Cruella: The Unvillainous Film

Villain films are something of a concept that doesn't work like it should.

[@OpticalSorcerer]

Like "Maleficent," this was better as a story with original characters rather than attatching it to Disney animated characters.

[@annabella1650]

The problem with Cruella is that it is extremely hard to explain why a fundamentally good person wants to turn 101 puppies into a coat. Maleficent at least runs with the original motive, revenge, and tries to give a good reason to want it. Cruella has the problem where the end of the “origin story” doesn’t really link up with the original film, there’s a gap in the logic. And frankly, if Disney are set on doing this then they’ve got the villain who can easily be twisted into an anti-hero. After all the lost boys never grow up.

[@SharpDesign]

Especially where she supposedly gave the dogs to Roger and Anita.

[@gOat_GrandMa]

I find it funny people see her as a "giRLboSs" villain, they are ignoring the fact that she wants to make puppies into a coat. The book, animated film, and the (1996 live-action) made it so clear she has no redeemable qualities. We liked Cruella as a scary villain, not Batman.

[@MrRobot-0]

Maleficent is inferior of the animated counterpart but her history we are given kinda have a acceptable shape to it. But make no mistake it only pass because Maleficent herself is more about the poise rather than explicitly tell what the queen of dark Fae is. And well by being a Fae she is not working on human morality Cruella trough, that story was just a shittier version of the devil wears prada while trying to reddem something as moral a judge Frollo.

[@EmeraldKing6987]

It’s clear that they aren’t connected

[@gingergoddess8953]

When this movie was announced as 'Maleficent for 101 Dalmatians" the literal first joke I made was "A DALMATION KILLED HER MOTHER!" Then, when we saw it in theaters I blurted out "No F***ING WAY" when it actually happened. Then we got up and left. When your film is so bad it's entire concept is a predictable meme, you know it's not going to be a good flick. Sad, because I thought Emma Stone was a perfect choice for the part and she did as well as she could have.

[@joshwillis2879]

Cruella from Once Upon a Time was the best version of Cruella! When a TV series does a much better job at explaining Cruella being a villain than a Disney movie does.

[@Dino_Boy.01]

Honestly, I love the movie cruella, but as a villain origin story? Yeah, no. I mean yeah her mum was killed by Dalmatian’s but then she owns them at the end of the film. So we have to basically assume she must have killed them.

[@jeshuarestituyo284]

It’s more of her being an original character at this point in the film and not from the old movies

[@briana8088]

Remagining

[@hunterolaughlin]

I remember when we used to make fun of the backstory of Cruella’s mom being killed by Dalmatians and “justifying” her hatred for them by making parodies of it with other Disney villains to justify their hatred of the certain things or people or animals in their respective films. One did it with Gaston by saying his hatred for books coming from his mom getting killed by a falling bookshelf and even I jumped on the bandwagon with my own Disney villain justification backstory with the Coachman from Pinocchio by saying he turns “stupid little boys” into donkeys because “stupid little boys” killed his father. Regardless of how one feels about Cruella, you can’t deny it did at least provide some ironic enjoyment from making fun of Cruella’s mom’s death by Dalmatians being her “descent” into villainy.

[@365ral]

Disney tried mimicking the success of other villain stories, but they just reduced their already-iconic characters into inferior wannabes. We've loved Maleficent and Cruella for decades b/c they're so entertainingly evil! If we wanted to see Elphaba or the Joker, we'd watch "Wicked" or "The Dark Knight!"

[@gamer399]

This is why I love Better Call Saul. The entire show details the gradual process of how a struggling ex-conman tries to change his ways only to become a crooked "criminal" lawyer. Sure there were things that one might sympathize with. But this show still reminds us how corrupt, selfish, and sometimes downright evil these characters are.

[@sebastiantrias1529]

Can stop films about redeeming awful people.

[@dillonohlemiller401]

Like i said, you can’t make a character that wants to skin puppies and wear them as a coat likable in any way shape or form, nor should you.

