Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright take a look at Cruella's backstory -- how she blamed herself for her mother's death, how she struggled to make her way in a creative profession, how she has to prove she's better than the baroness. She felt weak and powerless as Estella, but the persona of Cruella allowed her to exert her power and express her creativity, and often manifests itself as a state of hypomania. They also talk about the phenomenal performances from Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, the spectacular costumes, and how much fun it is to watch Cruella really lean into her villainy.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, and Alan Seawright
Edited by: Sophie Téllez
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis
Spanish Transcription by: Juan Willems
I'm gonna disagree with Alan here. Cruella is very much the protagonist. This is HER story, she's the main character. She's a villain for sure, but she's still the protagonist. The baroness is the antagonist in her story. Two villains, one protagonist.
Agreed, Cruella is the Villain Protagonist, since even though she's the Villain, she's the one that the story is following. The protagonist doesn't necessarily have to be likeable, or a hero.
I still don't see this Cruella as villain. Just a person hellbent on revenge. Still neutral for me
Agreed. A lot of people think hero and protagonist are the same thing, but that's really not the truth. The protagonist is just the main character, the person who the story focuses the most on, the person who's story is being told. The protagonist can be anywhere in the range of hero to villain, but as long as the story being told is theirs, they are the protagonist.
@@zitronentee I still call her a vlkain because I can't separate this Cruella from the other iterations of her I've seen.
I also agree cruella is a Protagonist in a literature perspective but she’s still a VILLAIN and we can’t 100% root for her.
Baroness: “who are you” Cruella: “you killed my mother” Baroness: “do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down”
Ikr how many mothers has she killed *at* these kinds of partys?!???😂
@@elaineschow5700 *at
I thought this was from princess bride but no one commented a response so will need to search it up lol
@@AmmaraSHAH773377 it is from Batman: Beyond
I didn’t expect to see this reference here but I’m so glad I did
As a costume designer its nice to see movie makers and critics talk about and acknowledge how valuable costumes are. Thank you for contributing
ik this is a fashion movie, but the clothes in all of this movie is beautiful
The fashion in this movie BLEW my mind. I said it deserved to win the Oscar ( and/or other awards) for best costume - and it did!
Oh you should have seen the costumes in the 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians. Anthony Powell and Rosemary Burrows did magic back then.
@@PlayersPurity I love those! So sad that costumes are often disregarded.
@@PlayersPurity Oh yes, those were so amazing! Definitely underrated
Cruella was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Costume Design. This film won the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Well-deserved! Jenny Beavan's costumes are incredible! Fun fact: Cruella has 47 outfits in this film. Holy cow.
Well duh fashion is a huge part of cruella's personality lol
@@queenicedcoffee4217 Lol, even the costume designers made sure that Cruella had more looks than the Baroness. Lol.
What? I've never noticed that. 47 Outfits....damn
@@einfachnurnadine5801 LOL, even the costume designers were trying to outshine the Baroness.
Cruella is the epitome of the Villain Protagonist, since we follow her descent into villainy. A protagonist doesn't necessarily have to be likeable or heroic in nature, they just have to lead the story.
I'd go as far to say that villains in general make for more compelling protagonists than heroes, because in essence villains are always proactive, they have an agenda and clear objectives and will do anything to achieve that and that moves the plot forward. In contrast, heroes are reactive, they are reacting to things happening to them and around them, they don't have clear goals of their own other than doing the right thing, but then again doing the right thing only makes sense when contrasted with the bad things the villain is doing to move his plans forward.
