"102 Dalmations" is one of the better children's movies you will see this Christmas. As a sequel to "101 Dalmations", this tale features new dogs and new characters but that does not stop the fun and laughs from coming as fast and furiously as in "101".

Glenn Close is back as the evil Cruella Deville, and I like her better in this movie than I did in the first one. "102" has a great plot and Close gets to really expand her role in the movie. This time she has spent time in prison but gets out on probation. Cruella starts the movie being a kinder, gentler lady, but gets right back to her evil ways by the end.

I love the use of more dogs, and other breeds in this movie. The dog trainers and handlers also did a great job.

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The slapstick comedy in this movie was a good as any of the "Home Alone" movies and I loved all of those -- even when they came out with a new kid in the last one. ”

Disney, who owns ESPN (where yours truly works), always goes to great lengths to make their movie sequels with as much care and thought as the original. There is almost never a drop-off in quality. And they did an awesome job on "102".

As a dog owner myself, I could feel the love and understanding that was used to make these animals do all the great tricks and stunts that are in this movie. If there is any computer trickery in this movie, I couldn't tell. And I look for this kind of stuff because there is no one more skeptical about these modern movies than me. I would rather have poorly executed stunts, than some fake computer dog doing something. Apparently Disney felt my pain after the first movie, which used computerized dogs in a lot of the scenes.

The slapstick comedy in this movie was a good as any of the "Home Alone" movies and I loved all of those -- even when they came out with a new kid in the last one. If you have a good plot, I don't think it's necessary to recycle characters.

Anyway, it is a movie for kids but you won't struggle to sit through it with them.

Dibble's scorecard: Three out of four baseballs