Emma Stone transforms into Cruella de Vil in first ‘Cruella’ trailer

Disney has dropped the first trailer for their live action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella starring Emma Stone and, as the studio itself describes it, the movie and its titular character both come off as “brilliant, bad, and a little bit mad.” Set in the 1970’s London fashion world (peep the Liberty sign in the opening seconds of the clip), the story is set to follow Estella de Vil’s transformation from “born bad” ne’er-do-well to the iconic puppy-skinning villain, Cruella. 

To the tune of Connie Francis’ I-told-you-so anthem, ‘Who’s Sorry Now?’ we see a young, red-haired Estella move through the drudgery of her department store cleaning job, self-medicating with a decanter of something golden and boozy. Then, in one quick cut, this down-at-the-heels Londoner is hobnobbing at a black-and-white costume ball at a stately home in the countryside — drawing the ire of her wealthy host (Emma Thompson) and the host’s pack of (what a coincidence!) Dalmatians.

Larceny, reckless driving, and arson quickly follow, and Cruella is cemented as a punk rock baddy with an axe to grind, if not a mistreated and misunderstood villain (à la Maleficent).

The clip raises the question: is Cruella’s obsession with a black and white spotted fur coat the vestiges of a bitter grudge against some long-forgotten nemesis who disappeared from the picture eons before de Vil ever darkened the Radcliffes’ door? Or are there other ties to Anita Radcliffe, who (according to the plot of 101 Dalmatians) knew Estella from school? Is there any kind of personal history that can act as a mitigator for puppy murder? Fans are divided on the subject, swayed, no doubt, by Stone’s acting chops and the wardrobe department’s eye-candy costuming.

Others have their reservations about the reframing of Cruella as an anti-hero in the style of The Joker, Harley Quinn, or the previously mentioned Maleficent.

Still, this is a film from Craig Gillespie, the director who made us feel (at least a little something) for disgraced Olympic skater Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. And so we’re going to come down on the side of: anything’s possible. Cruella hits screens on May 26, 2021. 

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