Disney's live-action Cruella will get a sequel, but the events of Emma Stone's villainess origin story don't actually set up a 101 Dalmatians remake, as many presume. Given the film deliberately sends Pongo and Perdita to Roger and Anita in its closing moments, the pieces appear to be in place to revisit the story and characters from the 1996 film. But Cruella is an original story all its own, in spite of borrowing familiar characters and settings—a prequel to add multiple facets to a formerly singular villainess. Now that she's no longer merely evil, she can't reprise her 101 antagonist role without major changes to that story.
In the 90s, Disney began experimenting with the idea of live-action remakes of their animated classics. Their second attempt featured Glenn Close's Cruella in 101 Dalmatians in 1996, a delightfully campy retread that inspired much the same underwhelming critical response in its time as later remakes earned in theirs. Cruella may be the latest live-action adaptation from The Mouse, but it isn't even the first remake from the Dalmatians IP. When Cruella was announced as a prequel to the Dalmatians story, exploring the background of the devilish designer, the notion of building to a 101 Dalmatians reboot—a live-action remake of a live-action remake—seemed almost inevitable. And with a mid-credits scene that establishes the groundwork for such, viewers all but confirmed their suspicions. But fundamentally, Cruella cannot lead into 101 Dalmatians.
Emma Stone's Cruella differs from Glenn Close's in several ways, but most important here is their morality. The 'new' Cruella is flawed but brilliant, troubled but endearing. As the film's central protagonist, the audience roots for her; she is morally good. The 'old' Cruella, meanwhile, is villainous to the core, and although she's the most magnetic and deliciously entertaining performance in the film, the audience roots for her (if at all) in spite of her being morally bad. For 101 Dalmatians to work, the protagonists must be the dogs and their owners, rejoicing in having vanquished their fur-clad foe. Audiences who just spent two hours learning to love Stone's Cruella won't likely rejoice in her downfall, especially given how squeaky clean her backstory is. For a new 101 Dalmatians to work, that dynamic must change.
Cruella 2 will almost certainly follow the titular character as the protagonist, so there's one change right off the bat. Roger is set up in opposition to her, resentful for losing his job on account of her actions in her origin story, but Anita is her friend. With this split opinion of the designer between the two Dalmatian-owners, it's unlikely the film will manage to establish the same conflict as 101 Dalmatians. And most damaging to the idea of a rote 101 remake yet: Stone's Cruella has no interest in skinning puppies. As part of Disney making the character a protagonist, such compelling and foundational traits as these were washed away in the interest of making a more agreeable and marketable franchise leader. Unable to overcome these fatal flaws, a 101 Dalmatians remake over a quarter-century after its initial release is unlikely.
That doesn't mean, however, that Cruella 2 is dead in the water. The origin story, while criticized for inconsistent, sometimes neutered writing and pacing, still beats most Disney live-action remakes with flying colors on the originality front. And grossing over $200M worldwide is no small feat in the pandemic era. So there's every reason to believe Cruella's sequel will deliver the same needle drops, canine antics, and fabulous fashion as its predecessor.
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August 31, 2021 at 12:38AM
