Disney has a huge vault of classic properties that have spanned across generation after generation but one thing that Disney has, particularly with their animated movies, are some of the best villains in the history of cinema. Film fans have had an on going to debate on who are some of the best movie villains of all time and typically you’ll hear names like Darth Vader, Hans Gruber, Hannibal Lector or Heath Ledger’s Joker, but Disney has a good number of villains that would challenge that debate. Whether it’s Scar from The Lion King, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Jafar from Aladdin or Ursula from The Little Mermaid, Disney has an impressive list of well developed and well constructed villains that have stood the test of time. But one other Disney villain that deserves to be part of that conservation is Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. Now, with a name like Cruella De Vil, you automatically assume villain and you just know that this is a bad character. Elitist, glamorous and sociopathic, she puts vanity first even if it means she has to murder to get the look she’s after. Cruella is so cruel and evil that she actually finds satisfaction in skinning puppies just so she can have a nice fur coat. She’s such a great villain that even the idea of creating a character like Cruella De Vil probably wouldn’t go well with an organization like PETA, but that’s besides the point. Cruella De Vil is a greedy, unlawful and despicable human being, which makes her a terrific villain. The character of Cruella De Vil has been played by a numerous of other actresses, whether you’re talking about the voice work from Betty Lou Gerson from the original 1961 movie or the adaptations with Glenn Close taking on the woman with the fur coat. But one thing that’s fascinated us about the character, which is what the film Cruella explores, is how she becomes this villainous and heinous figure. However, somethings are best left explored when it comes to knowing more of the backstory of Disney’s villains, or villains in general and Cruella De Vil was never a character that was in desperate need of an origin story, despite the level of interest that might be there. Whether we like it or not, Disney’s latest live action adaptation (of sorts) takes us in the mind Cruella De Vil, but before she became the villain that we know now and it’s quite a treat. Cruella is a quirky, sadistic and fashionable experiment on revamping one of Disney’s most iconic villains. The movie’s visual palette is exquisite with glamorous effect and a luminous production design. It’s full of nods to the original 101 Dalmatians but manages to stand on its own.
Serving as one of Disney’s live action adaptations but acting more as a prequel, Cruella a young woman named Estella, a determined woman who’s passion is to be a fashion designer and wants to make a name for herself. However, when she finally meets and befriends the fashion legend Baroness von Hellman, she soon starts to embrace a more violent and wicked side, who then becomes the infamous Cruella De Vil.
The problem with these Disney live action adaptations is that none of them, so far, have been judged fairly. This isn’t necessarily a comment on the quality on the actual product because all film is subjective and one of these live action adaptations didn’t work for you then that’s totally understandable. However, whether it’s the live action adaptations of Mulan, The Lion King, Aladdin or even Dumbo, a lot of the criticisms haven’t been pointed to the actual movie, rather it falls into two different issues: 1) They get criticized for departing from the original animated work. Cruella, while not a remake or a live action adaptation of the animated 101 Dalmatians, is a wonderful exploration of a fascinating and enigmatic character. Did we need a backstory on Cruella De Vil? Probably not, but we don’t deserve any movie, but the story surrounding this character was full of entertainment. 2) The other issue is that they get flack for sticking too close to its original work and Cruella doesn’t do that at all. Does it follow some formulaic beats of doing an origin story on a famous fictional character? To a degree, but the blending of The Devil Wears Prada and Oceans 11 are two brilliant aspects that worked insanely well by telling this story and it’s what made everything adhering.
Emma Stone is one of the best actresses in the business today. She’s been nominated for an Academy Award three times, and one of those nominations won her an Oscar for Best Actress. She can display range in comedies, musicals and dramas and her performance in Cruella might be the best she’s ever given. In the same camp as Heath Ledger’s Joker, Emma Stone beautifully and seamlessly brings so much life and refinement to such an iconic character. She chews up the scenery with her charisma but one of the best aspects about her performance is that she completely dissapears when she’s on screen. There are certain roles that specific actors have given where the actors become a chameleon and physically become the character that they’re playing to the point where you completely forget that’s you’re watching an actor on screen. In Cruella, you forget that you are watching Emma Stone on screen as Cruella Da Vil, which is a testament to how great of a talent she is. The same should go to the other actors involved, particularly with Emma Thompson and Paul Walter Hauser. The rest of the cast is great but Emma Stone steals every frame.
For a movie that’s set in London during the 1970s, the production design of this movie might one of the best Disney has put together, as far as their live action adaptations are concerned. Considering the original 101 Dalmatians was set in the late 1950s, Cruella was a nice way of rebooting the character and telling the same story but just in a different time period and the choice to have it set in the 70s was a perfect choice. Having the movie set during the punk rock movement somehow made the rest of the movie’s visuals and sets pop with glorious fashion. Now, some might get tired of the music used in this movie but for some it much enhance the vibes and the tone that this movie was going for.
Like event other Disney live action adaptation, Cruella should be judged on it’s one terms. Is it a true remake or a live action adaptation? It’s not either one, but it offers a sick and twisted, yet surprisingly entertaining origin of the character, with exceptional performances and a gorgeous production design.
My grade for Cruella: A-
Zane's take at the Cinema's 