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"A Christmas Cruella" is the Christmas episode of 101 Dalmatians: The Series, and Disney's fourth adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was originally broadcast on Disney's One Saturday Morning programming block on ABC on December 20, 1997.

Plot[]

The episode begins on the Dearly Farm, where Nanny is wrapping up the presents. Rolly is busy sniffing them to see what the gifts are but Cadpig insists that he should wait for it would ruin the surprise. She does, however, ask what she got, and Rolly tells her it's a chew toy, same as the year before. Cadpig figures it's the thought that counts. With the presents wrapped, Nanny looks to the tree and feels it is missing something, Spot jumps up to act as the Christmas angel on top of the tree.

Meanwhile, at the House of DeVil, Jasper and Horace are busy decorating their tree. They plug it in, but the Cruella Decoration on top begins shooting lasers at the employees and customers, urging them to "Buy, shop, [and] spend." Upstairs, Cruella is still pushing hard on her employees, wanting to release as much clothing for the Christmas Sales. Whilst Anita insists that everyone has done all their shopping, Cruella figures that there's always one to gouge. Roger arrives with Lucky who recently just got a pine needle stuck in his paw, but Cruella tells Anita to get back to work, despite the fact it's 6:00. When Cruella says Anita will be working Christmas, Roger protests it and after some urging Cruella allows Anita to have Christmas off, by firing her.

HorceJasprGOC

Horace and Jasper as Jacob Marley.

On her way out, Cruella knocks the ladder Horace and Jasper are decorating the tree on, causing it to fall on top of her. When Cruella wakes up, Horace and Jasper are gone and Cruella figures they went off too. Afterwards, she snarks on Santa and his elves being the only people who work Christmas Eve and makes a memo to take over the North Pole. As she walks through the entrance, she opens the door in a Santa-dressed fundraiser and takes the money from the bucket to pay for the damage to the door. She then shoos some carolers away from her car before driving back to Villa De Vil (turning some snowmen into snow De Vils as she crashes through them).

When she arrives, her security system asks for a retinal scan. The Camera then wraps itself around her and takes the shape of Horace and Jasper's heads, Cruella knocks the camera out with her purse and concerns whether she is hallucinating from the blow to the head.

She gets dressed for bed, but then Horace and Jasper's ghosts come in, covered in chains, singing on how unless Cruella learn to love and share, she'll wind up like them. The Badduns tell her that she will be visited by three ghosts, and they will show her the way to change.

SCWMTIGOC Cadpig Christmas

Cadpig as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Later, Cruella gets into bed but the first of the spirits arrive as "the Ghost of Christmas Past" (Cadpig). Cruella comments how she's just a dog, but the ghost explains it as "multi-tasking". The ghost takes Cruella back to her childhood home to see that ever since she was a baby, Cruella wanted a Dalmatian puppy, but all she got was clothing; as a result having her nanny shipped away in a crate. The ghost figures that Cruella wanted a puppy to give her the love that her always-absent parents never gave her. They go further ahead and on another year, young Cruella is disappointed once again. Whilst Cruella claims she was the one who suffered that day, the ghost berates her for not thinking about the innocent children, puppies and snow persons that she took her anger out on. They continue on with Cruella as a teenager and it first seems her parents are actually home for Christmas and have got her a puppy, but it turns out to be cardboard cutouts of them whilst they're vacationing on the Dalmatian Coast, and the puppy is just a toy model. This causes young Cruella to snap and become the wicked person that she is today.

Rolly GCP

Rolly as the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Cruella seems to begin crying and when the ghost notices this, Cruella bluffs saying it's the smoke. She asks the Ghosts what they're going to see next, but the Ghost claims her hour is up (despite Cruella protesting it’s only been fifty minutes and wanting the full hour).

Cruella is then visited by "the Ghost of Christmas Present" (Rolly) who is pigging out on Christmas treats. After a couple of hours, Cruella insists they get to what the ghost wants to show. The ghost takes her to the Dearly Farm, which confuses Cruella, since it isn't her Christmas, but the ghost shows that thanks to her, it isn't Christmas for anyone.

