Liam Neeson as Ranger, Pongo's loving father.
 * Jodie Benson as Anita, Cruella's best friend and Roger's future wife
 * Benson reprises her role from 101 Dalmatians 2.


 * Tim Bentinck as Roger Radcliffe, a music teacher of the boarding school, Pongo's future owner and Anita's future husband.
 * Bentinck, like Jodie Benson reprises his role from 101 Dalmatians 2. Benrinck is also a narrator (Roger).
 * Ralph Fiennes as Lucifer, the secondary antagonist, Cruella's psychological, emotionally abusive father. He hugely does not like Dalmatian breeds.
 * Emma Watson as Headmistress Amelia Cook, a main principal of the boarding school and worried about Joseph and Pongo's safety.

Also Voicing

 * Ser'Darius Blain as Quill
 * Jim Cummings as Inspector Carter
 * Brooke Adams as Nanny
 * Vincent Martella as Pit Bull
 * Samuel West as Adult Pongo
 * Kath Soucie as Perdita
 * Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Young Perdita
 * Soucie also protrays Pongo's unnamed mother, she is very caring to her husband and children. Before her death, she was very close with her youngest pup Pongo.


 * Glenn Close as Maths Teacher
 * Amelia Cook as English Teacher
 * E.G. Daily as Biology Teacher
 * Amelia Kinkade as Dance Instructor
 * Jeremy Irons as David DeVil

Soundtrack
The film's motion picture soundtrack is sounded majority from Chelsea Wolfe and Jim Manzie.

Three songs are featured: Emotions by Brenda Lee, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor Op. 27 No 2 "Moonlight" by Ludwig van Beethoven, and Pongo by Chelsea Wolfe (song written by James Lewis McGill).

Trivia

 * This film is unrelated to other prequel; Cruella (2021), which also starred Emma Stone. Similar to the prequels of The Exorcist with two separate stories starring Stellan Skarsgard.
 * It preceded to 1961's 101 Dalmatians and it's sequels 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure and 101 Dalmatians 3: The Starlight Barking.
 * Other than Cruella's story, it's mainly about Pongo's puppyhood. It also gives a reason why he hated Cruella in the 1st place.
 * The film may contain darker materials, like violence and criminally insane antagonists with psychological disturbances. The film may have a possibilities of being rated PG or PG-13.
 * Like older Disney films, a protagonist, like Pongo, loses a mother with his father surviving.