Devilish Appeal

Riding waves of Dalmatian nostalgia entangled in a world of divas and haute couture

Cruella (2021) may have been stewing in the works for years but when it hit the screens as the first major red carpet event since the pandemic began, it did so with a bang! Emma Stone brings out one of Disney’s favourite villains in jaw-dropping outfits, ebony and ivory hairdos, and an attitude that doesn’t falter – there’s no two La-La’s about it!

She’s joined by namesake Emma Thompson who plays the villain, which makes this a must watch movie – even if it’s only to see the two Oscar-winning actresses battle it out in the name of fashion and female empowerment!

The film starts in ‘a series of unfortunate events’ style. Estella is a poor, downtrodden girl suffering from poliosis but she has a spunky demeanour. In the first part of the movie, she loses her mother who falls off a cliff, being chased by two ferocious dalmatians.

Then the orphaned Estella scrounges around London with her dog Buddy and her thieving friends, trying to make ends meet while waiting for a chance to explore her innate passion for fashion.

She is ultimately discovered by ‘The Baroness’ who is London’s top fashionista – and we see a very Devil Wears Prada dynamic between the two. The Baroness is a necessary evil in Estella’s life, and plays the role of mentor and boss from hell.

Then comes the plot twist: the Baroness is actually Estella’s birth mother who had abandoned her for a career in fashion and later orchestrated her foster mother’s death. This causes Estella to go all Maleficent (or Cruella) and she sabotages the Baroness’ work with her own bold and daring fashion collection!

Long story short, the wicked Baroness is eventually exposed for who she is – humiliated, arrested and ironically, replaced by Cruella!

CRUELLA (2021)

2h 14min | Comedy, Crime
RELEASE 18 May 2021 (Los Angeles) | 28 May 2021 (USA)
DIRECTOR Craig Gillespie
BOX OFFICE US$ 225.9 million
WRITERS Dana Fox and Tony McNamara (screenplay), Aline Brosh McKenna (story)
CAST Emma Stone, Emma Thompson and Joel Fry

As if to cue the rest of the Dalmatian movies, the film introduces Cruella’s childhood friend turned gossip columnist Anita Darling who shines the spotlight on her. And in a mid-credits scene, we see Cruella gifting two dalmatian puppies – Pongo and Perdita – to Anita and her husband.

The movie received mixed reviews: lavish costumes, larger than life actresses, iconic soundtrack and an empowering theme meets questionable narrative, forced nostalgia and a weak plotline. Yet, it is definitely worth some popcorn!

Remember the fashionable villain whose life ambition was to wear a coat made of dalmatian puppy fur?

Rewind to her early years and you’ll find a smart mouthed, humiliated orphan who rises through the ranks, avenges her mother’s death and usurps the throne of the top fashionista in London – all while being brilliant, bad and a little bit mad.