CRUELLA DE VIL
Cruella De Vil is one of Disney's most iconic and flamboyant villains, created by Dodie Smith in her 1956 novel 'The Hundred and One Dalmatians' and immortalized in Walt Disney's 1961 animated film. Driven by an obsessive vanity and fanatical love for fur, she is famous for her striking half-black, half-white hair, dramatic mink coat, and relentless pursuit of Dalmatian puppies.
Cronologia
Biografia
Cruella De Vil is a glamor-obsessed London heiress and high-fashion tycoon who claims she cannot live without fur. An old school friend of Anita Radcliffe, Cruella becomes obsessed with acquiring Dalmatian puppies after learning Perdita is pregnant.
Her desire stems from a motivation to craft a unique spotted fur coat for financial gain and fashion prominence, having already legally purchased 84 puppies elsewhere. Unlike traditional Disney female villains, Cruella possesses no magic or elaborate grand strategy.
Instead, she operates entirely on impulse, extreme narcissism, and explosive bad temper. She hires two incompetent criminals, Jasper and Horace Badun, to steal Pongo and Perdita's 15 puppies when Roger Radcliffe refuses to sell them. Her reckless driving, unpredictable tantrums, and ruthless disregard for others ultimately lead to her own undoing.
Storia
Cruella originated in Dodie Smith's 1956 British novel 'The Hundred and One Dalmatians' as a furrier's wealthy wife obsessed with animal skins.
For the 1961 Walt Disney animated adaptation, animator Marc Davis, along with Bill Peet and Ken Anderson, redesigned her into a skeletal, demon-like figure with messy black-and-white hair inspired by 1940s–1960s magazine trends and a long green cigarette holder modeled after Davis's own.
Subsequent media expanded her background: Serena Valentino's 2020 novel 'Evil Thing' explored her youth and descent into villainy, while the 2021 live-action film 'Cruella' established her backstory as Estella Miller, an ambitious young designer in 1970s London who adopts the moniker Cruella while battling fashion icon Baroness von Hellman.
I PEZZI DI CRUELLA DE VIL
Poteri & Abilità
* **No Magical Powers (Classic Canon)**: Operates without any magic or supernatural abilities, relying strictly on wealth, henchmen, and reckless willpower. * **Animal Control Magic (Once Upon a Time)**: In the 'Once Upon a Time' television adaptation, she gains magical power to control animals.
* **Expert Aggressive Driving**: Notoriously skilled at driving her personal vehicle at high speeds through snow and treacherous terrain. * **Fashion & Artistic Acumen**: Highly knowledgeable in high fashion, fur design, and running a fashion empire ('House of DeVil'). * **Signature Cigarette Holder**: Constantly wields a long green cigarette holder that emits trails of foul-smelling green smoke. * **Iconic Attire**: Wears a black satin dress, red high heels, long red opera gloves, turquoise jewelry, and a cream mink coat lined with red satin.
Apparizioni
* **1956 — The Hundred and One Dalmatians (Novel)**: Dodie Smith's original book introducing the fur-obsessed heiress. * **1961 — One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Animated Film)**: Disney's landmark animated feature voiced by Betty Lou Gerson. * **1993 — Animated StoryBook: 101 Dalmatians (Video Game)**: Interactive storybook game for PC/Mac. * **1996 — 101 Dalmatians (Live-Action Film)**: Feature film starring Glenn Close as fashion tycoon Cruella De Vil. * **1997–1998 — 101 Dalmatians: The Series (TV Series)**: Animated television series with Cruella voiced by April Winchell. * **1999 — 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor (Video Game)**: PC/Mac puzzle adventure game. * **1999 — 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue (Video Game)**: Console game featuring Cruella's live-action aesthetic. * **2000 — 102 Dalmatians (Live-Action Film)**: Sequel starring Glenn Close reprising her role as Cruella. * **2001–2003 — House of Mouse (TV Series)**: Crossover animated series featuring Cruella voiced by Susanne Blakeslee. * **2002 — Mickey's House of Villains (Direct-to-Video Film)**: Animated film where Cruella joins Jafar and other Disney villains.
