Information

Cruella is a 2021 American crime comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Marc Platt Productions and Gunn Films and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. The film was directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Andrew Gunn, Mark Platt and Christine Burr, with a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, from a story by Alain Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel and Steve Geese. It is the third live-action adaptation of the 101 Dalmatians franchise, and serves as a reboot and an alternate origin story for the title character. Emma Stone stars as the title character, with Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Mark Strong in supporting roles. Set in London during the punk rock movement of the 1970s, the film revolves around Estella Miller, an aspiring fashion designer, as she explores the path that led her to become a notorious up-and-coming fashion designer known as Cruella de Vil.

In 2013, Disney announced film development with Andrew Gunn as producer. Stone was cast in 2016 and also serves as an executive producer on the film alongside Glenn Close, who played Cruella in the previous live-action adaptations, 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000). Principal photography took place in England between August and November 2019.

Cruella premiered on May 18, 2021 in Los Angeles at the first major red carpet event since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and was available simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ in the United States with the Premiere Access feature on May 28. It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances (especially by Stone, Thompson and Houser), Gillespie’s direction, visual style, costume design, production values and soundtrack, with criticism targeting its screenplay. It grossed over $233 million worldwide in its theatrical run, and didn’t break even. The film earned two nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design. It was also nominated in the former category and later won at the 27th Critics’ Choice Awards and the 75th British Academy Film Awards while Stone was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. A sequel is being developed, with Stone reprising his role.

Details

In 1964 England, Estella is a creative child with a talent for fashion, but is ostracized for her black and white hair and develops a hateful streak. Her mother, Catherine, encourages her to become a conqueror, using the name “Cruella” for whoever she must compete against. After Estella continues to get into trouble at school, Catherine decides to take them to London, stopping at a party at Helman Hall, a mansion on the Suffolk coast, to ask the host for money. Hiding inside, Estella loses her mother’s necklace while being chased by the host’s Dalmatian dogs, which pushes Catherine to her death from a cliffside balcony. Orphaned, Estella escapes to London and befriends street urchins Jasper and Horace.

Ten years later in 1974, Estella practices stealing and bragging with Jasper and Horace, honing her fashion skills by designing their disguises alongside their dogs, Buddy and Wink. For her birthday in 1977, Jasper gets her a job at Liberty Department Store, but Estella is made a janitor and denied the opportunity to use her talents. He drunkenly rearranges window displays and impresses the baroness—a famous-but-authoritative haute couture designer—who offers him a coveted job at her fashion house. Estella gains the Baroness’s trust but notices her wearing Catherine’s necklace, which the Baroness claims is a family heirloom that a servant once stole. After the Baroness takes the necklace, Estella asks Jasper and Horace to help her retrieve it during the Baroness’s Black and White Ball.

To hide her identity, Estella creates an alter-ego, “Cruella,” and wears old designs from a vintage clothing store owned by a flamboyant arty baroness. At the ball, Cruella steals the spotlight as Jasper and Horace break into the Baroness’s vault, but they realize that the Baroness is already wearing the necklace. Jasper improvises and releases the rats at the party, allowing Estella to swipe the necklace. The Baroness summons her Dalmatians with a dog whistle, and Estella realizes that the Baroness is the one who caused Catherine’s death. In the ensuing chaos, a Dalmatian devours the necklace. In revenge, Estella orders Jasper and Horus to kidnap the Dalmatians and retrieve the necklace. Cruella portrays the baroness in extravagant fashion at various events, gaining notoriety through society columnist Anita Darling, Estella’s childhood friend. Furious, the Baroness fires her lawyer Roger Dearley, while Cruella’s increasingly arrogant behavior makes Jasper uncomfortable.

Estella designs and sews a beaded dress as the signature piece of the Baroness’s spring collection and robs the fashion house, causing the Baroness to lock up all the clothes. On the night of the spring ceremony, the baroness opens the vault to discover that the collection has been destroyed by moths, which have emerged from the beads of the dress which were actually cocoons. After seeing this, the Baroness realizes that Estella and Cruella are the same person. After ruining the Baroness’s show, Cruella stages her own rock music fashion show outside in Regent’s Park, wearing a faux Dalmatian-fur coat. Back home, Estella encounters the Baroness and her men, who have captured Jasper and Horace. Setting fire to the building, Baroness Estella dies and Jasper and Horace are sent to prison for her murder. Estella is rescued by John, the baroness’s valet, who reveals that the necklace opens a box containing Estella’s birth record: the baroness is her biological mother. She orders John to kill the baby Estella to focus on his career and keep her husband’s inheritance, telling the baron that the baby is dead; The heartbroken baron died soon after. Instead, John gave the child to Catherine, one of the baroness’s maids, who raised Estella in secret.

