What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2021
Where’s it showing? Disney Plus
Although its original “premium” release was in May, Cruella finally became free for Disney Plus users to stream starting on Aug. 27. Emma Stone plays the infamous villainess in this devilish origin story, taking place before the events of 101 Dalmatians, in London during the age of ’70s punk rock.
Before taking on the alias Cruella de Vil, Estella Miller (Stone) is an aspiring fashion designer and professional thief, working alongside her canonical cohorts Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser). The film explores Estella’s gradual transformation into Cruella as a rivalry between her and a renowned fashion designer, Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), escalates with chaotic consequences.
I was not expecting to love Cruella, but it truly won me over at nearly every turn. For a movie about an alleged dog-killer, I feel guilty for being comfortable enough to call it my favorite of the Disney live-action spin-offs. It’s a gloriously over the top, family-friendly hodgepodge of films like Joker, Amadeus, Phantom Thread, and The Devil Wears Prada—what’s not to love? (134 min.)
—Caleb Wiseblood
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 2, 2021.