Film Review: Disney’s Cruella

Disney’s 2021 release of Cruella explores the backstory of 101 Dalmatians’ infamous villain Cruella De Vil. 

The plot

The story begins in Estella’s childhood, where the death of her mother acts as a catalyst for a journey of danger, revenge and betrayal.

The character develops from the role of a rebellious preteen, all the way to a London thief and, finally, the infamous fashion designer pop culture today knows well as Cruella De Vil.

My initial thoughts

When I first heard that Disney planned on releasing a live-action prequel on the life of Cruella De Vil, I was excited to see how the film would turn out. Although I’ve never had a huge interest in 101 Dalmatians, I have always enjoyed the film for the classic it is. 

Despite this, I was sceptical that another 101 Dalmatians spin-off would fail drastically, with Disney having already released 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, a live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians in 1996 as well as 102 Dalmatians to name just a few. 

However, I’m always optimistic when it comes to Disney – and I was not let down. 

Review

The first thing that springs to mind for me when thinking about what Disney did right with Cruella is the music. 

Filled to the brim with timeless classics, this film had me enjoying the songs so much I had to listen to the soundtrack on the way home. As well as this, the costumes and outfits that sparkled through the film were absolutely astounding.

However, most of all, the performances of Emma Stone and Emma Thompson absolutely blew me away. Both actresses played their roles amazingly.

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One thing Disney’s Cruella has left me to debate is whether or not the company is now attempting to appeal to older audiences as well as younger, as the film itself is rated a 12A. 

This is likely due to the more complex storyline which would be quite difficult for younger audiences to follow, as well as depictions of violence and minor uses of bad language.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing whether or not Disney keeps up this new style of thrilling, more adult-suited movies. 

Final verdict

Overall, the story itself was incredible, fitting perfectly with the narrative of 101 Dalmatians all the while delivering unexpected yet believable plot twists that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. 

I’d recommend anyone go and see Cruella in cinemas now, as it’s one of my new Disney favourites. I can assure you that it’ll be one of yours too.