In 1984, an 11-year-old Jude Law gave an iconic review of '101 Dalmatians' to the BBC

Cecily Knobler
Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:15:12 +0000
101 dalmatians, 1960s, 1980s, Bbc, Bbc interview, Criticism, Cute kids, Disney, English accents, Fern britton, Film critic, Instagram, United kingdom, Viral video, Jude law

It would appear that had acting not worked out for Jude Law, he would have been an excellent film critic. This is evidenced by an adorable clip making the rounds on social media of Law when he was just a wee schoolboy at 11 years old.

The year was 1984. Law was a guest on the BBC's The Breakfast Time, where he was interviewed by co-presenter Fern Britton, a popular TV figure in the U.K. His mission? To give a no-holds-barred, youthful (and quite blunt) critique of a popular animated Disney film from the 1960s.

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And that film was One Hundred and One Dalmatians, released in 1961, before Law was even born. Dressed in a checkered button-down shirt, jeans, and a trendy white skinny tie, Law is ready for the assignment. When Britton asks, "Did you like it, first of all?" Law smiles and says, "Yes, I did very much." But then he has some notes.

He continues, "But you could tell from the very beginning, it was all very predictable. And all the way through, you knew what was going to happen. But yeah, I did enjoy it. It was funny."

He noticed something quite creative about the screenwriting. "I liked, very much, the way from the very beginning the animals called the humans their pets. So it was very different." Then he gets very serious for some reason. "And really, the whole story was actually told by the male dog, Pongo."

Britton then asks, "Something I understand that you didn't quite understand was the fact that parent dogs spoke with English accents, and the puppy dogs with American ones." Law has a solid answer: "I think that was mainly because the American accent sounds slightly babyish."

A clip from Disney's 1961 101 Dalmatians www.youtube.com, JoBlo Animated Videos, Disney

Here, Law gives a foreshadowing of his excellent acting skills when he slips into a perfect American accent. He shares, "There was a part when there was this little baby dog who said, 'Oh, I'm hungry, Mother,'" (which Law enunciates with very hard American R’s). But then adds in a posh English accent, "Not now, dear." Britton laughs, and Law continues, "It was funny. I didn't actually notice it until I was told by my friend I went with."

There are thousands of comments on the Instagram clip alone, with many noting how articulate he is. "Unbelievable articulation and at such a young age. He's now the last of the league of gentlemen."

Many also notice that Law essentially looks the same now as he did at 11—at least in terms of facial expressions. "My goodness, he actually sounds the same!" Another adds, "Wow, he speaks exactly the same way he does now. You can tell how intelligent he is at such a young age. Even his mannerisms are the same as a child."

This person goes deeper into the question of "are we just who we are that young?" "Indeed! All his expressions and mannerisms are the same—which in a sense terrifies: is this part of all of us 'complete' and unalterable before we hit our teens?"

And of course, some take note of his tough critique. One jokingly writes, "The 'American accent sounds babyish.' How deliciously condescending toward the old colony."

A young Jude Law reviews 101 Dalmatians. www.youtube.com, BBC Archive

The comments on the BBC Archive YouTube page are equally supportive of Law's critique. One writes (in ALL CAPS no less) "OUTSTANDING BREAK DOWN!!"

Another notes the 80s attire: "We all had that shirt back in 84." And this person jokingly predicts the future, saying, " Clever lad. He’ll be a star some day. I’ll tell ya that now."