101 Dalmatians Plantation was a planned spin-off television series of One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
The series was initially pitched in 1995 and would then be given a massive overhaul into what would become 101 Dalmatians: The Series.
Premise[]
Picking up where the feature left off, Roger, Anita, Pongo, and Perdita have packed up all ninety-nine puppies and moved to a large estate in the country. The familiar puppies from the movie, Patch, Lucky, Rolly, Freckles, and Pepper, frolic and roam the vast English countryside. Roger and Anita have a ten-year-old son, Bobby, who is the only human the puppies talk to.
Bobby is a shy, sweet kid who spends all of his time with the puppies, accompanying them on adventures. The Colonel and (now) Captain Tibbs have also joined the Dalmatians on the farm, just to keep some extra eyes on them.
This is a good thing, since danger lurks just down the road, in the form of Nastia De Vil, Cruella's ten-year-old niece. She lives on the neighboring De Vil estate with Frederick, her over-worked underpaid butler, Rosemary, her nervous nanny, and Slink, her conniving cat. Nastia and Bobby are in the same class at school, where she constantly tries to buy the puppies from him, to no avail. She wants the Dalmatian puppies for herself, and is always trying to steal them from the plantation, blackmail Bobby into giving them up.
Nastia also has two schoolmates, Ernst and Simon (miniature versions of Horace and Jasper), whom she convinces to help her by promising them loads of money (of which she has plenty) and free rides in her limo for the rest of their lives.
The series would have focused more on the Dalmatian puppies and Nastia's attempts to steal them, rather than on Pongo and the grown-ups. Roger and Anita would have been heard, but never seen. We would follow the adventures of Bobby and the main puppies, as they get into all sorts of trouble and mischief.
Heart & Theme[]
The emotional core of this series is a family watching out for each other in times of crisis. main theme is family values and the fact that blood is thicker than water. Together, Bobby and the puppies get into trouble and it's only by sticking together that they manage to get themselves out of it.
New Characters[]
Bobby: Bobby is a sensitive kid who, because of his shy nature, relates better to animals than people. As a result, his best friends are the Dalmatian puppies. Like all boys his age, he's filled with an infinite curiosity which usually gets him into trouble. He spends all his free time with the puppies, constantly trying to sneak them into school in his backpack. You can imagine those results...
While originally proposed to be Roger & Anita's biological son, the series pitch does have notes suggesting Bobby be either Roger & Anita's nephew or an adoptive son, as the puppies would be long grown up by the time he is ten.
Nastia De Vil: Definitely her aunt's niece, without the streak of gray hair or rad car. On her best day, Nastia is a spoiled, little brat. When she doesn't get what she wants, she closely resembles the little girl in The Exorcist. She also has a souped up bicycle that she drives around like a madwoman, with Slink riding in the front basket, ringing the bell.
Slink: A slinky, black cat with the personality of Joan Collins and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Slink is just as spoiled as Nastia and much, much vainer. She believes the world revolves around her, looking down upon all other existing creatures with scorn and contempt. Slink has her eye set on Captain Tibbs, constantly flirting, trying to get him to notice her. Tibbs, of course, pays no attention and avoids her at all costs, which just makes Slink try even harder.
Ernst & Simon: Nastia's bumbling stooges, Ernst (the skinny one) and Simon (the fat one) are not the most intelligent boys in the world. They're always messing up the best laid plans, and are really more funny than threatening.
Rosemary: The frazzled nanny, Rosemary has to look after Nastia, a job that could drive the most stable person to drink. Counting the days until early retirement, Rosemary usually winds up accidentally tarred and feathered, or with a bucket of paint dumped over her head, the end result of some scheme gone awry.
Frederick: Frederick is as calm as Rosemary is nervous. Nothing can shake his solid as a rock nerves. He speaks very proper English very slowly, almost as slow as he moves. Frederick is on his own schedule and nothing can deter him from that. He's a continual source of amusement for the Dalmatian puppies, who are constantly trying to ruffle his well-groomed feathers.
Episodes[]
The series pitch included several episode ideas, had the series been picked up:
- A few puppies are poking around Nastia's estate, when she manages to capture a few of them. Bobby and the others have to rescue them before Nastia uses them to make a Dalmatian-skin seat cover for her bicycle.
- Slink infiltrates the plantation and steals some puppies by throwing them into a sack. She's about to deliver the goods to Nastia, when she meets Captain Tibbs. Immediately, love-struck, she tries to get Tibbs to notice her, as he tries to retrieve the puppies.
- Bobby tries to sneak some of the puppies into school in his backpack. They get loose and wreak havoc... especially with Nastia trying to pounce on them every chance she gets.
- Nastia steals one of the puppies and challenges Bobby to a bicycle drag race. The winner gets the Dalmatians.
- Under orders from Nastia, Ernst and Simon pretend to befriend Bobby. They invite themselves to a sleep-over at the plantation, where they try and steal the dogs.
- Bobby and Nastia get paired up in school to work on a science project together. Nastia turns the harmless project into a Frankenstein-like experiment, brainwashing Bobby into doing her every bidding. And of course the first one is...to bring her the puppies.
- When the grown-ups go on vacation, Nastia tricks Bobby into giving up the deed to the plantation. The only way he can get back the land is by handing over the puppies.
- Bobby has a crush on a girl at school, but is too shy to talk to her. The puppies play cupid.
Notes[]
- Elements of this series pitch seem to have later been reused in 101 Dalmatians: The Series.
- Unlike 101 Dalmatians: The Series, this series would have taken place in the same continuity as the animated film, as opposed to its own continuity. It wouldn't be until 101 Dalmatian Street would the animated film receive a series follow-up.
- Ironically, Cruella would have a lackey in the live-action film called Frederick.
Gallery[]