Cruella watches how since Anita lost her job, they're unable to pay for any of the gifts that they planned to give for Christmas, along with being unable to afford an operation (let alone a leg brace) to save Lucky's leg, which turned out to have "Pineypawitis".

Lucky WFOHLDL

Lucky in the Tiny Tim role.

After Roger snarks how he won't be wishing Cruella a merry Christmas since she would probably charge them for the air they breathe, Cruella makes a memo to buy up Earth's atmosphere and charge user fee. This angers the ghost, who also berates Cruella, telling her that Christmas is about giving and that she needs to think of others. Cruella is puzzled by this concept of "thinking of others" and asks the ghost what it means, but he tells her that his time's up and hopes the next spirit has better luck.

Cruella is then visited by "the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come" (Spot) who shows her that all her possessions are being sold off by Swamp Rat. Cruella asks what happened to her, and the ghost takes her to a pet cemetery, where Cruella sees she is buried there. As she breaks down, the ghost comments how she had a song and dance number for this, but the studio cut it. Cruella then realizes that this is a fate that will befall her unless she changes her ways. She begs the ghost to tell her whether she has a chance to change before she wakes up back at the House of De Vil, realizing that the experience was all a dream caused due to the tree falling on her.

She asks some ice skaters outside what day it is and they tell her it's Christmas. Realizing it's not too late to change her ways, she vows to be the most loving and giving person on Earth.

Spot GOCTC

Spot as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

She tries to wake Horace and Jasper up, claiming they have shopping to do, but they comment that nothing is open on Christmas, except the House of De Vil. Cruella decides to improvise and starts by giving the skaters a photocopier, dropping it from the window into the ice below. She then gives the fundraising Santa a bag full of money (after making sure that it can be deductible) and attempts to sing with the carolers, who are surprised and puzzled to see what she's doing.

Cruella then drives off to the Dearly Farm (turning some snowmen into snow angels as she crashes through them) and she enters saying, "How dare you?"

When Anita asks what they're daring to do, Cruella responds by saying they're celebrating Christmas without her. She starts handing out her gifts (such as a roll of cellophane tape to Nanny and a stapler to Roger, calling him by his proper name) before she gives Anita a desk name plate for "Susan". Cruella, realizing that she grabbed the wrong one, explains she meant to give Anita her own one, for she is giving Anita her job back (throwing in Susan's desk too, for she's firing her tomorrow). She then gives the puppies a bunch of office supplies. Rolly is disappointed that Cruella didn't even give them a cheese log, but Cadpig tells him to think positive about the collating he can do.

Anita thanks Cruella for the gifts, but apologizes for not having a gift for her, since they didn't know she was coming. Cruella assures her that they have given her a Christmas that she has always been wishing for: one with puppies.

She starts to hug one, but as Roger warns her that it's Whizzer, Cruella is peed on. Cruella, however, comments, "God bless us, everyone."

Trivia[]