[@mardenborough.]

Disney already redeemed Abuela Alma😂

[@joshuagoforth1658]

Spoilers below for once upon a time: I like how once upon a time did it she was born rich and was just born evil she killed her father and her mothers next two husbands lies to a magical author who gives her the ability to control animals then she goes home uses her mother’s Dalmatian’s to murder her and then sews a coat out of them I mean they straight up show she’s been an insane sociopath forever instead of poor kid who somehow grows up to be a total monster despite no real reason for it to happen that way

[@joshuagoforth1658]

Also wow I’m glad so many people are already agreeing also I cannot recommend the show enough it’s so freaking good

[@texposeidon1256]

Of all the psychology and behavioral things I’ve learned over the years, it was crazy the first time I sat down as a young teenager to watch OUAT and been like ‘oh no, that child is a psychopath!’

[@dillonohlemiller401]

I’m sorry, you can’t make a character that wants to skin puppies and wear them as a coat likable in any way shape or form, nor should you.

[@Lexichi22]

"Cruella" is a fantastic movie about a completely different character. I loved it, but it's not about Cruella DeVil.

[@deshawnedwards6412]

This was a good Disney villain origin film. But it's kinda hard to think this version of Cruella would eventually become the psychotic madwoman who'd kill puppies just to make a fur coat. She's too symmetric, which is what they were going for and the ending where she gives Roger and Anita their pet dalmatians, you're telling me she would come back for them years later just to start her original plan of turning their puppies into a coat?

[@girlpower_gacha]

Gonna headcannon her plan all along was to get them to date, have the dogs have puppies and then take the puppies

[@aterrestrial4455]

I completely adored Cruella as a movie but it was a movie that could’ve been any character and not the villain from such loved films.

[@kyo-raikogen9493]

Glenn Close as Cruella DeVil was the start of my love of villains. And my obsession with her in general. My Queen! (She did so well as Cruella, they gave her a sequel!!!!! 102 Dalmations! It was utter crap, but)

[@MrChristo93]

I feel like the appeal of a lot of Disney villains is how over the top and unapologetically evil they are. When you make them sympathetic and inject moral ambiguity into the story, you make them less interesting.

[@MS-qw5qn]

Personally Ima just headcanon that cruella is an AU of Dalmations

[@michaelbrent1536]

Imagine if Disney Turn Villlain like The Chernabog,Judge Doom,Queen of Heart,Madam Mim,Big Bad Wolf,Hades,Queen of Heart,Prince Hans,MCP(Tron),Horn King(Black Cauldron) or Dr.Facilla(Princess and The Frog) into heroes!

[@hunterolaughlin]

Hades being a good guy would ironically be closer to his original personality in the Greek myths considering the dude was actually more chill compared to his brother Zeus, whom the latter would ironically fit the villain part very well considering he’s arguably done much more evil stuff than Hades in the original Greek myths.

[@Nameless_mixes]

Personally, I loved “Maleficent”. And even the sequel was enjoyable. I felt like the villain didn’t have much of a presence or back story in the film and there was some room to make her more sympathetic. After all, she was excluded from Aurora’s birthday (not even receiving an invitation as a formality). And she couldn’t be completely evil or she’d have destroyed/taken over the whole kingdom by the. With Cruella, I didn’t see that as a possibility. She had so much personality and I didn’t see a way to portray her in a positive light. So, I didn’t watch “Cruella” at first. I eventually did over the summer because so many people spoke highly of the film and I was seeing KZbin shorts of the movie. I absolutely loved it! Once I stopped seeing it as a prequel of the original “101 Dalmatians” and more like a spin-off or a reboot, it was so enjoyable! As a stand-alone story, it was really great! But as much as I love Emily as an actress, nobody comes close to Glenn’s portrayal of the character and capturing that pure madness of Cruella! But the standout performance from “Cruella” for me was Emma Thompson’d portrayal of the Duchess. If you act me, easily one of, if not, the best Disney villains to come out of the 2020s so far! Cunning, ruthless, stylish! She reminded me of animated characters like Cruella, Maleficent, The Evil Queen, and even Ursula! Every time she was on screen, I was having a great time! I just loved her character and its addition to the Disney villain lineup! So yeah, overall, I don’t hate “Cruella”. Do I think it’s one of the many cheap ploys of a cash grab by Disney in remaking their old library? Yes. But compared to Beauty & The Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid, it was far more creative! And unlike Mulan and Dumbo, that creativity actually made a compelling and entertaining story instead of a mess of references integrated within a confusing plot. So yeah, “Cruella” is pretty high on my list ranking the Disney live action remakes!

