Disney's Cruella is a pretty good movie and surprisingly one I would recommend. However, if you try to compare the "new" Cruella with the original 101 Dalmatians Cruella De Vil character, it doesn't quite match.
One could claim that the new Cruella ages to more closely resemble the original Cruella, but it would be hard to believe she could go from caring for the dalmatian dogs to wanting to kill 99 puppies to make a coat for herself. Granted, this new Cruella doesn't claim to love the 3 dalmatians she has stolen, but she doesn't show any desire to kill them in order to quickly gain what she wants.
Frankly, she would be more likely to kill 3 dogs in order to reclaim a family heirloom that one of them swallowed than she would be to kill 99 for their valueless fur.
Do I recommend Cruella? Yes, I do. It is a good movie for adults. Just don't expect this Cruella to resemble (apart from looks) the Cruella De Vil of 101 Dalmatians. After all, the original character was basically named a derivative of Cruel Devil for a reason!
Disney's Cruella Movie Synopsis
Baron von Hellman was elated to find out his wife was expecting, but Baroness von Hellman was extremely displeased and flew into a rage. When Estella was born, the baron was out of town which allowed the baroness the opportunity to hand her child off to her valet, John, to be disposed of immediately. She did see the baby long enough to know she was born with half black & half white hair.
John simply could not kill a baby so he gave her to a sweet maid, Catherine Miller, who he knew would care for her. Catherine left Hellman Hall that very night with Estella and claimed her as her own child.
After the loss of his child, the baron grieved himself to death. However, the tyrannical baroness lived on to thrive as a renowned haute couture designer.
*****
Disney's Cruella DVD or Blu-ray [2021]Check PriceEstella, nicknamed Cruella, is opinionated, rebellious and strong-willed. Most of the other kids don't like her and she doesn't hesitate to get into physical fights with them, including the boys. When Estella is expelled from school, Catherine needs money to move to a new city, a new school, in order to start over. She turns to Baroness Von Hellman for aid, but ends up dead instead, leaving Estella orphaned and living on the streets.
Estella is befriended by Jasper and Horace who teach her how to survive as a pickpocket. They become the only family each one knows.
With a keen eye for fashion and the ability to create exceptional designs, Estella desires to work in the fashion industry. Jasper & Horace help her get her foot in the door of the fashion world. However, when that desire is overshadowed by a need for revenge, the boys aren't quite sure how far Estella will go or if they should help her get what she wants this time.
*****
The Disney movie, Cruella, is chock full of fabulous actresses and
actors. Emma Stone is exceptional as Cruella, but she is not the
only outstanding actor in this movie.
- Cruella (adult) - Emma Stone
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Cruella (child) - Tipper Seifert-Cleveland
- Baroness von Hellman - Emma Thompson
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Jasper - Joel Fry
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Horace - Paul Walter Hauser
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John, the valet - Mark Strong
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Artie - John McCrae
- Maya - Kirby Howell-Baptiste
- Catherine Miller - Emily Beecham
By the way, Cruella 2 is already in the works and both Emma Stone and Emma Thompson will be among those cast for that movie.
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Disney's Cruella Movie Reviewed by:
I hadn’t heard of this movie before reading your excellent review. What an interesting decision to bring back Cruella so many years later! Doing anything different to a beloved classic like 101 Dalmatians must have been a calculated risk by Disney. The cast looks absolutely fabulous!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, Margaret, I wasn't really interested in watching Cruella when I first heard about it. I'm not a Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians fan. However, I decided to watch the new Disney Cruella movie so I could review it for Halloween-time. I was totally shocked to be able to say I really enjoyed this movie.
DeleteA very interesting review. I too, had not heard of this before your review. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteI might have missed it too, Mary Beth, if we didn't subscribe to the Disney channel. I often think of Disney for children, but we originally subscribed so we could watch the Mandolarion. I've found several movies I enjoyed there in addition to that series.
DeleteI haven't seen this version, thanks so much for the headsup - I think I saw the Ad for the second version coming out though? I'm anxious to see this now - I'll probably relax with a nice cup of tea and try to find this one to watch - I have access to the Disney Channel in the house, so I think I can find it there? It's probably not on netflix though?
ReplyDeleteYes, you can see it on the Disney Channel, but not on Netflix. I hope they don't mess up the character with the second movie. If they try to bring her personality in line with the 101 Dalmatians Cruella, I won't like her. But for now, we can enjoy this version of Cruella and a nice cup of tea.
DeleteSounds like an interesting new take on a classic. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I'm glad you liked it, that means a lot to me. I will give this one a try and hopefully sit back and enjoy some down time with a good movie!
ReplyDeleteI loved watching 101 Dalmatians so thank you for the heads up that this Cruella is not quite the same character. That was a risk by Disney but sounds like it works. It does sound like a good movie you enjoyed watching and has a very good cast, so I think I would enjoy watching it one of these autumn/winter evenings. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this review? Never remember it. Happy I found it as it was fun to read and learn all about this movie. :)
ReplyDelete