Disney’s ‘Cruella’ is, as always, a signature Disney item. A unique girl (unique because she’s born with some strikingly uncommon hair) finds herself in circumstances that allow her a journey of self invention and reinvention. A dream for many, of course. But not in the way she has it – because Estella or Cruella, played by Emma Stone is a talented fashion designer who ends up watching her mother die, becoming a thief and becoming a menial worker at a fashion store just because its close to what she’s talented in, before she finds a place where she belongs. And then, all hell breaks loose.
Estella had a quirky side to her ever since she was born; a side that not many around her could stand to accept. Her mother named that side of her ‘Cruella’ and had her suppress the alter ego for years because she needed to fit in. Estella manages to keep Cruella under the wraps until adulthood, until the alter ego is incited by the ‘Baroness’, a high fashion queen who is initially Estella’s role model but quickly turns into a nemesis.
Keeping fashion as the central element, ‘Cruella’ plays some fun games featuring two headstrong women at either side of the court. The anticipation of what the either one’s ‘next move’ will be makes the film interesting in the second half, after the first half establishes the protagonist’s purpose.
Sure, the villain is the classic Disney character with an aptitude for something she’s passionate about (fashion, in this case) and absolute disregard for everything else. Estella almost risks becoming her in the process of destroying her; but the good old ‘you are different from her because you care’ card is played and she manages to be the better one at the end. Despite the many seasoned Disney aspects, Cruella does manage to bring some oomph moments with the theme of fashion and somewhat new perceptions of friendship. The absence of a romantic angle throughout the movie is also a new thing. Of course, the leading ladies elevate the movie right into the watchlist.
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