Movie Trailer Breakdown: Disney’s ‘Cruella’

As far as Disney villains go, Cruella’s aspirations in the 1961 animated film “101 Dalmatians” aren’t especially grand — instead of marrying the prince or orchestrating world domination, all she has her sights set on is a fur coat. Yet her skeletal frame, skunk-themed hair, and hatred of puppies nevertheless cement her as a deeply memorable character — memorable enough, even to warren a live-action spinoff.

The trailer opens with a series of slow, panning shots set in ‘70’s punk-rock London: gritty urban sidewalks, the gates of an imposing gothic mansion, the grille of a vintage car with “DEVIL” as the license plate. Disney’s production quality is stunning as always, with detailed costume and set design coming together to create a world of crisp blacks and whites accented by a sharp red. In a voice edged with lilting arrogance, a woman narrates: “From the very beginning, I saw the world differently from everyone else.”

Cut to the figure of actress Emma Stone dressed as a young Cruella, with scarlet red hair and a black beret ensemble, managing to look both naive and devious at once. The angles of her bone structure aren’t quite as sharp and disturbing as the original, but there’s still that unsettling glint in her eye.

The trailer then plunges into careening shots of criminal behavior interspersed with manic peals of laughter. Director Craig Gillespie, best known for his 2017 biopic “I, Tonya,” strikes a captivating tone that oscillates between tragedy and comedy — reinforced by Connie Francis’ 1957 rendition of “Who’s Sorry Now” as a backing track. Inviting further villainous comparisons, this version of Cruella also bears some resemblance to Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker in the trailer’s depiction of her as an unhinged social outcast with an eclectic sense of style and a violent desire for personal vindication.

Still, there is a fresh energy to the glimpses of Stone’s performance that the trailer provides. The central scene of the trailer is set in an ornate white and gold ballroom filled with well-tailored guests. The camera pans over three snarling dalmatians (reminding the audience of the nostalgic magic that is inevitably lost in live-action remakes) to the figure of Cruella in a hooded white cloak. In a classic moment of Disney magic, the cloak evaporates into wisps of flame to reveal a dress of red silk and chiffon, Cruella’s dual-toned hair a cross between carefully coiffed and slightly singed. The screen fades to black with an emphatic note of music, and Cruella triumphantly quotes singer Helen Reddy, “I am woman, hear me roar.”

Of course, it’s a bit unclear how a cocktail of female empowerment and public ostracization leads to a specific obsession with dog fur, but one can’t help feeling enthralled by Stone’s sharp, zealous confidence in leading us there. “I was born brilliant,” Cruella asserts, and for a second, it’s easy to forget that she meets her match with a few dozen litters of puppies. After one last refrain of “who’s sorry now,” the trailer ends with a lingering shot of the mansion from earlier going up in flames against the London skyline. Eyes ringed in dark smudges of ash and eyeliner, hair wildly unkempt, the protagonist offers a final whispered declaration: “I’m Cruella.”