Disney's new movie about the iconic 101 Dalmatians villain Cruella de Vil is, in their words, "brilliant…bad...and a little bit mad.” The movie follows Cruella, who dreams about becoming a famous fashion designer. She is introduced at the beginning of the movie as a child who gets into mischief while following her dreams of being a fashion designer. Cruella is a confident woman and a powerhouse as she battles for recognition in the fashion industry. Cruella dives into a more detailed universe and brings more depth to the 101 Dalmatians character.
Estella (Cruella's real name) is theorized to have dissociative identity disorder (DID). DID is an identity disorder where multiple personality alternatives front in one person and each personality acts as a defense mechanism against trauma or stress-related event. The death of her mother is a major indicator of her development of DID. Estella created Cruella, her alter, to confront the pain of losing her mom at a young age and help protect herself from witnessing any further trauma.
After embracing her mischievous side and refusing to cover her natural split hair color, which previously left her ostracized, Cruella goes to locate a necklace left to her by her mother. This necklace is the key to the entire fortune of renowned fashion designer Baroness Von Hellman.
Disney’s Cruella highlights the depths of Cruella de Vil. This villain dives deeper into herself and what she stands for, which doesn’t involve killing or murdering puppies, as she was known for in the original film. Cruella is a thought-out, well developed story about the main antagonist's past and her journey to fame in London.
Besides having an amazing plot, this movie has fantastic graphics, music and costumes. It is a movie for mystery and thrill-seekers who like a bit of fashion. I rate this movie 10/10 popcorn kernels and I hope for a second installment. You can check this movie out now on Disney+ Premier Access (which has a $29.99 fee), or wait until Aug. 27 to watch it for free.
By Laurelyn Ponder, Contributing Writer
Graphic by Madison Sholar, Staff Photographer