  • This episode's title card is snow white with spots appearing around it, before melting into the scene; unlike the previous episodes title card usually being red or blue, fading to black, and then into the episode.
  • This is the only episode of the series to use digital ink.
  • This is the only episode of the series which directly refers to God.
  • This is one of two episodes that focuses around a seasonal holiday, the other being "Valentine Daze". However, "Love 'Em and Flea 'Em" does have jack-o'-lanterns, and Easter is mentioned in "Dalmatian Vacation".
  • The episode is based upon Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, whose author is mentioned during the episode. The parodies consist of Cruella as Ebenezer Scrooge, Horace and Jasper as Jacob Marley, Cadpig as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Rolly as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Spot as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and Lucky as Tiny Tim.
  • This episode has its own VHS release and is featured on the "Disney Christmas Favorites" DVD (making it the only episode of the series to receive an official DVD release to date).
  • This is the only episode of of the series where Lucky doesn't have any lines of dialogue, though this is because whenever we see him, it is always from Cruella's perspective, and he is always around human beings.
  • The Dearlys have a portrait of Santa hanging above their fireplace in this episode.
  • In the Ghost of Christmas Past's sequence, teenage Cruella, getting an idea, makes an evil stretched-out grin like the one the Grinch made in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
  • The bell on Cadpig's collar, whilst she's the ghost, sometimes isn't shown.
  • The company that baby Cruella ships her nanny away in is called "Express Federal". This is referencing the real delivery service, Federal Express.
  • Cruella's second nanny bears a close resemblance to Mary Poppins.
  • This episode is one of six episodes where Steven is shown to talk instead of his usual grunting noises, the other five being "Two for the Show", "Invasion of the Doggy Snatchers", "The Life You Save, "Walk on the Wild Side", and "Animal House Party".
  • One of the gravestones which the ghost accidentally leads Cruella to reads: "Fluffy". A few years later, Fluffy is the name of Cruella's dog in 102 Dalmatians.
  • This is one of very few episodes where Cruella is able to understand the Dalmatians, though this is only when she is in her dream (another being "Virtual Lucky", under the logic of video games).
  • Amongst the other names in the pet cemetery are: Spike, Wahoo, Boo-Bob, Fang, Snoop, Furball, Milo, and Woof.
  • Cruella's security code keypad has twenty-five buttons. Also, the way she enters the code means her code (presuming the top row is 1-5 and the second row is 6-10) is 11, 3, 7, 14, 17.
  • Amongst the gifts Cruella gives the Dalmatians are: a pencil, two paper clips, a post-stick note holder, a sharpener, a staple remover, a tissue box (the "Tis You" brand), two electric pencil sharpeners, some chatter dentures, a stamp ink pad, a stapler, cellophane tape, a drawing board, a Smiley cup, a calendar, a desk nameplate and a Rubik's cube.
  • Cadpig later claims in "Walk on the Wild Side" that she got a thesaurus for Christmas, despite it being said that she got a chew toy in this episode. Although she could be referring to one of the gifts Cruella got or what she got when she returned the chew toy.

Home video releases[]

101DalmatiansXmasVHS

The cover to the VHS release.

VHS

  • 101 Dalmatians: Christmas

DVD

  • Disney's Christmas Favorites

Cast[]

Voice actor Character
Pamela Segall Lucky
Kath Soucie Cadpig
Rolly
Anita Dearly
Tara Strong Spot
April Winchell Cruella De Vil
Jeff Bennett Roger Dearly
Swamp Rat
Frank Welker Steven
Charlotte Rae Nanny
Michael McKean Jasper Badun
David Lander Horace Badun

Note: Pongo and Perdita appear, but do not have speaking lines.

Gallery[]

Wiki
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to A Christmas Cruella.

External links[]


v - e - d
101-Dalmatians-Logo-2008
Media
Films: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (video/soundtrack) • 101 Dalmatians (video/soundtrack) • 102 Dalmatians (video/soundtrack) • 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (video) • Cruella (video/soundtrack/score) • Cruella 2

Television series: 101 Dalmatians: The Series101 Dalmatian Street101 Dalmatians Plantation
Video Games: Animated StoryBook: 101 DalmatiansMath Antics with Disney's 101 DalmatiansDisney Hotshots: Disney's 101 Dalmatians101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue102 Dalmatians: Activity Center101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London AdventureKingdom Hearts
Books: Disney Princess BeginningsHello, Cruel HeartBe Careful What You Wish FurEvil Thing: A Tale of That Devil WomanEvil Thing: A Villains Graphic Novel

Disney Parks
Disney's All-Star Movies ResortClub VillainSorcerers of the Magic KingdomMidship Detective Agency

Entertainment: Disney Classics: The Music & The MagicThe Golden MickeysVillains Tonight!
Parades: Disney Cinema Parade
Fireworks: MomentousWonderful World of AnimationWondrous Journeys
Halloween: Disney's Maleficious Halloween PartyFrightfully Fun ParadeHappy HallowishesHocus Pocus Villain SpelltacularHouse of De Vil-lainsIt's Good to be Bad with the Disney VillainsLet's Get WickedMickey's Boo-to-You Halloween ParadeRe-Villains! Halloween ParadeScream and Shout Halloween ParadeThe Disney Villains Halloween ShowtimeThe Villains Rockin’ HalloweenVillains Mix and MingleVillains Night Out! Chapter 2

