Interesting Twitter Thread Reveals Details From The “One Hundred And One Dalmatians” Sequel Novel That Was Never Filmed
Disney fans know 101 Dalmatians as a classic, but its sequel novel, The Starlight Barking, goes in a wildly different direction. That strange follow-up has been making the rounds again thanks to a Twitter thread from @SketchesByBoze, and the plot is every bit as unfilmable as it sounds.
In Dodie Smith’s sequel, the dogs of the world wake up with superpowers while every human being is asleep, and the story quickly veers into sci-fi chaos. From dog politics to a mysterious visitor from space, the novel takes the original Dalmatian universe somewhere completely unexpected.
It is bizarre, funny, and oddly memorable, which is exactly why people keep talking about it. Here is the story that never made it to the screen.
Let's get to know this amazing and quirky book:
So, one morning, the dogs rise bright and early and find out that the whole human population is asleep. Oh, yeah, dogs now have superpowers that would make Marvel superheroes jealous.
Pongo goes to London and meets his daughter Cadpig, who is now the Prime Minister. The entire cabinet consists of dogs belonging to cabinet members. They decide that Cruella De Vil must be killed because she is responsible for the whole situation.
That is where the sequel really starts to get strange.
So, a squad of dog assassins (probably the dogs of human assassins) is sent to Cruella’s estate to kill her, hoping it will end this nightmare. But they find Cruella sleeping. Now, if she is asleep, she is probably not the culprit. Who is it then, Pongo wonders.
A mysterious voice on the TV says that every dog should come to Trafalgar Square at midnight.
And then the Space Dog appears. He is Sirius, the Lord of the Dog Star. He says that the Earth is to be destroyed in a nuclear war and that he wants to save the dogs.
Things only get more dramatic from there.
And if you think the dogs in this sequel get wild, check out the 1925 serum run, where hero dogs helped stop a diphtheria epidemic in Nome.
Pongo, Cadpig, and the rest of the cabinet gather to discuss the offer. They all agree that leaving their owners is out of the question, even if it means their death.
Sirius accepts their decision and leaves, warning them first that their powers will disappear in the morning. Their owners wake up in the morning, totally unaware of the drama that has transpired.
This story has absolutely everything. And we mean everything...
The Starlight Barking was released in 1967, at the height of the Cold War, so it is no wonder that the main theme is the threat of nuclear war. There is one thing we find endearing and so true - dogs would run this planet better than we do.
Even though it seems odd that Disney chose not to make this movie (especially with all the sci-fi content it is releasing now), we are glad it didn't. When things are in the hands of greedy film companies, some things get worse.
Additionally, it would be an absolute nightmare to use CGI for this story. Whatever transpires, we're just happy to have recorded this in the archives of our ever-shrinking brains.
Dogs, please take over.
Want more mischief like the eight-year-old dog-eater plan, even when her mom “complies”? Eight-Year-Old decides to start eating like 101 Dalmatians, gives up when her mom maliciously complies.
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