Move over Emily in Paris! It’s Cruella in London!
Disney’s Cruella is a toast to the Emma’s. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson duel it out fashion-style in the PG-13 prequel to the loveable Dalmations saga of our childhoods. The Good Place’s Kirby Howell-Baptiste chit-chatted with The Knockturnal on her role as “Anita” in the film.
Imagine Ocean’s Eight and Phantom Thread through a Disney vacuum, or even, a much more mature Descendants or chic-er Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn. Heist, drama, fashion, the occasional pup or two—Cruella has something for movie fans of all kinds. Director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) linked with Dana Fox and Tony McNamara for the screenplay. And the powerhouse studio collected actors Mark Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Joel Fry, John McCrea, Kayvan Novak, Emily Beecham, Jamie Demetriou, and Tipper Seifert-Cleveland as young Cruella.
Disney previously did live-action portrayals of its notorious and two-toned-hair villain with Glenn Close in 1996 and 2000. However, a love of Glenn Close’s rendition should not deter anyone from Emma Stone’s. As a Glenn Close devotee, this new movie surprised me and was quite good. The two can coexist and be unique in their way. Close even acted as an executive producer on the upcoming Cruella.
Stone’s Cruella, formerly known as Estella, pairs well with Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. However, Cruella, of course, is more devious and a lifelong fashionista. Fiery Cruella is able to hold her own when she comes head-to-head Baroness von Hellman, Emma Thompson’s contemporary to Miranda Priestly. Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road, A Room with a View) kept the women equally as fierce competitors.
While Cruella does have similar attractions as The Devil Wears Prada and Phantom Thread while we’re at it, this film has another edge—an ode to the spectacle of fashion existing before the reign of today’s social media influencers. The fact that Cruella is a connoisseur of performance art and artistic direction breathes a larger than life persona that entertainingly contrasts scenes meant to humanize the villain—or in this film, anti-hero.
Audiences view the eccentric genius beyond stitches and fabrics, and see why Cruella de Vil is arguably the world’s favorite Disney villain. And Howell-Baptiste’s Anita is a photojournalist who highlights de Vil’s origin story and journey towards identity all for 1970s London.
Cruella comes to theaters and Disney+ on May 28, 2021. Remember to watch the extra clip that appears beyond the credits!