Characters
One Hundred and One Dalmatians: PongoPerditaRoger RadcliffeAnita RadcliffeNannyCruella De VilJasper and HoraceDalmatian PuppiesLuckyPatchRollyPennyFrecklesPepperDannyScottieTowserLucyCaptainSergeant TibbsColonelThunderboltDirty DawsonPrissyCocoCollieThe CowsLabrador

101 Dalmatians: The Series: CadpigSpotMoochTripodScorchLieutenant PugMayor Ed PigDumplingCorneliaSwamp RatCydneStevenPersian PeteVendella De VilGo-GoBlazeCave PupRebeccaThe VandercreamsAmber DearlyP.H. De VilCecil B. De VilIvy De VilMalevola De VilJudge Dimsdale De Vil
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure: Lil' LightningLars
101 Dalmatians: HerbertAlonzoMr. SkinnerJewelDipstickFidgetTwo-ToneWhizzerKipper
101 Dalmatian Street: DylanDollyDawkinsDougDelilahTriple-DDanteD.J.DeepakDieselDorothyDa VinciDelgadoDizzy & Dee DeeDimitri TrioPortia PoodleFergus FoxHanselRoxySnowballClarissaPearlHunter De VilSpikeConstantin SidBig FeeSpencer Sausage DogSummerChipsArabellaPrunellaBessieApolloCuddlesDoctor DaveGodfreyHugoStanislav
Video game characters: Patches
102 Dalmatians: Chloe SimonKevin ShepherdJean-Pierre Le PeltDottieLittle DipperDominoOddballFluffyDroolerChompDiggerWaddlesworthEwan
Cruella: Baroness Von HellmanBuddyWinkArtieJohnCatherine MillerThe Baroness' DalmatiansGerald

