The character of Cruella de Mon first appeared in the 1950s in the pages of Dodie Smith. On the big screen, she made her debut in the Disney animated film in 1961, and then appeared in the Disney acting remake of 1996 and its sequel in 2000. Today, almost 60 years later, the expressiveness, passion for attention and sophisticated stylizations and Cruella’s sharp wit still excite and fascinate viewers.
Cruella de Mon is possibly the most iconic character among Disney’s villains because she is so wonderfully evil. Extravagant, fashionable, manipulative, cunning and clearly crazy. All the character traits that viewers love to hate. It’s kind of like Disney’s Hannibal Lecter , says producer Andrew Gunn.
Thanks to the hard work of many creative minds, a plot was created, from which you can learn how an ingenious child, Estella, became a ruthless avenger – Cruella. Most of the action takes place in London in the 1970s, against the backdrop of a punk revolution. We follow a girl’s metamorphosis from an ugly Dickensian orphan into a rebellious, resourceful, bold and inventive antihero who learns who she really is and how to be herself. The bright and creative Estella (Emma Stone – Oscar – Best Leading Actress) wants to make a name for herself with her clothing designs. She befriends a couple of young thieves who appreciate her criminal tendencies. Together they build a new life on the streets of London.
We wanted to investigate why she was the way she was. What made her become Cruella de Mon. We approached it like the story of the rise of the super-villain in the comic: who she was as a child, what shaped her. All that viewers so far knew about Cruella was that she wanted to make a coat of Dalmatians. We decided at an early stage that to give them something new, we had to show something they know from a completely different angle – explains Andrew Gunn.
The title role was played by Emma Stone. It was the first and only choice considered by the studio. That was when the actress received her first Oscar nomination for a supporting role in Birdman and even before the premiere of La La Land , in which Stone played the lead female role for which she won an Oscar. –
It is interesting to trace where she came from, where Cruella came from , says Emma Stone. – We had a lot of fun researching how a human becomes a villain. How people can be affected by different events in their lives – how they can fall under the weight of different experiences or rise above them, strengthen, but perhaps not always learn a moral lesson from it. These deep lines are all in this movie, but presented in a funny, crazy, Disney way, and additionally with great seventies punk music – the actress enjoys.
The producer of the film, Andrew Gunn, speaks about the creation of Emma Stone in superlatives.
Emma Stone has a wonderful ability to play nasty, selfish women (as she did in “The Favorite”). She can transform in a second from the embodiment of evil to the heroine with whom the viewers sympathize and cheer her on until the end of the film. He has great timing and really fits the characters he creates, making each one unique and unforgettable. We knew that Creulla would create something fascinating and timeless.
An equally important character as Cruella is the Baroness, played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson. Their acquaintance will drive a series of events that will push Estella into the dark corners of her personality. The elegant, rough and malicious Baroness is in every way the opposite of Estella. Estella is innovative, visionary, while the Baroness – though very successful – doesn’t realize that she is a bit old-fashioned.
Without the Baroness, there would be no Cruella , says Andrew Gunn. – All the activities of the Baroness play a role in the creation of the Cruella de Mon.
The baroness is unfortunately the cause of the Cruella uprising , explains Thompson. – It’s very sad, but it’s great to see why someone becomes what they have become. The baroness is behind an unusual fashion house, so when Estella sees her, she is stunned and intimidated. However, he quickly begins to understand who he is dealing with. The baroness sees that Estella has a talent that she uses for her purposes , the actress continues. –This is a very different character from the ones I have played so far and who lived in the real world and wore normal clothes. She is one of those people who I have never been and for whom getting out is everything. Nothing else matters. The baroness is not someone they will someday find dead in old shoes or sweatpants. She is always ready to show herself. So this role is fascinating – he says.
Andrew Gunn compliments the role of Emma Thomson.
Emma Thompson gave the Baroness timeless elegance and a sense of class. She also found a balanced, calm, icy manner for her character. I feel that she created a heroine who is a combination of Coco Chanel and Vladimir Putin. Like any great villain, Emma is the heroine of her own story. In all her actions, she feels completely justified. She would never accept the point of view that she is the bad guy in the story. Emma Thompson can help us understand why her character does what she does , she adds.
Cruella was directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, and the story was co-written by Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis. The film was produced by Andrew Gunn, Marc Platt and Kristin Burr. The film is executive produced by Emma Stone, Michelle Wright, Jared LeBoff and Glenn Close.
Costumes were the key to creating this amazing atmosphere and aesthetic show by Cruella . For this monumental venture, the filmmakers chose costume designer Jenny Beavan, a two-time Oscar winner, who previously worked with Emma Thompson on both Return to Howards End and The Crumbs of the Day .
I was reading the script and I knew it was a really fun and pugnacious movie at the same time , says Beavan. The costume designer also admits that the scale of the project immediately caught her imagination. – I met Craig and told him I was wondering because it was a huge challenge. And then I thought it was worth a try. I like such challenges – he adds.
The amount of styling for Emma Stone is enormous. In total, the actress made 47 costume changes, and Emma Thompson had a total of 33 outfits.
Although Dalmatians and other dogs are present in the film, Cruella in the acting version does not have the same motivations as her animated counterpart and does not harm animals.
Cruella ‘s canine cast features a small number of animal actors, and several of the dog scenes have been shot using computerized special effects. Most of the animals in the film were saved from a sad fate (especially the Buddha found in the street); the other dogs came from the loving homes of their trainers. The production team worked closely with reputable animal trainers to make sure each dog was cared for and well trained.
Cruella’s world premiere in theaters was originally scheduled for December 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it finally took place on May 26, 2021. In Poland, the film was watched by over 430,000 viewers. You can read the movie review on our website . On October 13, it will be released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Bonus materials for the Blu-ray release:
- Two Emmas
- Midfield corner
- Cuture Cruelli Collection
- Cruella’s world
- New dogs… old tricks
- Cruella 101
- Bloopers
- Unused scenes