Nah Eren Yeager is the epitome
@@matheusmterra I love villians who have a redemption arc to them where they start off as a villian then they get a redemption arc and get redeemed in the end, I'm hoping if there's a sequel I hope Cruella gets her redemption arc in a sequel
@@matheusmterra Yup. And a personal thing I enjoy is a villain who soaks in all their villainous villainy and totally owns it! It's more fun of a character Also, protagonist just means "main character". Each character could be the antagonist in a different setting
@@matheusmterra no wonder why i prefer villain protagonists
*Unpopular opinion:* This film works so much better if you treat it like a reimagining (like Maleficent), instead of trying to force it into being a prequel. Cruella's character is way too different; she's not the villain (in the end she does the right thing, and no puppies die), and the dognapping even happens in the film. It honestly seems like she hit a low throughout the movie but by the end she's recovered and grown into a better person. Forcing it to be a prequel erases the entire point of the film, of her grappling with her identity after discovering her mother's narcissism and coming to an equilibrium by both accepting it in herself and controlling it in order to keep her adoptive family.
Agreed, it's way better and more meaningful when you just think about her as her own character.
She's not a villain. Most of the hate for the movie came from people thinking it romanticized murder or something. Disney would have done a much better job by just clarifying that it's a different story (yes, like they did with Maleficent, though I didn't like Maleficent that much) and saved themselves a lot of fuss.
I agree, I think that by making it a prequel it lessens the story, and it’s much better to treat it as a reimagining
I see this as a problem with quite a few of the live action Disney remakes. Some of them are so drastically different that they become way more interesting if you take them as completely separate characters from the ones they're based on as opposed to being the same character as Disney markets them. This movie had quite a few just bad writing moments that would've been easily fixed if they just made a cool movie about a sympathetic villain protagonist instead of trying to force her to be the same character as in 101 Dalmatians. Disney's marketing backfires again!
It IS a rewrite. Why are people still acting like it isn't?
Emma stone has literally mastered ‘subtle acting’ she can do so little with her face yet you can see every emotion she is feeling In the scene.
Definitely ❤🎉
Emma Thompson the baroness was incredible too. I had to look twice to realize it was her.
True also having huge eyes in relation with her face does help with that
She truly deserves all of her oscar nominations and wins. She's phenomenal
I adored the punk rock energy of this movie and this character! I know people make fun of it for being pro capitalism, but I loved her "burn it all down" vibe and ending up being anti establishment without being a puppy killer.
To me that ruins the movie. She's supposed to be a psychopath who skins dogs for her fur coats. Why did Disney have to change that? I wish that Disney could have been brave a little bit and go for it, and go "yup, we are going there." Not every bad guy has to explain or show they were good once, then this bad thing happened and that's why they are like this. I feel it's scapegoating, my dad went to jail when I was little and didn't come out until I was 10, does that mean I should hate all dad's? No. Because I know there's good dad's out there, that love their families. Just because a bad thing happened shouldn't justify why they evil and it's ok.
@@beautifulbliss5883 But they did still make her unapologetically cruel and crazy, and we did get the insane female couture villain with literally no redeeming qualities in the form of her mother, so I think it evens out in terms of crazy pants evil women. And the dogs killing her mom didn't make her hate all dogs which I saw a lot of people getting up in arms about?? She blamed herself and then the Baroness. I am very sorry to hear about your dad though. You're right that not everything that happens to us as children needs to shape our world view or become our origin story. At the end of the day they didn’t just do a shot for shot remake of 101 Dalmatians but somehow take out everything that made it work (*see every other live action Disney) , they did a wild rock and roll crazy female revenge story, and I was very here for that energy.
@@beautifulbliss5883 I view this as an alternate version of cruella, not some sort of rewrite of her character-they took the idea of cruella, and created a version of her in which she’s not completely a villain
Cruella in Cruella: I have a dark backstory and a good motive. Cruella in 101 dalmations: I oNlY wIsHeD tO hAvE a CoAt MaDe OuT oF pUpPiIiIiIiIiIiIiEsSsS
@@beautifulbliss5883 i thought of it as a what if she’s not a villainess in the Disneyverse. It’s kinda like Malifecent
Just because she is a villain, doesn't mean she isn't a protagonist.
