Cruella (Live-Action)

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Disney Duster
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Re: Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Disney Duster »

Congratulations to Cruella! I was hoping it would win.
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Disney's Divinity
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Re: Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Disney's Divinity »

Ursula being made to look like a mix of the Queen and Lady Tremaine in the TLM remake was on my mind when Cruella aired on Freeform the other day. I re-watched to skim through a scene here and there (mostly the Baroness' scenes*), and anyway, it reminded me how annoyed I was with Cruella not having fur or cigarattes and the ugly clown hair. And then I realized that they did the same thing to Cruella that they've done now to Ursula, and I didn't noticed it back then--they made her more like Lady Tremaine than Cruella. The shape of the hair has that same heart-esque shape as Tremaine's; the cane they gave her to replace the cigarette holder and purse she waves around are also something Lady Tremaine had.... Maybe they imitated Tremaine because Tremaine's dress is red and that's one of Cruella's main colors, too (the car/shoes, and it's used on most Dalmatians-related merch)? And they imitated the Queen in Ursula's case because the Queen's dominant color is also purple like Ursula?

Cruella did have a few moments where she still looked glamorous here despite that--in some specific outfits (the red dress she wears to the party to introduce herself to the Baroness is one), though not all to me. But I think the reason this film still has a sort of fun quality despite Cruella being nothing like Cruella de Vil is because they actually channelled the animated Cruella to some degree in the Baroness. The absurdity of her actions and narcissism over stupid things--resorting to murder over a fashion war, killing people with dogs--as well as little moments like her accidentally knicking Estella early on with a cutting knife, throwing her dinner container out the car window, etc. That's got the Cruella vibe to me even if the character actually called Cruella in the film never does. :lol:

It's a shame new Disney can't even properly make villains with an exact blueprint to copy as with the remakes these days, much less new ones in their recent animated films.
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singerguy04
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Re: Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by singerguy04 »

Isn't that kinda the point of the film though?

It's an origin story, so they made it so that she learned her evil ways through and old adversary. That's the direction I interpreted it as anyway. I'd argue it's more entertaining to watch someone turn evil and go mad than just have them that way to begin with. Not that the film did all of that, it's execution was overall clumsy like all live-action remakes, but I saw that intent was there.
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Re: Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Disney's Divinity »

Well, Maleficent feels like Maleficent for the vast majority of Maleficent even with the film being revisionist and the character more of a protagonist, whereas Cruella here never feels like animated Cruella at any point. Even in the climax and ending, she acts more cold, stiff, and haughty like a Tremaine / Maleficent type at best and occasionally like someone with a literal mental illness and split personality at other times rather than someone warm, larger than life, and glamorous like the animated Cruella. That's why I think the only way a sequel for this would work in any sense is if they bring the Baroness back for Emma Thompson to chew the scenery some more.

I'd love a film where Glenn Close is Cruella again v. Emma Thompson (aged up to justify the gap in time) as the Baroness--now that would be an amazing good time!
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Listening to most often lately:
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