CRUELLA 2021 vs 101 DALMATIANS | Making Evil Vogue

How does Cruella compare in Cruella 2021 vs 101 Dalmatians?

After watching both Cruella and the original 101 Dalmatians (1961) movie, I realized that the light shone on Cruella was quite different in both movies.

Cruella (2021) is a villain origin story that serves as a prequel to the popular Disney classic 101 Dalmatians. For those who don’t know, Cruella is a strange villain because her evil quest is that she plans to kill 101 dalmatian puppies to harvest their fur to create an authentic Dalmatian patterned coat. What can she say, she likes the finer things in life.

It was easy to forget how evil Cruella really is when you have her played by the extremely lovable Emma Stone, giving her witty lines, and impeccable fashion.

Cruella (2021) made evil vogue.

Biggest Discrepancies Between Cruella 2021 vs 101 Dalmatians

First of all, her age.

Cruella in the original movie looks like an old (at least 50 years old), raggedy woman who definitely smoked a few too many skinny cigarettes.

You can tell she smells like smoke smothered in pungent perfume.

Her skin clings to her bones and her voice grates at your eardrums. She is just all around, not a pleasant person to be around.

However, logically speaking, since she was schoolmates with the young, beautiful Anita, their ages probably aren’t too far apart. She’s just one of those people who don’t age well. She simply doesn’t look mentally or physically healthy for her age.

But in Cruella (2021), Cruella is barely 30 years old (considering the fact that her childhood dog is still alive and kicking) and she looks appropriate for her age.

She has a voice as smooth and sharp as a blade.

She is intriguing, cunning, vicious, and mysterious.

She is a magnet and people want more.

You immediately like her more because she doesn’t look as repelling as she originally was supposed to be. Beautiful people make unbelievable villains. Human psychology makes us believe that ugly on the outside means ugly on the inside (and vice versa). Although this myth has been dispelled time and time again, it’s still difficult to get our minds to believe otherwise.

Second of all, her goons.

In the 1961 film, Cruella’s goons, Jasper and Horace, were working for money. There was no personal relationship with Cruella besides the fact that she was their boss and the source of their livelihood.

In the 2021 film, Jasper and Horace were practically family to Cruella. They conned with Cruella and stuck by her side whether money was coming in or not. This adds a level of sympathy and morality to their makeshift family.

When Jasper and Horace celebrate Cruella’s birthday in the 2021 film by giving her a thoughtful present, you forget that they’re thieves and you remember that they’re abandoned orphans on the margins of society just trying to survive. As an audience, we sympathize. These “villains” are so soft and relatable.

Third of all, her motivations.

In the 1961 film, Cruella’s motivations are very straightforward.

She needs to collect enough Dalmatians in order to have enough fur for her dream Dalmatian-skinned coat.

It’s a bit cruel but she’s a looney woman.

Cruella (2021) is too sane in comparison.

She says a line here or there that hints at a level of unpredictability but then acts in a clever and tame way rather than crazy and unhinged.

All talk, no action.

I wish she would have surprised the audience a little more with her insanity.

Rather than a coat created with the blood of adorable puppies, Cruella (2021) desires revenge.

Everything she does is to avenge her mother’s life.

Seems a bit nobler, doesn’t it? Too noble to be truly villainous.

At one point in the 2021 film, Cruella dons a Dalmatian patterned dress and I was like – did she kill the dogs to spite the Baroness?

But then the dogs reappeared and I thought – oh. That’s somewhat disappointing.

You come face to face with the creatures that killed your mother and you adopt them as your own…. Huh??

What kind of goody-two-shoes villain are you?

I think Cruella should’ve killed the dogs that killed her mother. Even a sane person would contemplate killing the dogs.

The audience would understand why she would kill them.

Even if it made her a terrible person, it would still make sense. She would have a reasonable explanation and still be ruthless.

It would be wild. It would unveil that crazy within her that shows she’s truly a one-of-a-kind villain.

Fourth of all, her likability.

Roger makes a song that illustrates just how detestable Cruella is.

Now you don’t write a song about someone unless that ish comes from the depths of your soul.

That’s how dislikable Cruella is.

The Cruella (2021) is too likable for a hateful song.

I don’t know if it was maybe Disney guidelines for children that made her less evil and cruel but Cruella is not a fitting name for her.

More like Mildella.

I wanted her to be a villain we love to hate. Rather, the baroness took on that role. She was spectacular. She was truly ruthless.

Cruella was soft and gooey compared to the cold-blooded Baroness.

A Big Disconnect

In Cruella (2021), one of the ending post-credit scenes shows Cruella gifting a Dalmatian puppy to her friend Anita and another to Roger which links us right to the origin of the beginning of 101 Dalmatians (1961).

Although, why does Cruella give them dogs? A dog is a big responsibility. Don’t give me a dog if I don’t explicitly ask for one. That’s a liability.

And I understand why Cruella might reward Anita because she helped her publicity but what did Roger help her do? Roger served no special purpose for Cruella that I can remember.

Why spread your Dalmatians all over town when you can just breed them yourselves and take their fur? Then you don’t have to fight anybody for their puppies.

Am I making too much sense over here or what??

Those post-credit scenes were definitely an afterthought. I know the intention was to tie together the details of the 1961 and the 2021 Cruella, but it’s definitely not a very smooth or logical transition.

Still a Pretty Cool Movie on Its Own

Although I didn’t like the too-sane and humane version of Cruella, there are still so many noteworthy creative decisions that I admired in the 2021 film.

The soundtrack — full of classic hits that fit. It was jumping.

The outfits — now I genuinely don’t understand the logic of high fashion but those fits looked chef’s kiss magnificent. Creativity at its finest.

The casting — superb. Emma Stone is just a stellar actress in whatever she does but Emma Thompson as the Baroness takes the CAKE! Every micro-expression, every movement, every mannerism, it was so exquisite. She had me rolling with how savage she was.

In Conclusion…

Cruella was a good film with a lot of exciting elements but it watered down the main course. The side dishes were delicious but the meat of the film, being a deconstruction of the building blocks of this cooky, crazed woman, was lacking some flavor. Need to sprinkle some Adobo on that.

The character herself lacked continuity, lacked depth, and was simply not cruel enough to be a believable prequel.

This Cruella sugar-coated evil so much that it became too sweet. The makers behind Cruella (2021) didn’t understand the assignment. And that’s that.

Rating: 6.8/10

What do you think of this new version of Cruella? Let me know in the comments below!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO