'Cruella' Trailer Teases Gleeful Villainy from Emma Stone
DISNEY HAS UNVEILED A NEW TYPE OF FILM FOR THEIR CATALOGUE, WITH THE EMMA STONE-LED ‘101 DALMATIANS’ ORIGIN STORY APPEARING MORE INFLUENCED BY FILMS LIKE ‘JOKER’ RATHER THAN ITS OWN SOURCE MATERIAL.
Walt Disney Studios released the first trailer for “Cruella” on Wednesday. The latest in Disney’s trend of taking their library of animated classics and turning them into live action event films, “Cruella” features Emma Stone in the titular role: the villainous fashion designer who was introduced in 1961’s “101 Dalmatians”. The film will be directed by Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya”).
Set in 1970s London, the film follows Estella (Stone), a woman determined to make it in the city’s fashion industry. Her dream comes true when she catches the eye of fashion icon Baroness von Hellman, played by Emma Thompson. However, the Baroness’ motives will eventually lead Estella towards the dark side and ultimately cause her to become the Cruella we know and love to hate.
This actually isn’t the first time “101 Dalmatians” has been used as source material for a live action feature by Disney. In 1996, a live action version starring Glenn Close as Cruella was released, and was followed by a less successful sequel in 2000. Judging from the trailer, it looks as if this film will take a different route and look at how excess and power led to Cruella’s descent into madness. The dark visual style and costumes also reflect the time period that it is set in, with many initial reactions to the trailer making “Joker” and “Taxi Driver” comparisons.
That being said, it is still very much a Disney live action film and one with a lot of high hopes for a strong return. It may look unique from the trailer, but the final product could very well be as generic and forgettable as their other remakes. “Cruella” at least appears to do more than just rehash its source material note for note. Stone is an incredible actress, but there is a chance the film could fall into the same trap “Maleficent” did, where the traits that make Cruella iconic are diluted by humanising her.
“Cruella” is directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, and stars Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, and Mark Strong. The film is currently scheduled to premiere theatrically in the Netherlands on May 26th, 2021, followed by a United States release on May 28th. Check out the trailer below, and let us know your thoughts: do you think this will be another dud in the canon of Disney live-action remakes, or are you excited to see a “Joker”-esque twist on an iconic villain?