[@michaeljordan5630]

I feel like a lot of Disney live action story focus too much on visual and spectacle and not enough on a condensed well thought out story that mean something to the protagonist. I mean the past Disney movies focused on spectacle but spectacle had more than just a pretty scene

[@sekiezkogg]

I actually enjoyed this movie a lot, but I feel like it would've worked so much better if she was Cruella's daughter and not Cruella herself, unless we treat as if "Cruella" is a generational title 😂

[@lukasmiller486]

I don’t think portraying villainous characters as misunderstood, complex or not super evil is always a bad thing. But it has to be well done. Look up “Letting Go of Hate.” This is a story about Zira from The Lion King 2 and explores what could have been if she had accepted Kiara’s help and accepted her marriage to Kovu. The writer gave the story thirty chapters so that Zira’s eventual redemption would feel real. And it remains true to her character but has her slowly become a better version of herself as her heart slowly softens. It really had me in tears at the end because it showed there was no real rest for Zira in this life but maybe in the next.

[@RandomCommentz]

The burying scene is symbolism for Cruella being done with her Estella side. She put her to rest with her real mother who raised her while Cruella is now her full time self taking over her biological mother’s business. It’s not supposed to be taken literally like “why are they doing all of this there’s no body?” That one felt like a nitpick and that you intentionally missed the point of it even when the narration explains it as it’s happening. Also it’s a slow decent to becoming her future self, hence why at the end she’s more dismissive and straight forward. Her friends aren’t going to stop her and will just become yes men to her schemes turning her into the character that talks over everyone and is only after what she wants. And to end things you can’t have a villain main character without putting them against someone worse. If you put a villain against a hero then the villain has to lose for there to be sequels, the villain wins but any follow up would be lacking because eventually things have to go back to normal to continue or there’s a stalemate and nobody wins or loses giving them a reason to try again. Even shows like Harley Quinn that starts villain focused had tendencies to only fight other villains and the times they fought hero’s was due to misunderstandings or mutual goals more often than not being on their sides again against other villains. When a villain is a main character and the protagonist of their story they have to have likable qualities and be rooted for because the antagonist hero character won’t have enough screen time in comparison effectively taken on the villain role but in reverse. And before anyone tries to debunk my last point think of shows like Dexter and You. Very similar shows where the main characters are essentially evil but do good stuff throughout their story to balance it out. Meanwhile if you look to anime’s like death note there was no good ending for Light from the very beginning and he was destined to lose. Maybe some people like that but personally getting more screen time with an evil for the sake of evil just to lose character seems like it can get old pretty fast vs showing up every now and then to keep the story moving while the protagonist finds a way to stop them.

[@harryfleutv666]

Remember when villains were actually villains? I don’t like how they made Cruella de vil sympathetic, but I do like how the film gave more character depth to Jasper and Horace, I like the original counterparts as they’re hilarious, but I like how the 2021 Cruella film makes them sympathetic…tbh I felt more sorry for Jasper and Horace rather then Cruella herself! 😂🤣

[@Johnathan04]

The worst part is, that it was genuinely a good movie if you take away all references to the Cruella we know. Like it could have been a solid stand-alone interesting film about crime, the fashion industry, and broken families. But because Disney was so obsessed with making sequels, remakes, and prequels it really diminishes what could have been a much better and more original film.

