The global pandemic took its toll on the worldwide box office and Disney was not immune from its effects. The House of Mouse adapted its schedule, delaying some of its films, while pushing others directly to its streaming service, Disney+. Some of these movies were released for free, while others required a premium access rental fee.
Up next for Disney is Cruella, a live-action origin story about Cruella de Vil, the iconic villain best known from Disney's 1961 animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Set in 1970s London, the film focuses on the titular character's rise to prominence within the fashion world, showing us the transformation from a young grifter with aspiring dreams to the "queen of mean" we've come to know as Cruella.
Cruella is finally slated to make her grand debut on Friday, May 28.
Disney is opting for a simultaneous premiere in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Tickets for the film are already on sale. If you're a Disney+ subscriber, this means you'll have to pay the one-time fee of $29.99 for "Premier Access" to watch Cruella on the streaming service. Disney typically waits three months before the film eventually becomes free with a subscription.
Academy Award® winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in Disney’s “Cruella,” an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas 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, played by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). 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.
Disney's Cruella features a star-studded cast that includes Emmas Stone as Estella "Cruella" de Vil and Emma Thompson as Baroness von Hellman. Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser play Jasper Badun and Horace Badun, respectively, a pair of young thieves who befriend Estella and help her in her crimes.