And she’s a bit more of an anti-villain. The narration bits were exactly the same sorta trope they did in Emperor’s New Groove. Only instead of Cruella/Estella becoming a “better person,” it was her discovering a new baseline and being held accountable for how she treated her found family
To quote the immortal words of Zangeif: "You are bad guy, but this does not mean you are bad.. guy." Or in this case: "You are bad.. guy, but this does not mean you are bad guy."
@@EricBridges no I think that's a different sentiment more like the opposite sentiment. That's more of the ur filling the bad guy role but by morality etc ur a good person. Cruella is different on that she is a villain by morals but a protagonist is the person the story is about and following. The antagonist is the person that conflicts with the protagonist which can be even Oprah as long as Oprah is conflicting with the character that the story is about.
A villain is always a hero in their own book.
@@acelovesdiyschristopher7023 no, no - that's pretty much what I said. We're in agreement.
I thought you were going to end on a different (mis-)quote: “You killed my mother.” “No, Estella. I am your mother.” “Noooooo!!!”
"My name is Estella Miller. You killed my mother. Prepare to die."
There is a Star Wars comic book where someone confronts Darth Vader and says he killed their father, and he retorts "I have killed many fathers, you need to be more specific".
@@Nicamon you are now my favorite person LMAO
@@belle4774 😁
@@TorIverWilhelmsen lmaoo
It was always sweet how she understanding she was to her adoptive (not biologically real but emotionally real) mother. "It wasn't her I was challenging. It was the world. But of course my mother knew that. That's what worried her." "Being a genius is one thing. Raising a genius however does come with its challenges.'
"If you struggle with mental illness, you are 10 times more likely to be a victim of violence than a perpetrator." Wow. Thank you, I needed to hear that. 😭😭😭😭
Much love to you, hope you're doing well and know that you are not alone in how you feel.
I also like how they give Horace and Jasper minds of their own instead of treating them like comic relief. They don’t like how they are treated by Cruella and stand up for themselves. I like how they stick by her out of loyalty and sense of obligation.
And she apologizes-really apologizes and owns up to how she’s treated them and put them in danger. I’d say it’s less of a decent into villainy, more of a bastardization arc with the story’s conclusion being her finding a New Baseline: one that no longer suppresses part of herself (Cruella was always in Estella, we see it in her childhood. Becoming “More Estella” was just as much a trauma response as “More Cruella” in adulthood.) but acknowledges the harm she did to people she truly does love and care about. She’s no longer swallowing her teeth, but she’s aware to not bare them at her found family now Jasper and Horace (and their 5(?) dogs) had absolutely no reason to forgive her. And it wasn’t a “back to normal” or “knuckle under” sorta forgiveness either. Boundaries are set and she has to work to get their trust back AND acknowledge what she did. …and then they turn Hellman Hall into Hell Hall and finally have a place of their own that isn’t a crumbling (and now burnt) warehouse. They’ve got a new normal and a new home.
And kind of going back on her word in both 101 Dalmatian Adaptations when presumably she promised she'd pay them early on for stealing the puppies & then ahead of skinning them to make her coat. Clearly she's capable of ripping people off too.
@@edwinreid8355 yep.
@@anonymousfellow8879 It was tragic that she coming home to H&J with the peace offering of Indian food...only to have that potential moment ruined by the Baroness. In some ways it was Estella that died in that fire. How stable would you be with a birth mother that actually tried to kill you three times?
She played the Family Card. It was super effective!
Despite Cruella and her mother Catherine not being biologically related, Cruella still thinks of her fondly, since she loved and raised her, with Catherine's death being a key catalyst into her villainous descent. This is compared to the narcissistic Baroness, who tried to kill her own daughter the second she was born.
What really has me baffled about the Baroness: she didn’t have to keep her pregnancy! This was set in Britain 1970. I don’t know what the legal state of contraceptives and abortions were, but even if they were illegal she’s hardly one to care about legality. She had the wealth and power-her OWN power as a designer-to terminate or abort it. Instead she chose (attempted) infanticide. Anyway. Don’t expect women to love a baby resulting from a pregnancy they already hate. It doesn’t work that way. Forced parenthood can lead to abuse or murder instead.
