Don’t worry. We’re just getting started. There’s lots more bad things coming. I promise… Cruella de Vil

Let me start by saying, I know this movie was released in 2021 and I’m very late in reviewing it, but that was during my blogging hiatus, so I’m catching up on a few things now. Also, just to clarify, 101 Dalmatians was one of my least favourite Disney cartoons ever made. I can’t tell you why, I just never liked it. I also wasn’t keen on the live action movie with Glen Close either, though I think she did an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the evil Cruella de Vil into real life.

As a result of all of the above, I wasn’t expecting great things from the movie Cruella starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, but it was released on Disney+ during the Covid years (2021) so I was looking for stuff to do while I couldn’t have models in to photograph. I also love Emma Thompson, so thought it was worth a try and let’s be honest, I had nowhere else to go. It turns out my expectations were completely wrong and this movie has become one of my favourites ever made.

For those who don’t know, Cruella is a (sort of) prequel to 101 Dalmatians. Disney have gone through a stage of doing some of these movies to explain why the villain in certain stories ended up turning bad because obviously in Disneyland, evil has to have a cause. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) was a very successful example of this and again, not expecting much due to not liking Angelina Jolie, I was enthralled with both Maleficent movies. But let’s get back to Cruella.

It begins in the early 60’s when baby Estella was born with the trademark black and white hair and was raised by her ‘mother’ Catherine who tries to encourage her to put the occasional mean ‘Cruella’ side of her personality aside and be a nicer person. Expelled from school, Estella and her mum Catherine decide to move to London but her mum dies under suspicious circumstances on the way and Estella, who see this, runs away to London where she befriends two other street urchins, Horace and Jasper.

Move forward a decade and Estella (Emma Stone), Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and Jasper (Joel Fry) live in the punk inspired London of the 1970’s. She dreams of becoming a fashion designer but they live in a deserted building and make their living by running all sorts of pickpocketing schemes so there isn’t much scope for dreams. Then Jasper finds a way to swindle her into a job with a swanky department store Liberty which leads to a job with the Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). From here, she can start to live out her dreams or so she thinks.

The villainess in this movie, the Baroness is of course, evil and she brings out the other side of Estella’s personality, the disruptive and vengeful Cruella. And this is where the fun starts. Unlike the completely evil, cruel namesake of the cartoon version, Cruella is thoughtful and methodical in her revenge for the person who has ruined her life. Cruella makes her own fashion label in competition to the Baroness whilst still working for her as Estella. Now to be honest here, you’d have to be blind Freddy not to see they are both the same person, but the movie is brilliant enough to forgive this oversight.

I am not going to give you a run down of the whole story here because if you haven’t seen it, there are surprises along the way which you should find out for yourself with (hopefully) the same delight and excitement I had. But let me say this, the fashions created in this movie are nothing short of divine. I’m not ashamed to say that I literally cried at the garbage truck dress. You have to see it to know what I’m talking about but once seen, you’ll never forget it. And they were tears of happiness not sadness that I cried.

I was so inspired by this movie that I actually enrolled in a fashion course after watching it. Unfortunately the course changed days and times which made it impossible to do. But here I was in my 60’s, watching a Disney movie and that so inspired me, I enrolled in a fashion course. That’s how powerful I found this movie. It piqued my imagination and inspired me in my quest to create beauty from recycled products which I’ve been doing since I started art photography.

The costumes in this film are to die for. Seriously, they are nothing short of divine. The wardrobe department richly deserved the 2022 Academy Award for Best Costume Design. They also won a BAFTA, Costume Designers Guild Award and Critics Choice Movie Award. Jenny Beavan and the costume department are the real superstars of this film. I can’t rave enough about the fashions and designs but I’ll try to stop for long enough to rave about the movie too.

It is an absolute triumph in my humble opinion. It is funny, smart and exciting. Visually it is beautiful and impactful. The story is full of drama and humour all at the same time. And let’s talk about the evil. So often in (especially kid’s) movies, the villains will slap you over the head with their evilness but this felt different. It was clever and, while not subtle, it wasn’t overtly ugly as most villainesses are played. Both adversaries (Stone and Thompson) were brilliant in their roles. Brittle, sarcastic, intelligent and beautiful. Everything a good villainess should be.

I don’t believe there was a weak link in this production. It was brilliant from start to finish. It kept me wondering what would happen next. It’s one of those movies that I wish I could wipe from my memory so I could watch it for the first time and feel that joy all over again. All in all, I loved every moment of it and in fact am watching it again now as I type, which must tell you something about the movie (or perhaps just me lol).

It is streaming on Disney+ and here is the downside, as I have lost much respect for the corporation and their need for greed. I wasn’t going to go into it, but since I’m here, why not? They are stopping password sharing as Netflix did. And they are no longer selling DVD’s/Blue Rays here in Australia. So basically, they are pushing everyone towards the streaming platform with no other option. I currently have the use of my son’s account but this will finish soon and I will not join for myself.

When streaming first started, people saw it as such an exciting option for watching new and favourite movies and were selling off all their DVD’s. I refused, knowing it would get to the stage where the major players reeled everyone in, then upped their prices and cracked down on being able to share their accounts even though most of us paid for more than one screen to be able to share. So thankfully I have a large collection of Disney (and other) movies to keep me well entertained. It would cost a bomb to have all the major streaming platforms and that is beyond my means and probably most families. Watch all these corporations with their need for greed start crying and sooking when pirating becomes a major thing again.

Anyway, as much as I’m cross with Disney for their greed, I can’t deny that they make some of the best movies and for that I am grateful. And Cruella is one of the best of the best. If you haven’t seen it, give it a try, even if you were never a fan of 101 Dalmatians. It is, in my opinion, an absolute delight and a feast for the eyes.

Happy Viewing…Livvy xxx