Episodes
101 Dalmatians: The Series

ABC Episodes: "Home is Where the Bark Is" • "He Followed Me Home" • "Love 'Em and Flea 'Em" • "Howl Noon" • "Easy on the Lies" • "Two for the Show" • "An Officer and a Gentledog" • "Bad to the Bone" • "Southern Fried Cruella" • "Swine Song" • "Watch for Falling Idols" • "The High Price of Fame" • "The Great Cat Invasion" • "No Train, No Gain" • "Rolly's Egg-Celent Adventure" • "Wild Chick Chase" • "The Dogs of DeVil" • "Dog's Best Friend" • "A Christmas Cruella" • "Out to Launch" • "Prophet and Loss"
Syndicated Episodes: "You Slipped a Disk" • "Chow About That?" • "Tic Track Toe" • "Lucky All Star" • "Shake, Rattle, and Woof" • "Cadpig Behind Bars" • "Leisure Lawsuit" • "Purred It Through the Grapevine" • "Our Own Digs" • "Goose Pimples (Goose Pamples)" • "Two Faces of Anita" • "The Fungus Among Us" • "Market Mayhem" • "Lucky to be Alone" • "Four Stories Up" • "It's a Swamp Thing" • "Roll Out the Pork Barrel" • "Alive N' Chicken" • "Prima Doggy" • "You Say It's Your Birthday" • "Oozy Does It" • "Barnboozled" • "Citizen Canine" • "Full Metal Pullet" • "Dough the Right Thing" • "Frisky Business" • "Cadet of the Month" • "Valentine Daze" • "Close But No Cigar" • "Invasion of the Doggy Snatchers" • "Smoke Detectors" • "Lobster Tale" • "Double Dog Dare" • "Mooove It On Over" • "Shipwrecked" • "Mall Pups" • "Shrewzle Watch" • "The Life You Save" • "Spots and Shots" • "On the Lamb" • "Treasure of Swamp Island" • "Lord of the Termites" • "Fountain of Youth" • "Walk a Mile in My Tracks" • "Cruella World" • "Hail to the Chief" • "Food for Thought" • "The Maltese Chicken" • "Film Fatale" • "My Fair Chicken" • "Snow Bounders" • "Gnaw or Never" • "Poison Ivy" • "Twelve Angry Pups" • "The Good-bye Chick" • "Robo-Rolly" • "Splishing and Splashing" • "Virtual Lucky" • "Cupid Pups" • "The Artist Formerly Known as Spot" • "The Nose Knows" • "K is for Kibble" • "Humanitarian of the Year" • "Beauty Pageant Pandemonium" • "Hog-Tied" • "Coup DeVil" • "Every Little Crooked Nanny" • "Cone Head" • "Channels" • "Un-Lucky" • "The Making of..." • "Best of Show" • "Walk on the Wild Side" • "Horace and Jasper's Big Career Move" • "DeVil-Age Elder" • "Jurassic Bark" • "My Fair Moochie" • "Dog Food Day Afternoon" • "Spot's Fairy God-Chicken" • "Good Neighbor Cruella" • "Animal House Party" • "Dalmatian Vacation, Part I - Road Warriors" • "Dalmatian Vacation, Part II - Cross-Country Calamity" • "Dalmatian Vacation, Part III - Dearly Beloved"
101 Dalmatian Street
Shorts: "Merry Pups" • "Muddy Pups" • "Prank Pups" • "Ransom Pups" • "Target Pups" • "Yoga Pups" • "Jurassic Pups" "Space Pups" • "Disco Pups" • "Diva Pups"
Season One: "Dog's Best Friend" • "Boom Night" • "Power to the Puppies" • "Who The Dog Do You Think You Are?" • "Walkies on the Wild Side" • "May Contain Nuts" • "Winter Funderland" • "Snow Day" • "Perfect Match" • "All Fired Up" • "Poetry Scam" • "Crushed Out" • "Girls' Day Out" • "The Woof Factor" • "The Nose Job" • "My Fair Dolly" • "Flea-Mageddon" • "A Right Royal Rumble" • "Dal-Martians" • "A Date with Destiny... Dallas and Déjà Vu" • The Wow of MiaowFear WindowThe Dog HouseA Summer to RememberLong Tongue DayDoggy Da VinciLondon, We Have a ProblemIt's My PartyFox in the Dog HouseFetchDon't Push Your LuckThe Curse of the FerrydogThe Walls Are AliveDiamond DogsRide AlongPoodlewolfThe Longest NightBalancing ActDawkins Strikes BackPoodlefall!Dotty DancingYappily Ever AfterD-FactorPuppy DreamsDante's InfernoBetter the De Vil You KnowThe De Vil Wears Puppies

Locations
LondonRegents ParkDe Vil ManorDinsfordDearly FarmGruteley CountyCherry Tree FarmHouse of DeVil101 Dalmatian Street2nd Time AroundLiberty LondonHouse of BaronessJohn's Apartment
Songs
Films: Cruella De VilKanine KrunchiesDalmatian PlantationPlayful MelodyI See SpotsTry AgainYou're the OneDigga Digga DogSo Fabulous, So FierceWho's Sorry Now?Perhaps, Perhaps, PerhapsLivin' ThingCall Me CruellaThese Boots Are Made for Walkin'I'm Gettin' Good at Being BadCruellaWhat Can a Bird Do?The Language of Dogs

Animated Storybook: I Love FurPuppies, Oh, PuppiesTwilight BarkUp the StairCover Yourselves with Soot
Television series: 1-0-1Dalmatian VacationSurf PuppiesI Got My Pups with MeIt's a Dog's LifeIn the HouseDolly's RapDogs are Out for Summer SunIt's a PrankWe're Sending You Love
Deleted: Don't Buy a Parrot from a SailorMarch of the One Hundred and OneCheerio, Good-Bye, Toodle-oo, Hip Hip!One Hundred and OneThe Creation of Cruella De Vil

See also
Cruella's carJasper and Horace's truckThe Thunderbolt Adventure HourWhat's My Crime?The Disney AfternoonHouse of MouseOnce Upon a TimeThe Further Adventures of Thunderbolt
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