Walt Disney Studios Cruella trailer drew an exception 71 million views in its first 24 hours, according to Deadline, trumping the likes of pre-Covid theatrical releases Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (61.7M) and Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin (60.8M). Though, the trade notes that Cruella’s numbers are a long way off from the remake of The Lion King, which drew 224M in its first day; and Mulan, which snagged 175M views.
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Featuring Oscar winner Emma Stone, Disney’s Cruella is an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema’s most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella.
It will explore the villainess who originated in Dodie Smith’s 1956 book, “The Hundred and One Dalmatians.” The role was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson in Disney’s 1961 animated adaptation and played by Glenn Close in the 1996 live-action take (as well as in that film’s 2000 sequel, 102 Dalmatians).
Pick up the original animated Disney classic here!
The film will be starring Academy Award-winning actresses Emma Thompson (Howards End), and Emma Stone (La La Land), who is set to portray the titular fur-obsessed antagonist. Joining Stone and Thompson are British actor Joel Fry (Game of Thrones, Yesterday) as Jasper and Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya) as Horace (the bumbling henchmen from the original 101 Dalmatians) along with Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve) and Emily Beecham (Into the Badlands).
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The film is directed by I, Tonya filmmaker Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Kelly Marcel & Steve Zissis. It was produced by Andrew Gunn (Freaky Friday), Marc Platt (Mary Poppins Returns) and Kristin Burr (Christopher Robin), with Emma Stone, Michelle Wright, Jared LeBoff and Glenn Close serving as executive producers. Two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road) creates the dazzling and imaginative costumes, which take on a life of their own.
Disney’s Cruella is still currently set for a May 28, 2021 theatrical release.
