Cruella Movie Analysis

‘’So, this is a confusing day. My nemesis is my real mother and she killed my other mother. You were always scared, weren’t you, that I would be a psycho like my real mum? Hmm? That explains all the “tone it down, try and fit in” stuff. Love me into shape, I suppose, was the plan. And I tried. I really, I tried because I loved you. But the thing is… I am… not sweet Estella, try as I might. I never was. I am Cruella, born brilliant, born bad and a little bit mad. (CHUCKLES) I am not like her. I am better. Anyway, I must dash. Much to avenge, revenge and destroy. But I do love you. Always. (CHUCKLES SADLY)’’ (Cruella, 2021). For 40 years The Walt Disney Company developed a very unusual and cruel villain that we all had a distaste for known as Cruella de Vil. The character we have known was overall a puppy killer or in general an animal killer with the love of fashion, but fur fashion. Cruella de Vil was the most terrifying person anyone could have ever encountered which created a wide reputation for her. 20 years later The Walt Disney Company created a revamp of who Cruella de Vil truly is. The movie Cruella is the story of the uprising of what we thought was this crazed demon who turns out to be the most genuine and badass hero we all could ever imagine. The deconstruction of Cruella’s character for the 2021 film portrays her to be the most somewhat kind hearted and humanistic villain/hero with the ability to hold great friendship's, love for animals and care of a loved one. 

As we have seen from the past movie 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close, we see she has captured every single Dalmatian in all of London to create this coat Anita who is one of the Dalmatian owners designed. Overall animals have a dislike in Cruella because she gets ganged up by them. 2021 Cruella it's very surprising to see a love of animals by this ‘’Villain’ ’who was portrayed to kill them. We are first introduced to her friendliness with animals towards the very beginning of the movie. The scene takes place at Cruella’s school yard when she is young and a couple of young boys who bully her lift her over the staircase and dump her into a giant dumpster only to find her first true furry friend who is known as Buddy. After the encounter with him she takes him home and keeps him. Throughout the entirety of the film, he continues to stand by her side through the good and bad along with another little friend known as wink who is a tiny little chihuahua owned by Horace who is a friend of Cruella. Digging more into animals we witness the unusual relationship with Dalmatians. The writers incorporated a twist along with assumptions for the audience to believe the reason Cruella wanted to murder Dalmatians. As Cruella is a child in the movie her movie visits her old boss asking if she would help with financial issues besides this scene while inside this massive party little Cruella is being chased by Dalmatians only to lead them outside where she witnessed them push her mother over a cliff. Still with this twist Cruella as she is older kidnaps the Dalmatians that ‘’killed’’ her mother because one swallowed the heirloom her mother gave. This progression continues and we see a comfortable relationship between the Dalmatians and Cruella to the point where they listen to her and stand by her side towards the end of the movie resulting in adoption of all three because the Baroness who was the previous owner was arrested. As we see here Cruella has the capability of having a love for animals including Dalmatians and to have them as pets and not as fashion accessories. 

Having friendships that are genuine and pure were completely not a realistic thing that the original Cruella was used to having. Although from the Glenn Close 102 Dalmatians she is seen to have a sort of relationship with two men, but it was strictly more so of work relationship and was forced upon her to develop it. The 2021 film Cruella genuinely creates a giant friendship between two boys Jasper and Horace and the main one thing they all have in common that brought upon this family friendship was one another were orphans. Jasper and Horace are introduced when Cruella runs away after her mother is killed and is found asleep at a fountain by the two boys. From that point on a family is created between all three of them and as well working with each other sustaining a life through burglary. One another helped each other when in need as for example Jasper helped Cruella get a job with her favorite fashion brand The House of Baroness. As Cruella aged, she gained a new friendship with a man named Artie who owns a ‘’vintage’’ clothing store. The two hit it off so fast due to the passions of fashion and the creation of Art. A fourth person is added to this little family in which each person helped Cruella with all her plans to sabotage the Baroness. Although there was some strain involved with this friendship due to the worries they all had for Cruella, in the end they all cared for one another and still managed to help in any way she needed. One other friendship she created started when she was younger to a girl named Anita who was her very first friend who understood the kind of person Cruella was and how she would stand up for anyone that messed with her or anyone else. Anita and Cruella have a reunion when Cruella decides she wants revenge on the Baroness and runs to Anita who is a reporter to help her out with being known and to sabotage the Baroness and her fashion world. As a thank you for the help Anita provided to Cruella and as well for her friendship, she gives her Dalmatian puppy. Revamped Cruella has a special place in her heart for the friendships that she has created with all sorts of people and the care she provides to them all. 

Lastly, the biggest aspect of Cruella de Vil that no one ever thought she could hold was the power of love and sympathy. In the past Cruella is well known as being the most devilish and evil person to ever walk the face of the earth. She was consistently portrayed as someone without a heart and no love absolutely at all in her life or even inclusion of any sort of family members. In the 2021 film the audience gets a little more insight and a new story of where Cruella’s family is at. Before Cruella knew she originally was supposed to be murdered by her biological mother who is the Baroness. The Butler that was sent to take out this mission could not do so because it was wrong so he handed Cruella off to the house cleaner Catherine who worked for Baroness to raise Cruella as one of her own kids. Throughout Cruella's childhood she has always known Catherine believing she was her biological mother. One night Cruella and her mother were moving and needed some financial help so she went to Baroness to ask for this and while this is happening as stated before Cruella is being chased by Baronesses Dalmatians and then witnessed her mother get pushed over a cliff. This is the first scene where we see Cruella feeling sympathy and as well guilt believing that she had killed her own mother and for half her life she carries this guilt over herself. As she ran away, she slept at a specific fountain in London where she and her mother Catherine promised they would sit there and have tea everyday whenever they had the chance to do so. The fountain is more of personal and meditation spot for Cruella where she would sit and talk to her mother as if she is there and would just explain to her how her day has been and new things that have come along her way such as getting approval by the Baroness that she is a very artistic and unique person to have for her fashion line. As the film continues Cruella begins to know more about her truth and where she really comes from and one specific scene stands out conveying such emotion from Cruella with the monologue she presents, ‘’So this is a confusing day. My nemesis is my real mother and she killed my other mother. You were always scared, weren’t you, that I would be a psycho like my real mum? Hmm? That explains all the “tone it down, try and fit in” stuff. Love me into shape, I suppose, was the plan. And I tried. I really, I tried because I loved you. But the thing is… I am… not sweet Estella, try as I might. I never was. I am Cruella, born brilliant, born bad and a little bit mad. (CHUCKLES) I am not like her. I am better. Anyway, I must dash. Much to avenge, revenge and destroy. But I do love you. Always. (CHUCKLES SADLY)’’ (Cruella, 2021). This monologue genuinely represents the overall character of Cruella of who she is and along with having an emotional attachment with her late mother. Watching the scene, you can see and hear all the hurt she has gone through from half her life. 

Overall Cruella’s original character was scrapped from the 2021 film and completely revamped creating her into a hero and being very human in nature. Cruella has the capabilities of having a love for animals instead of clothing, creating long-lasting genuine friendships and having a lot of love and affection for her late mother and wanting to avenge her death to feel at peace within herself. We were persuaded to perceive Cruella as a nasty human being due to how she was represented from the past movies made about her. There could have been a possibility that the story was being told from a distinct perspective by someone that had a dislike in her. The redevelopment of Cruella completely changes the narrative of a nasty cruel person to a anti-hero feminist taking a stand and getting the revenge that she wants from the person who destroyed her family.