Cruella de Vil is one of the most memorable Disney villains for her fashion alone. However, that shouldn't discredit the vile things that makes her villainous. The idea of killing puppies for her clothing is truly despicable, and the methods she stated in the 1961 101 Dalmatians are just horrid and indescribable. Live action performances of the villainess have been impressive, including the ones from Glenn Close and recently, Emma Stone.
The 2021 film boasts a great cast and production team, which also includes Glenn Close behind the cameras as the executive producer. Compared to her predecessor, how does Stone take on the role? Here's everything we know.
8 Emma Stone Was Invested In Her Character's Backstory
To be the one to star in the live-action movie relating to 101 Dalmatians was certainly quite the experience for Emma Stone. She recalled her experience to Variety and Entertainment Tonight being "bananas" and a "different ballgame." This is especially anticipating as this will be the first time Stone has portrayed a villain ever.
After being rejected by the high-class status London has to offer, Stone's character hopes to turn that around and stand up against those who defied her.
7 Adored The Movie And The Villain
Emma Stone has nostalgia for the 1961 Disney classic, as well as the live-action movies starring Glenn Close. The way the stories intertwine brings an investing arc for someone who is so diabolical, but fun to watch. In a way, the 2021 movie is somewhat connected to the live-action movies, showing the Cruella who was simply known as Estella.
The punk aesthetics truly show Cruella's rebellious side before chaos consumes and shakes up her look, hair, and makeup. Having a villain shown in a different light can be done excellently or poorly, but with warm reception to Emma Stone's portrayal, she made her character believable.
6 Reacts To Being Called Disney's 'Joker'
Perhaps one of the most interesting compliments Emma Stone has gotten ever since trailers came out for Cruella, she was compared to the likes of Harley Quinn and the Joker. Fashion wise, it should be expected to be compared to the Joker's girlfriend, but Joaquin Phoenix's Joker? That was out of left field, but in a very good way.
Stone was admired by the comparison comments, but told CinemaBlend, "It’s very different from Joker in many ways. I would never even remotely compare myself to Joaquin Phoenix." In one perspective, it's easy to understand where the comment is coming from, but how the origin stories happen is vastly different.
5 Showcasing A Strong Rivalry
Accompanying Emma Stone in this 101 Dalmatians spin-off film is Emma Thompson, who portrays Cruella's rival, biological mother, and boss. She has a strong list of roles from her acting career, including Nanny McPhee and taking part in Disney live-action movies such as Saving Mr. Banks and Beauty and the Beast.
Their interaction in the movie is what helps set the movie together. Having two Emmas take on the two lead roles will have fans invested in what they have to work with and the possibility of what's to come after if the movie is successful financially.
4 Anti-Hero In This Adaptation
Since the 2021 movie is set to be an origin story for the fashion queen, Cruella's darkest moments are held back. Similarly to Maleficent, Stone's Cruella will take on the role as an anti-hero. After all, the main goal of any movie with a protagonist is to have the audience relate to them, regardless if they are evil or not.
Some moviegoers are not a fan of this as it ruins their originality from their movie origins, but adaptations are meant to make changes to showcase a different take on a character.
3 Her Performance Has Been Praised
For the reviews that are out now, Cruella has been getting around mixed to positive reception. Many of the reviews have unanimously agreed that Emma Stone's performance is extraordinary. Some critics questioned about the need of the villain needing an origin story, but still were captivated by Stone bringing the character to life.
Fans certainly won't be disappointed when they are able to watch the movie, whether it'd be in theaters or premiere access from Disney+.
2 Darker And More Devilish
Playing two sides of the same coin was definitely a challenge for Emma Stone. Whether she is Estella or Cruella, she breathed life into the character with confidence and grace. In regards to this challenge, she told AZCentral, "I think one of the reasons why I liked it so much was because it sort of was like, instead of nature turning into nurture, it was nurture turning into nature. This was who she’d been from the beginning and who she was suppressing throughout her childhood, and based on what happens to her at the beginning of the movie." Due to the movie being rated PG-13, it will be exciting to see Stone unleash Cruella's frustrated outrage.
1 Success Means Another Film
According to Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, they mentioned that if Cruella becomes a success, they would be very interested in doing a follow-up. They also stated that the movie would be done in the style of The Godfather Part II, with the sequel becoming a prequel and sequel at the same time. The idea sounds very interesting and should serve as a continuation in expanding Stone's portrayal of the iconic villainess. Given the movie has been getting mostly positive reception, it is possible that this will come into fruition.