Cruella Theory Disneys Movie Is A Prequel To The 1990s 101 Dalmatians

Cruella Theory: Disney’s Movie Is A Prequel To The 1990s 101 Dalmatians

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Cruella serves as an origin story for Disney’s iconic puppy-hating villain, but the film may also be a prequel to the 1990s 101 Dalmatians movies.

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Cruella Theory Disneys Movie Is A Prequel To The 1990s 101 Dalmatians

Cruella serves as an origin story for Disney’s iconic puppy-hating villain, but the film may also be a prequel to the 1990s 101 Dalmatians movies. Cruella herself of course dates back to the 1956 book that inspired 1961’s original animated 101 Dalmatians movie, a Disney classic that saw the studio receive one of the best receptions its product had seen in a while. The story at the heart of the film is simple: a couple named Roger and Anita’s dogs Pongo and Perdita give birth to a litter of puppies. Cruella de Vil, a rich, spoiled heiress, then decides she wants to make the puppies into fur coats, leading to their kidnapping and eventual rescue.

While not Disney’s best animated effort of the 1960s, 101 Dalmatians remains an entertaining film, and in 1996, it spawned a live-action remake. Starring Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson as Roger and Anita, and featuring a scene-stealing performance by Glenn Close as Cruella, the remake was a critical bomb but a box office hit, and earned a sequel in 2000 that similarly did much better with audiences than critics.

With 1996 now 25 years in the past, many look back on the live-action 101 Dalmatians with fondness and nostalgia. As it’s one animated classic Disney already remade in live-action, there’s no real reason to do so again. However, that doesn’t mean Cruella couldn’t actually be a stealthy prequel to that specific version of the villain.

Emma Stone’s Cruella Fits With Glenn Close’s 101 Dalmatians Portrayal

Cruella Theory Disneys Movie Is A Prequel To The 1990s 101 Dalmatians

Based on what the trailer shows of Emma Stone’s portrayal of Cruella, there’s nothing that sticks out as a reason she couldn’t eventually evolve into Glenn Close’s version of the character from the live-action 101 Dalmatians movie. While the two performances certainly aren’t identical, that’s not an insurmountable hurdle by any means. Stone’s Cruella has an accent that’s a bit less theatrical, but their Cruella laughs are both striking and suitably evil, and they both carry themselves with an air of utter confidence and dominance. They both also possess an eye-catching sense of fashion, a high opinion of themselves, and a desire to always be the center of attention. Stone’s Cruella is also disliked by the dalmatians seen onscreen, calling forward to her later obsession with their fur.

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Stone’s Cruella has a darker edge than Close’s too, which many are comparing to Harley Quinn. That can also be explained away pretty easily, as this younger Cruella hasn’t yet matured into the high society grand dame that Close will become. She’s still rougher around the edges, and also at least partially operating as a put-upon underdog, which isn’t a position Close’s Cruella spent time in. Despite these differences that can be chalked up to decades of further life experience and success, both Stone and Close’s Cruella’s are clearly rather sinister, volatile characters that are best not to be trifled with. In another telling sign, Close is actually an executive producer on Cruella, a move that wouldn’t really make sense if the origin story didn’t share some connection to the 1996 101 Dalmatians film.

Cruella’s Timeline Fits With Disney’s Live-Action 101 Dalmatians

Cruella Theory Disneys Movie Is A Prequel To The 1990s 101 Dalmatians

While an exact year hasn’t been specified, it’s been confirmed that Disney’s Cruella origin story is set in the 1970s. That actually lines up very well with the film being a prequel to 101 Dalmatians 1996, and Glenn Close’s Cruella de Vil being the future of Stone’s take. Emma Stone is currently 32-years-old, although she could easily pass for younger, and it’s unclear how old Cruella herself is supposed to be. Close was 49 when 101 Dalmatians hit theaters, and could’ve also passed for a bit younger than that.

Close turned 30 in 1977, and Stone is only 32 when playing Cruella in the 1970s. While the years might not exactly line up, the overall similar age range of the two actors, and Cruella’s 1970s setting, makes it exceedingly probable that the two films exist within the same live-action universe. Cruella could’ve easily been set decades before the 1960s original animated movie, or in the 1990s itself, a few decades prior to the present day. But Disney went with the 1970s, and its status as a covert prequel may provide an explanation for that decision beyond sheer aesthetics, or wanting to imitate the setting of Joker, a movie Cruella is being relentlessly compared to since the release of the latter’s trailer.

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Linking Cruella To 101 Dalmations Makes Sense For Disney

For years now, Disney has been all about remaking its beloved animated classics as live-action movies. They’ve done it with Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and more, usually to the tune of massive profit margins. Disney even took the plunge of remaking The Lion King, one of its most acclaimed films of all-time, even if the final product disappointed many fans upon its summer 2019 release. Disney could certainly decide to remake 101 Dalmatians in live-action for a second time, and it could well prove successful if they went that route. There’s really no compelling reason to go down that road though, as many already look back on the 1996 film fondly, and trying to effectively overwrite it would probably earn complaints. Plus, there are still multiple other Disney animated features that have never been translated to live-action before.

With that in mind, Disney directly linking Cruella and the 1996 101 Dalmatians would make sense for the mammoth company. It connects Stone’s Cruella de Vil to Close’s highly praised older version, and also serves to revive interest in the live-action 101 Dalmatians movies overall. Making Cruella an official prequel could also serve to setup further installments in the franchise that are designed to connect the two films, perhaps with Close eventually reprising her role in a Cruella movie featuring alternating present and past timelines. The only real issue that plan could face is trying to continue to make Cruella into a sympathetic antihero when her goal is skinning puppies. Still, the dalmatian reference in the Cruella trailer shows that Disney isn’t shying away from that aspect of the character.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/cruella-movie-emma-stone-101-dalmations-live-action-prequel/

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