If she doesn’t scare you, no bad thing will! But is Cruella de Vil wearing fur or trying to harm puppies in Disney’s new live-action movie? The answer, it seems, is an emphatic no. Cruella is on her obsession with fur, honey.
Portrayed by Emma Stone in Cruella, which is set to hit theaters and Disney + on Friday (May 28), the iconic villain will finally get an origin story set in the avant-garde and punk fashion scene of 1970s London. And instead of being driven by the desire to – shiver – skin Dalmatian puppies for their enviable fur, a young Cruella pits herself against Emma Thompson’s Baroness von Hellman, the haughty head of a major fashion house that becomes the eventual rival of Cruella.
In fact, Disney even released a statement in the film’s production notes that fans don’t need to be concerned about the character’s intentions towards the adorable puppies. “In our film, the character Cruella does no harm to animals…. Cruella doesn’t share the same motivations as his animated counterpart, ”the studio said in its statement.
Of course, this has not always been the case. Cruella was famous for his obsession with fur in the original 1961 animated version of 101 Dalmatians, as well as his 1956 source material by Dodie Smith. In the 1996 live-action remake starring Glenn Close, she pursues the same evil goal. The same goes for his 2001 sequel, 102 Dalmatians.
In the new film, Stone’s Cruella will instead be dressed in avant-garde ensembles curated by Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan, right down to her inimitable two-tone black and white locks.
“Fashion is Cruella’s tool for revenge,” Stone explains in a featurette released by Disney before the film’s release.
“This movie is the greatest thing I have ever done,” Beavan adds, revealing that the actress wears an incredible 47 distinct haute couture looks throughout the film. “It was very important to me that Cruella was black, white, gray and red. “And absolutely no fur.
Watch a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s jaw-dropping fashion below.
