Just call her “Ella,” she said.  Cruella De Vil is back in Disney’s “102 Dalmatians,” but she is not who she used to be. In this delightful family film, De Vil seems to have turned over a new leaf, or perhaps a new ‘spot,’ and seems to be on the right path. Yet as Big Ben tolls, she is up to no good again. Her devious plans will help the child in all of us find laughs in “102 Dalmatians.”We rejoin De Vil (Glenn Close) in an asylum, trying to be cured of her hate for dogs. Miraculously, she appears cured and wants to be a philanthropist. Through her parole officer, she learns of a place called Second Chance that gives forgotten dogs a loving home. With her millions of dollars she revamps the old place, much to the delight of its two owners. However, something turns her to her old, evil ways, re-energizing her determination to get those dalmatians once and for all. As one line of the song says, “Only time will tell whether Cruella is from heaven or hell.”Dipstick, one of the puppies from the original movie, is now grown up and has little ones of his own. Incidentally, Dipstick’s owner, Chloe Simon (Alice Evans), is De Vil’s parole officer and an owner of Second Chance. The other owner, Kevin Sheperd (Ioan Gruffudd), is enamored with Simon and a romance unfolds.  De Vil’s costumes are unbelievable. It is amazing how cruel she can really look, considering this is not animation. Close looks remarkably like the cartoon character and gives a fantastic performance that both kids and adults will love. She plays the reformed De Vil well, but is also able to turn back into the insatiable Cruella. Disney does a good job of punishing her at the end, as she deserves, but is done in a way that entertains the kids without scaring them too much. Viewers have to love Alonso (Tim McInnerny). He is De Vil’s evil sidekick who eventually comes around and learns how to stand up for himself. There are many lessons to be learned from this movie, such as this, but they are presented to the kids in a fun way.The romance that develops between the two dog lovers, Sheperd and Simon, is really sweet and fits into the film well. As with the cartoon, there are other elements that are similar, even though “102 Dalmatians” has an entirely different plot. The dogs come to the rescue again by sending the “dog signal” to each other, communicating danger through their special bark. Although the dogs cannot talk as they do in the cartoon, they still play a vital role and are smarter than ever.One of the funniest characters of the film is the parrot at Second Chance who thinks it’s a dog. Witty, charming and sarcastic, it of course saves the day on more than one occasion. What would a Disney film be without such a character? His character is a common element in many of the studio’s movies, but is still entertaining and a great contributor to the film. One of his classic lines during his adventures is “Dog, James Dog,” which the audience loved. After finally realizing that he had wings and could fly to save one of the puppies, he decided that he was not a rottweiler, but a retriever.  This sequel is definitely worth seeing and can lift your spirits. You may even want to adopt a pup when you leave. “102 Dalmatians” opens today.