Cruella, a movie starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Mark Strong, is directed by Craig Gillespie. The film earned two nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Makeup and Hairstyling, winning Best Costume Design.
The movie follows the tale of a young fashion designer who would one day become one of Disney’s most recognisable villains and is based on characters from Dodie Smith’s novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The story of Cruella de Vil’s rise to prominence as arguably the most well-known Disney villain ever is retold in this film. Cruella explores how Cruella de Vil developed and embraced her evil side.
The film, which is set in the 1970s, centres on Estella, an orphaned little girl. She has always been a bit different from the other kids which land her in trouble. She never followed rules, got into trouble, and was always curious, but was definitely creative. Without a family to care for her, Estella bonds with two pickpockets, and the three of them work together to steal wallets from Londoners without realising it to survive.
But as Estella gets older, it becomes clear that she wants to be a successful fashion designer and that pickpocketing is not the life she wants to live. She quickly fulfils her dream when she accepts a position with The Baroness.
Estella soon realises that her boss is a ruthless woman, even though she initially respects The Baroness and strives to please her. The Baroness’s role in Estella’s orphanage is the worst of all. Estella takes on the persona of Cruella to outshine The Baroness whenever she has the chance to get her revenge. The film later focuses on details about her traumatic childhood.
Stone excels as an actress. As the titular diabolical diva, Emma Stone takes on the role with grace, familiarity, and charm. The other cast and crew put in an incredible amount of effort as well. I absolutely loved and was entertained by this film. The typical Disney theme is somewhat different from the movies with villains. While darker than some other Disney films, this one is nonetheless entertaining.