Cruella breaks Jasper and Horace out of jail and reveals the truth, recruiting them, Artie, and John for her ultimate plan. The quintet sneaks into the Baroness’s charity gala, arranging for all the guests to dress up as Cruella. On the balcony, Estella confronts her mother, who poses for a hug before pushing her over the cliff, unwittingly witnessed by her guests. Estella lives in secret with a hidden parachute and is now legally dead, taking on her Cruella persona for good. The baroness is arrested, vowing revenge on Cruella. “Before dying”, Estella willed her inheritance to Cruella, which she named “Hell Hall” after Hellman Hall, leaving with her accomplices.

Disney Characters

Emma Stone as Estella / Cruella: An ambitious grifter and aspiring fashion designer, who becomes a notorious and dangerous criminal.
Billy Gadsdon as five-year-old Estella
Tipper Seifert-Cleveland as twelve-year-old Estella
Emma Thompson as Baroness: The narcissistic, authoritarian and arrogant head of a prestigious London fashion house and a famous haute couture designer, who is Estella’s new boss and ultimate rival. He plays a key role in Estella’s transformation.
Joel Fry as Jasper: A thief who grows up with Estella after the death of his adoptive mother. To portray Jasper, Fry did not look back to the character’s portrayal in the original animated film or the 1996 live-action remake, only copying his physical demeanor.
Ziggy Gardner as Young Jasper
Paul Walter Hauser as Horace: A thief who grows up with Estella after the death of her adoptive mother and Jasper’s brother. Houser drew inspiration for the role from Bob Hoskins’ performance as Hook’s Mr. Smee.
Joseph Macdonald as young Horace
Emily Beecham as Catherine: Estella’s adoptive mother, a poor laundry woman and former maid of Hellman Hall.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Anita Darling: Estella’s childhood classmate who works as a gossip columnist. Anita is later gifted a Dalmatian puppy by a female named Cruella Perdita.
Florisa Camara as young Anita
Mark Strong as John: Baroness’ staff and loyal confidant who helps her in her plans.
John McCrea portrays Artie, a member of the Cruel gang and owner of a vintage fashion shop He is the first main character in a live-action Disney film to be openly gay, and the character is inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and Marc Bolan. Additionally, Kayvan Novak portrays Roger Dearly, a lawyer working for the baroness, who becomes a songwriter after being fired and is later gifted a male Dalmatian puppy named Pongo by Cruella; Jamie Demetriou portrays Gerald, a clerk at Liberty who is Estella’s primary boss; Andrew Leung portrays Jeffrey, the baroness’ assistant; Leo Bill plays Estella’s school headmaster; Paul Bezeley portrays Police Commissioner Weston; Ed Burch portrays the Baroness’s head of security; Paul Chaudhary as a kebab shop owner, Abraham Popula as his colleague George; and Tom Turner appeared as Baron von Hellmann, the Baroness’s late husband and Cruella’s biological father.

Box Office

As of March 6, 2022, Cruella has grossed $86.1 million in the United States and Canada and $147.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $233.5 million.

In the United States and Canada, Cruella was released alongside A Quiet Place Part II, and was projected to gross $17–23 million from 3,892 theaters in its opening weekend, and approximately $30 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame. The film grossed $7.7 million on its opening day, including $1.4 million from Thursday night previews. It debuted to $21.5 million and finished second at the box office with a four-day total of $26.5 million. 61% of the audience tracked was female, with 43% under the age of 25. The film grossed $11 million in its second weekend, finishing third behind The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and A Quiet Place Part II. The film then dropped to 5th place with $6.7 million in its third weekend. Deadline Hollywood wrote that despite a five-week total of $71 million, sources believe that “the Disney + Premiere PVOD level is affecting the film’s overall earnings, not only at the box office, but also in the movie’s downstream ancillary revenue.”

The film earned $26.5 million in its domestic opening and $16.1 million in 29 other countries, for a global debut of $43 million. In China, Cruella debuted with a below-expected $1.7 million opening, trailing holdover F9 which earned $8.9 million.

About

Directed by	Craig Gillespie
Screenplay by	·         Dana Fox ·         Tony McNamara
Story by	·         Aline Brosh McKenna ·         Kelly Marcel ·         Steve Zissis
Based on	The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
Produced by	·         Andrew Gunn ·         Marc Platt ·         Kristin Burr
Starring	·         Emma Stone ·         Emma Thompson ·         Joel Fry ·         Paul Walter Hauser ·         Emily Beecham ·         Kirby Howell-Baptiste ·         Mark Strong
Cinematography	Nicolas Karakatsanis
Edited by	Tatiana S. Riegel
Music by	Nicholas Britell
Production companies	·         Walt Disney Pictures ·         Marc Platt Productions ·         Gunn Films
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	·         May 18, 2021 (El Capitan Theatre) ·         May 28, 2021 (United States)
Running time	134 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100–200 million
Box office	$233.5 million

ScreenShots