Disney remakes - or live action "reimaginings" - have been fruitful box office endeavors over the past few years, but they haven't been the most successful creative outings. For those who grew up with the "Disney classics," seeing them reincarnated on the big screen could go either way. While we've already seen a live-action "101 Dalmatians," we haven't seen an origin story of its dognapping, fur-loving villain Cruella de Vil. If there's anything Hollywood loves more than a live-action remake, it's an origin story, so "Cruella" is the latest spin on an established character.
Director Craig Gillespie (whose last film "I, Tonya" received a great deal of acclaim, including an Oscar win for Allison Janney) brings an entertaining, punk rock style to "Cruella." For a famed villain, Cruella's story starts so innocently: before taking on the name Cruella, she was Estella (played by Emma Stone), who had big dreams of becoming a fashion designer. In the fashion world there isn't a more prominent name than The Baroness (Emma Thompson), who Estella longs to work for and learn from. When given the opportunity, she learns more about the demanding Baroness, which sets up the trajectory of the movie and her transition to Cruella. Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry deliver fun supporting turns as Horace and Jasper, Estella's friends turned Cruella's henchmen.
The entire reason to see "Cruella" is to watch Stone have a complete blast sinking into the arc of the title character. On the surface, it's a high camp performance that she clearly relishes in delivering, without it ever feeling grating. To succeed, Stone has to calibrate her characterization between two worlds. A lesser performer would simply focus on the more theatrical parts of the performance, but Stone captures both. Paired with Thompson, the dueling Emmas make for great fun.
As a piece of filmmaking, "Cruella" is one of the stronger entrants in the live-action Disney universe. It's an easy movie to escape in because of the grand design of it all. It's far too early to start talking Oscar season - since we just ended the 2020 season a month ago - but Jenny Beavan's Oscar should just get engraved at this point for her costume work.
"Cruella's" energy radiates from the screen, but there's a more complete version of this picture that's unfortuately stuck in a movie that winds up meandering to an unnecessary 135-minute length. Once Stone and Thompson end up at odds, the movie goes through a series of scenes that feel repetitive and stall the momentum Gillespie had built. The screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara (the Oscar-nominated writer of the biting "The Favourite") could have been condensed to keep the protagonist's journey more concise.
It's unclear who will be enticed to see "Cruella" because it does lean into its edginess and PG-13 rating, and its bloated runtime won't keep the interest of younger members of the family. Perhaps Disney nostalgists who are fans of the original animated version, or of Glenn Close's take on the character, will be interested in Stone's rendition. Even with reservations, there's fun to be had in large portions here, and craft on display to marvel at.
"Cruella" debuts 2021 May 28 in theaters and on Disney+ with premium access.
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