* **2003 — 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (Direct-to-Video Film)**: Animated sequel featuring Cruella collaborating with artist Lars. * **2009 — The 101 Dalmatians Musical (Stage Musical)**: US national tour production starring Sara Gettelfinger. * **2011–2018 — Once Upon a Time (TV Series)**: Fantasy series featuring Victoria Smurfit and Milli Wilkinson as Cruella. * **2013–2018 — Kingdom Keepers (Book Series)**: Ridley Pearson's YA novel series featuring Cruella among the Overtakers. * **2015 — Descendants (TV Film)**: Disney Channel original movie featuring Wendy Raquel Robinson as Cruella De Vil. * **2019–2021 — 101 Dalmatian Street (TV Series)**: Animated series featuring voice work by Michelle Gomez. * **2020 — Evil Thing: A Tale of That De Vil Woman (Book)**: Disney Villains novel by Serena Valentino. * **2021 — Cruella (Live-Action Film)**: Live-action origin film starring Emma Stone as Estella 'Cruella' Miller. * **2021 — The Simpsons in Plusaversary (Short Film)**: Disney+ crossover short featuring a cameo by Cruella. * **2022 — Welcome to the Club (Short Film)**: Simpsons Disney+ short with Cruella voiced by Tress MacNeille. * **2023 — Once Upon a Studio (Short Film)**: Disney 100th anniversary animated short. * **Crossover Games — Disney Speedstorm, Sorcerer's Arena, Battle Mode**: Multiplatform video games featuring Cruella as a playable or crossover character.
Relazioni
* **Anita Radcliffe**: Cruella's old schoolmate, whom Cruella visits and attempts to manipulate into selling puppies. * **Roger Radcliffe**: Anita's husband and songwriter who stands up to Cruella and refuses to sell the Dalmatian litter. * **Jasper & Horace Badun**: Cruella's hired henchmen who execute the puppy kidnapping on her orders.
* **Pongo & Perdita**: Dalmatian parents who protect their litters from Cruella's fur ambitions. * **Baroness von Hellman**: Antagonistic fashion rival to Estella/Cruella in the 2021 live-action film. * **Carlos De Vil**: Cruella's son in the 'Descendants' franchise. * **Lars**: An artist in '101 Dalmatians II' whom Cruella ties up after using his spot art for inspiration. * **Dr. Pavlov**: Doctor in '102 Dalmatians' who temporarily cures Cruella of her fur obsession.
Evoluzione
Cruella De Vil has transformed continuously across nearly seven decades of pop culture. Beginning in 1956 as a wealthy furrier's wife in Dodie Smith's literature, she was animated by Marc Davis in 1961 into a theatrical, bone-thin monster whose villainy stemmed from human impulse and greed rather than sorcery.
In 1996, Glenn Close redefined the character as a formidable, cutthroat fashion house executive, creating a modern live-action template. By the 2010s and 2020s, adaptations explored deeper psychological origins: 'Once Upon a Time' reimagined her with magical animal control powers, while Emma Stone's 2021 live-action portrayal reframed Cruella as a rebellious 1970s punk-rock fashion prodigy challenging an oppressive mentor.
Da Collezione
Cruella De Vil remains one of Disney's most visually distinct subjects for memorabilia and video game appearances.
Defined by her dramatic mink coat, split black-and-white hair, and signature cigarette holder, her visual identity spans classic animation art, stage design, interactive PC storybooks, and modern multiplatform games like 'Disney Speedstorm' and 'Disney Sorcerer's Arena'. Collectors value items reflecting both her classic 1961 Marc Davis animation sketches and her high-fashion live-action iterations.
Curiosità
* Animator Marc Davis modeled Cruella's iconic long green cigarette holder after his own holder. * Voice actress Betty Lou Gerson drew primary inspiration for Cruella's vocal performance from actress Tallulah Bankhead.
* Cruella's messy black-and-white hair design was inspired by hairstyles featured in 1940s–1960s magazines. * Cruella is unique among classic Disney female villains (such as Maleficent or the Evil Queen) for having no magical powers. * Animator Milt Kahl initially criticized Marc Davis for making Cruella's feet so large, but later admitted he was impressed by the final result.
