The Cruella Dilemma

By Xander Townsend | Misfit Media Editor

(Contains Spoilers)

It wouldn't surprise me if Disney is currently experiencing the most profitable period the studio has ever seen due to the release and exclusivity of the Disney Plus platform. Massive films including Mulan, Black Widow, and Cruella have created incentive for consumers to continue to throw Disney more and more money (as if they needed it).

Cruella was definitely a display of big budget cinema, especially with the rising popularity of live action remakes, prequals and sequels. Making movies on the basis of new IP seems to be a lost art, but if you have a plethora of content from the past 70 years, why would you try and reinvent the wheel. Cruella, as I'm sure you know, is a prequal to the original 101 Dalmatians told from the perspective of the villain, Cruella Devile. The once fur loving, dog murdering fashion icon was molded into a rags to riches story with a complete lack of motivation or consistency. It covers its bases in terms of explaining names and past relationships, but it never explains the complete juxtaposition of characters with regards to the old vs. new Cruella.

 Now please be aware, big spoilers ahead.

Cruella, who owned and loved a dog as a child, considered it her only family, apparently now skins and kills dalmatians because her mother was killed by them. I don’t know about you, but one does not simply turn from a dog lover to a dog murderer years after the incident even happened. Disney really suffered conceptually due to one underlying company restriction, they make children's films for modern children. Shareholders and advertisers for large companies aren’t particularly interested in content that would showcase a woman who enjoys skinning animals, turning them into fur coats for any motivation. The fur trade is a very topical with the rising popularity of veganism and animal rights activism. Disney wouldn't want to be on the other side of that, and so the Cruella character suffers… because of money.

It is especially interesting seeing the Scarlett Johansson case coming into public view. Disney fully understands the goldmine in which they are currently sitting on when it comes to streaming and film exclusives in a lockdown ridden, but unfortunately sometimes being a little too greedy can have consequences. I am very interested following the case to see how it pans out. Obviously both parties have plenty of money, but it is about the principle I suppose.