@@anonymousfellow8879 I think she didn’t abort because of her husband? But then again, she could’ve chosen to keep it a secret. I truly don’t know what her motive was. Maybe for him to die early cuz of agony?
@@anonymousfellow8879 I thought the Baroness didn’t want Cruella because she had two different colored hair?
@@anonymousfellow8879 Abortion was legalized in 1968 in England, so she definitely didn't have to keep the baby. But you can't really expect Disney to address something like that.
@@anonymousfellow8879 She used her pregnancy to get her husband to give her things probably
The way she blames herself as a child resonates with me. As a child, I had accepted I wasn't perfect quite readily. But it took me much, much longer to realize that other people weren't perfect. From there I realized my parents were people too instead of these titan like figures that had control over everything. A hard realization, but the beginning of building real trust.
She’s not a villain. All her life people treated her as if she was problematic, a menace. But if you notice, Estella never did anything too terribly bad to innocent people. She’s convinced she’s Cruella because she internalized a lot of the horrible things people said about her, but most of all, even in adulthood she’s convinced that she killed her mother, Catherine. But like, in her heart she’s Estella. Notice how despite being warned by the Baroness, Estella still tells people “Thank you.” Notice how despite her larger than life persona she’s not ashamed or afraid to dip into a corner restaurant to buy food. Notice how after their layer burns down, Cruella drops the exaggerated timbre of her voice once she’s back at the apartment and reconnects with Horace and Jasper. And lastly, notice how at the climax at Hellman Hall there’s a streak of white hair which crosses over to the side of her hair which is colored black? That’s color symbolism, fifty-one percent of her hair is white, meaning the good in her won out. In her heart and soul she’s Estella. Her problem is that she’s so down on herself that she believes she’s in inherently irredeemable monster, when it’s quite the opposite. She is and always was a decent person. She would’ve been bad had she not been raised by a very compassionate woman and then Horace and Jasper, the family grounded her, and saved her from her worst impulses. Cruella is a classic story of nature vs nurture. How society treats you has an impact on your development.
Wow. That's wonderfully put. Thank you
Reminder: she literally wants to skin puppies to make a coat?? Like??? Are we just gonna forget that part? The character this movie is based on literally wanted to skin puppies to make herself a coat. Puppies! She. Wants. To. Skin. Puppies. Canonically, Cruella wants to skin puppies to make a coat. She literally wants to kill puppies. PUPPIES. That's not a villain??
@@aromaladyellie I’m pretty sure Cruella in the live action is a rethinking of the original Cruella from 10 Dalmatians, not one and the same.
she wanted to turn 101 Dalmatian puppies into coats thats evil
@@Undomaranel i thought this is an alternate universe to the original where she’s not entirely evil and she’s more of an anti heroine. She didn’t really skin the dogs to make a coat or even want to in this version. She’s not that cruel.
“‘Is this character likable enough?’ No. One. Cares. As long as they’re entertaining to watch.” This is a good description of Death Note (which would be a brilliant Villain Therapy, btw). Edit: the more I’ve thought about it, the more I want Jono to therapize Light and everything he does in the show, especially throwing away the lives of people he’s supposedly doing this to protect.
I'd love to see their diagnosis on light hahaha
Yes!
@@mabelsan1133 Or L, they both are a little off. Light is definetly a smart maniuplative narccasist
But only on the anime, the movie is SHITE 😂
@@janejanejane4628 there is no movie adaptation, none that I would accept as canon
I love how it’s like, “and she killed my other mother,” *Alan grabs popcorn.*
I've got bipolar. Before I was medicated, I had very infrequent manic phases and they only lasted about a week each. Lemme tell you, man. That feeling was ADDICTING. I felt like I was on top of the world, my creative game was up, I could go and go and never need to rest. The stories I was working on got so fleshed-out and ended up being some of the best work I had done. And I remember exactly nothing else from that time. It was like a drug. That creative drive was my entire existence from the moment the manic phase started to the moment it ended. So I can empathize with Cruella in that respect (though I was never mean to the people around me while that was happening, because I isolated myself from the world in those periods). That creative high really does take you over, and you do not want it to stop.