[@lainiwakura1776]

The Dalmatians killing her mom is just dumb, in the original movie, she didn't even know what they were until she saw Pongo and Perdita.

[@karamixon5815]

Pongo & Perdita are....SIBLINGS 😵‍💫

[@Xray19]

Good thing you didn’t bring up 102 Dalmatian

[@CSS-Tails_Forever]

Honestly I enjoyed this film.

[@aidanhever3369]

Another thing I forgot to mention in your last video is that they like to give the Elsa treatment to one of the most despicable villains in Disney history: her and Maleficent. What's the Elsa treatment ? Named after Elsa from the Frozen movies, who was originally supposed to be the main villain of the story since it was based on the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. Hell, her original design was a mix between Ursula and Cruella De Vil. But thanks to that cursed song: Let It Go that turned her from a charismatic villain into a mentally broken hermit that we should feel bad for her. And also using Prince Hans as a last minute replacement. They are some villains that can be redeemed as long as they are executed properly. However, just because they are sympathetic, doesn't mean we should feel sorry for them and especially give them a second chance for their heinous acts, such as Namaari from Raya and the Last Dragon, Imelda and Elena Rivera from Coco, Alma Madrigal from Encanto, Ming Lee from Turning Red, Sasha Waybright and Marcy Wu from Amphibia, and May and June from DuckTales (2017).

[@girlpower_gacha]

They did that with Tiana and Ariel too. Ariel was originally a selfish person who only wanted to become human for immortality. And Tiana was just a spoiled jerk in the original book who tortured the frog and threw him against a wall. It shouldn’t be called the Elsa treatment if it’s happened many times before.

[@sonicroze]

I think you're being too kind to them. I believe the writers and executives are so out of touch with reality they don't know how to write heroes and identify with the bad guys.

[@Sjono]

I don’t see much people talking about the live action 101 Dalmatians movies with Glenn Close these days

[@EmeraldKing6987]

This is a good movie, but I’m so tired hearing people say “how does it connect to the animated movie!” IT DOESN’T, they aren’t connected

[@DiegoMatos-u6u]

And Yet my little sister loves Cruella.

[@RADARMYBRAT32]

What do you think about Maleficent

[@DiegoMatos-u6u]

After Cruella do Deadpool and Wolverine or Harry Potter.

[@shanicestella2226]

But honestly I prefer Disney Villain-centric Live Action more than Heroes -centric , Better Casting , Better Costume , Better Budget Usage

[@endwyvern8834]

When i watch the movie, i skip to the second the 2 act because i just want to see the out fits

[@karamixon5815]

Cruella did! 102 in 2000, BRAINWASHING is BEST! 101 the sequel Cruella killed puppets for art 😱 EVEN THE GAME 🎮 SHE NEED POPLAR FOR TOYS!!!

[@wilfredmkereru4792]

I think they left this story, so open-ended is so they could do a sequel with this version of Cruella. She took out the queen, and now she's seen as the one to take down. So as time goes by she started to turn more and more into the Cruella De vil we all know from 101 Dalmatians. It's obvious that the baroness is the other side of the coin and is as evil as the og we all know. However, it's still a good story from Disney.

[@texposeidon1256]

I’m kind of bummed that we didn’t get a look at Once Upon A Time’s Cruella. They made her dark 😰😅

[@henrymockingbird9645]

I horrible disagree with this review I feel like cruella is the best Disney remake since jungle book 2016 and it maleficent done right because they just let her be evil.

[@jamestolbert1856]

I understand what you’re saying and where you’re coming from, but isn’t compelling and interesting to see another side of the villain when they’re the focus of the story.

[@Unsweetened8618]

I like this movie..

[@adrianmorrison4678]

Can you please do a video about Sony animation other than spider-verse?

[@thewebsurfer2919]

Personly, I loved this film. But that's just me...

[@LeastFavoriteBrother]

I had to look it up cause I was like "IS THAT HOUSE?!" Naw the guy who played house was in the live action 101 dalmatians?!

[@Leo-zi1uf]

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