Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Cruella Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 25, 2021

Cruella is not Disney's first attempt at making a live-action film sourced from the beloved 1961 animated film 101 Dalmatians. In 1996, the studio released the tepidly received 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close as villainess Cruella De Vil. This film fares better, not as a remake of the original animated treasure but rather as an origins story for the title character, following her work in fashion and transition from orphan to petty thief to high end fashion designer and finally into the character audiences love to hate. It's a solidly entertaining film, perhaps still superfluous when it's all said and done, but as a much-needed diversion from the craziness of the past couple of years it fits the bill.

Life has not been the same for Estella Miller (Emma Stone) since her mother passed away some years ago, accidently tumbling over a cliff while being chased by viscous Dalmatian dogs outside of a high society fashion show she was attending not as a guest but rather as a beggar. The orphaned Estella befriended a pair of ne'er-do-wells, Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser). The three stick together through the years and make ends meet pulling off petty thefts and working menial jobs at London's Liberty department store. One night, Estella, repulsed by the "fashion" on display in the store's StreetSide window, drunkenly takes it upon herself to add her own flair. She's nearly fired but she manages to attract the attention of the city's preeminent designer, The Baroness (Emma Thompson), who hires her on the spot. Suddenly, Estella is living the dream. But when she learns that The Baroness may have played a part in her mother's death, she transforms into her alter ego, Cuella De Vil, and works to steal her now rival's spotlight and elevate herself into the premiere fashionista in London.

As a character origins story Cruella isn’t half bad, though certainly there’s a superfluous feel about it, particularly as its tone feels so drastically removed from the original animated film. This story explores the character’s dislike of Dalmatians, her look, her fashion, and her rise to power as a high society socialite. There are plenty of winks and nods to the original, and a few surprises as well, but it feels like one of those movies that is “an answer in search of a question.” The story is thin, particularly through the middle when it can, and often does, grow a bit long and laborious in the back-and-forth battle between Cruella and The Baroness. It’s scene after scene of the former one-upping the latter, not in montage but in lengthy scenes that only seem to amplify an already tedious runtime rather than build necessary detail and character friction. Fortunately, the bookends work much better but, still, the movie never quite “gets there” in terms of justifying its existence. It’s an interesting aside but certainly not critical viewing for fans of the original animated classic.

Emma Stone is fabulous as the title character, nailing the mannerisms as both Cruella and Estella. The role has something of a Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman vibe to it. It's clearly not a one-to-one type of comparison but it holds water. Equally strong is Emma Thompson as The Baroness. Both actresses bring a feistiness, confidence, and in-depth personality to the parts and they share excellent screen chemistry, whether in more polite scenes when Stone is playing Estella or in the more antagonistic battles when it's Cruella versus The Baroness. Their work saves the movie from full tedium, and even if there's some needless stretch at work in the middle these two make the best of it, soaking up the screen and delivering a couple of classic performances that alone make the movie worth watching.

Cruella Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It's not surprising to write that Cruella looks marvelous on Blu-ray, fully fit for modeling as a reference Blu-ray presentation. The digitally sourced picture is crisp and abundantly clear. It is free of all but the faintest traces of digital noise and viewers will be hard-pressed to find any other source artifacts or compression related issues. Disney's 1080p presentation is exceptionally sharp and lifelike. The picture reveals the finest details in faces, hair, clothes, and the broad swath environmental locations seen throughout the film, from rather unassuming locales to the glitziest and most glamorous of the Baroness' workplace and ballrooms. Viewers will be delighted to explore each location and every character to the fullest clarity this format can provide. The image simply leaps off the screen for its resplendent clarity and firm hold on textural delights. The image is bolstered by a fine color output. Bold tones -- a red dress Cruella wears to differentiate herself from the colorless ball midway through the film -- leaps off the screen with refined color depth and accuracy. The black and white costume contrasts in the same scene show crisp whites and deep blacks that approach best case scenario for the Blu-ray format. Additional bold primaries leap off the screen with perfectly defined contrast and vividness. Even some of the drab earthy tones seen throughout the film present with unmatched fullness. Skin tones are excellent, too, seemingly fully reflective of a lifelike definition. This is a picture perfect Blu-ray from Disney.

Cruella Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cruella arrives on Blu-ray with a solidly performing DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack (note that the concurrently released UHD features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack; this is standard Disney practice). Unlike many of its Disney soundtrack contemporaries, this track does not sound muted at reference volume and, more important, it is not so flat and undefined at the bottom as so many others. That is not to say that this track is an LFE powerhouse. It is not because that is not within the original audio engineering parameters, but the track does not skimp on supportive low end extension as needed to carry essential musical or sound effect depth. The track is rich and musical fidelity is excellent. Spacing is superb, with the music taking full advantage of the primary front side power and width while also folding in balanced surround integration. Those same back channels carry a wealth of content, all of it balanced and naturally integrated, whether some more prominent audio cues or simple atmospheric support. The track is always in working balance. Dialogue is clear and effectively grounded in the center. It is well prioritized for the duration.

Cruella Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Cruella includes several featurettes, a short blooper reel, and deleted scenes. DVD and digital copies are included with purchase.

• The Two Emmas (1080p, 10:46): Exploring the pairing of Emma Stone and Emma Thompson: their performances, the characters they play, the four-year process of bringing the movie to the screen, this film's portrayal of a more "human" and complex Cruella compared to the version in the animated film, and more.
• The Sidekick Angle (1080p 5:30): Looking more closely at the film's support characters: Jasper, played by Joel Fry; and Horace, played by Paul Walter Hauser.
• Cruella Couture (1080p, 9:43): Looking more closely at Cruella's look and fashion designs and style.
• The World of Cruella (1080p, 6:25): This supplement explores production design, sets and shooting locations, and more.
• New Dogs...Old Tricks (1080p, 6:04): Focusing on some of the film's canine superstars.
• Cruella 101 (1080p, 3:35): Looking at the character's screen history, including similarities and differences between this and the animated film.
• Bloopers (1080p, 1:57): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are Hotel Heist Hallway (1:07) and Baroness Rejects Design Sketches (0:42).
• Sneak Peeks (1080p, 0:32): An ad for the Disney+ bundle which pairs ESPN+ and Hulu with the service.

Cruella Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cruella sheds new light on a favorite Disney villain but doesn't necessarily prove to be must-see entertainment for longtime fans of the original animated movie. It's tangentially attached, a prequel, as it were, which establishes some important points that will allow the viewer to see the original character in a new and fresh light, but it's otherwise a fairly straightforward, and at times overly tedious, film. Its technical construction is above reproach. Disney's Blu-ray is solid, boasting reference quality video, a solid lossless soundtrack, and a nice smattering of extra content. Recommended.