ADHD here. I'm not bipolar or hypomanic but I totally understand what you mean there. I get hyperfixated on certain things and I can't control when that wave comes. But when it does I feel on top of the world and confident and ready to do whatever needs to happen in the moment to get the job done
The phrase, "love me into shape," about broke me when I watched this movie. Coming from an abusive upbringing, I try to be very conscious of how I parent my child and parenting includes proper discipline. Growing up, 'disciple' was physical or emotional abuse of one form or another. Refusing to pass that on those behaviors, but knowing I need to provide proper structure is daunting. Loving my child into shape is a great way to phrase it.
But the way Cruella said it, I think she meant something more like, "You didn't actually love me. You were just acting loving towards me, because you were afraid of what I was and thought you could manipulate me into being something better."
So what you're saying is some families don't know the difference between discipline and abuse?
@@solidonseraindogthetenth1679 I think that some don't know and some don't care.
@@jimmoriarty9440 Oh.
@@eyesofthecervino3366 I don't think so. Cruella definitely knew her mother loved her. I think what she said was more like "your love will shape my personality as a lovely one" kind of thing. The idea that if she received enough love, she would have no reason at all to be mean/a psycho
Its more satisfying to watch bad people getting revenge on bad people, than good people revenging on bad people.
I've never though about that 🤔🤔 you're right
Probably because bad people aren't afraid to commit to the act, all the way to the conclusion. And it's the conclusion that's the most important part. That final stab to the heart, while staring them straight in the eyes, and delivering the one-liner that distills all the rage and grief that they've been holding on to... But "good people" don't get to do that. Hollywood needs to keep their "good guys" pure. So the hero gets a last-minute contrived "revenge is bad" moment, followed by the villain accidentally falling out a window.
@@CheshireCad i see no lies here.
Revenge is more satisfying to watch than justice. The bad people will seek revenge; the good people will seek justice. Justice < Poetic Justice < Revenge
Your right and for me personally I see it as the bad people have no limits on what they are willing to do. So it's fun to see that over to top character take down an equally over the top character
I love that the dude just disses Cruella's breeding to her birth mother 🤣🤣🤣
Ha! I hadn’t made that connection! Love it!
The way he played his character, I couldn't help but see the late Rik Mayall.
You need to do “Turning red”, the newest Disney movie! There’s a lot to tackle in a family prospective and friends prospective, the fear of always having to be perfect, the fear of thinking you need to be perfect. The miscommunications between family members. There’s a lot to talk about! I would love to see it.
I second this
+1
Absolutely!
I agree
Yes
The guy that plays Horace embodied the animated version so well. Like the way his mouth moves when he talks, his body language. Just amazing to watch
I love how positive this video is about the film, cause when Cruella came it got so much hate and it was kinda exhausting as someone who really liked the film along with like 10 other people lol. It's so funny how people complain when the live action remakes are too similar to the og, but when one is different and super creative they complain it's too different
I love this film actually. I watch it 3 times
Omg exactly I mean it’s frustrating because it’s like ok then what do you want? Do you want it to be the same or original make up your minds
It's because the lead is a woman. The same hate is directed towards other women protagonists- see marvel.
Right?! I love this movie sooo much. I was shocked when people complained about it like that. Especially with the whole dog thing lol
@@Emma-lb1vf I love this film because it was well written, but something like captian marvel i hated.
You guys gotta do "A Goofy Movie"!!! The father/son dynamic is so real. A single father trying his best to relate to and enjoy his son. The son feeling misunderstood and embarrassed by his family. The pressure by others to conform to their parenting style and how it backfires. So much psychology could be discussed. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. It deserves an episode!!
YES I SECOND THIS! I used to watch THE HECK outta that movie as a little girl! ITS EPIC
I third this opinion! I just rewatched both Goofy Movies and they need to do BOTH! The first one from Max's perspective as a child becoming an adolescent and dealing with teen awkwardness, and the second one from Goofy's perspective as an empty-nester dad who just wants his son to stay close to him. (The first movie had Goofy in a similar position to the second one, but it plays a much more central storyline in the second.)
I would LOVE them making videos on both the Goofy Movies 😍
I'm glad you commented this. I forgot about these movies, but agreed, they ought to do an episode!
They did a one with “Mitchell’s vs the machines” it’s similar to that
This film was SO cathartic for me to watch. In a way, with Estella/Cruelle, this is what Neurodivergent people feel like when we try to mask all the time in order to “fit in”... “try as we might” while the world calls us “a little bit mad.” When Estella/Cruella started accepting that she was different, I cried. Because when we do, it gives us so much power in acceptance, in just being, at any stage in our lives.
I agree fully
About the character having indeed been sweet and kind: while I agree with Jono, there is a *demand* for one to be sweet and polite and kind and obedient and friendly and cheerful, at all times and in all situations, that is unreasonable and grueling. I think that is what she rebels against. She has been forced to make so much social effort that she has gone beyond burnout.
I agree
Protagonists don't have to be the "good guy"! Cruella is absolutely the protagonist of this story. It follows her, her origins, her actions, her story. She is the protagonist of her own story in the same way everyone is the protagonist of their own story.
Right! The protagonist is the PoV character trying to achieve a goal, while the antagonist is someone who is an obstacle for the protagonist to overcome to achieve said goal.
Yeah, anyone who had to go to 4th grade should know that not a massive discovery lol
Mhm it’s just the writers mostly that used such Protagonists are mostly heroic for an exampele
Protagonists are usually the underdog in a story that does whatever it takes to come up on top. Period
@@Dasani_water_drinkerusually yes but a protagonist is a Pov character
I'm actually glad to see a positive more in depth review of THIS Cruella. I don't love this movie as a movie about Cruella DeVille, but as a movie itself I had SO much fun with it, the style and the fashion and music were so fun and as always Emma Thompson and Emma Stone just killed it. I separate this character from the original Cruella which makes me enjoy it more, because in my opinion the original Cruella herself didn't need a backstory and definitely not any sort of redemption, she's just a horrible person and I'm 100% okay with that. This is an alternate Cruella and one I am 100% here for. A villain and a protagonist. Also Horace and Jasper are great in this movie, made me laugh quite a bit xD
Yeah, the music was great! And the Emma's!
“She makes great clothes and she’s really mean” that is a perfect description of Cruella
As insane as this movie is, the scene towards the end where she talks to the fountain and says she loves her mother actually made me cry.
Some of the worst villains are my favorite characters! If you hate them, the screenwriters did their job well! Protagonists are great, but a good despicable villain 💯
I couldn't agree more
Indeed, I tend to root for the Villains over the heros, especially if they're much more compelling, like in "Hocus Pocus."
I really wish Disney would go back to evil villains. Surprise villains are fine and even no villains is fine. But there will always be a place for entertaining evil villains.
I love villains who start out on our side. We agree with them. They’re one of the good guys. And then as the story progresses they go further and further to the extreme. Like ironwood from rwby. He goes from ally to antagonist.
Actually the term protagonist is the person the story is about and following. It doesn't mean the same as good guy or hero. The antagonist is the character(s) conflicting with that character. So the protagonist of Loki is Loki but he's still a villain. Villain is more about morality and filling the evil role.
The best thing about this film is how it's basically an homage to the modern British spirit in fashion. The references to Westwood, Galliano, McQueen--all known for being rebellious, offensive and upsetting the status quo but being geniuses no one could ignore--and the whole concept of fashion as performance art. That was what made it interesting, and the basic plot echos the the 90s takeover of french fashion houses by the British upstarts. The Galliano reference was my favorite (the scene with the garbage truck); that show was the perfect choice, so infamous it eventually was lampooned in shows like Zoolander. BUT we all still wanted to wear the hell out of it, because Galliano. I feel like the film really captured how fun, dramatic and subversive fashion could be.
Its a film for gay adults and very unhealthy WOKE stuff for children.
I would argue that Estella/Cruella's self esteem is all over the place. On the one hand she grew up feeling responsible for her sole parent's death and like the kid who could never fit in and behave well enough to be accepted by others but on the other she is well aware of just how talented she is and has this eagerness to prove herself and succeed. She's fascinating and Emma Stone's performance makes her so compelling.
As an Artist (mainly an actor, but as a writer and painter as well) I’m so thankful you mentioned “Luck” being a huge factor in success. So many people discredit the hard work of Creatives because they might not be able to do their art “full time”. Similarly, so many Creatives feel like failures because they haven’t had their “big break” yet… when, in reality, Luck and Chance are some of the biggest factors in success. Love this channel!
The post credit scene where she gave the pups to Roger and Anita, that is a bit redeeming, since that is how they end up meeting!
It was cute but I actually had a problem with that because it thereby infers that she gave the dogs to the Darlings...and then comes back down the line to steal and kill all their puppies?? I'm honestly baffled by that decision because to my knowledge, this story is meant to be in canon with the original.
Doesn't that mean Pongo and Perdita are siblings?
It’s signaling that this is Entirely it’s own AU Anita and Roger will still meet, but there won’t be any puppies. There also doesn’t need to be a 101 Story in this universe-Cruella never blamed the dalmations for her mother’s death; she already had her “dog” coat but it wasn’t actually the dogs Call it a “if Cruella was raised by the Baroness” (101) vs “if Estella/Cruella was raised by someone who loved (but didn’t always understand) her” (Cruella) They’re alternate universes
@@hannahbrennan2131 i hate to say this but dogs do commit incest but I don’t think they know of he concept and just do it naturally
@@Cybo-18 Yeah, I know that, but in the original movie, the dogs were a lot more human-like than real dogs are.
My whole life, till 2010 (when I was diagnosed) I had these horrible episodes where I would pick my parents' pockets, be days without sleeping, do all my school work ahead, same for uni. Managed to screw up my credit in such a way that I'm still recovering from now, years later. Being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder really saved me, cause now I have proper treatment
Reminder that protagonist doesn't immediately mean "good guy", a protagonist is just the main character who you follow along with for the story
As a part of a Dx'd DID system, THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for pointing out the diff and why this isn't DID. We are so terribly represented and vilified, and this could have been misunderstood and caused more misunderstanding. THANK YOU so very very much for that brief, but critical, explanation!
DID isn't real
@@chuggaa100 Tell me you're ignorant and don't what you're talking about without telling me... Seriously, it's in the DSM and has been for a long time. It's in the ISSTD and has been for a long time. It's well known, documented, and studied by actual professionals and experts... You know, people that actually KNOW...
Slightly off topic but my best friend has a fictive of Cruella hehe
As a person who blamed herself (and still does a little bit) for her sisters passing away (juvenile diabetes at 19), I understand the guilt/hate Ella feels about her stepmom's death. It is a very hard thing to let go of, even after coming to the understanding that it really wasn't your fault at all.
Her mom. An adopted kid is not a stepkid
Yeah same. I kinda blame myself for my mom staying in her toxic marriage and even though I have can deal with it, it still lingers and affects how I see myself and act.
Im so sorry for your loss. I know my situation is unrelated to yours but survivors guilt is a hard thing to deal with. My late husband was killed and even though I had nothing to do with it I still felt guilty because of so much.
So "Cruella" is actually the first movie to make me cry in a long time, not because of any specific plot points or moments but because, as an autistic person, one of my special interests topics as a child was 101 Dalmatians. I would watch the original and the two Glenn Close movies to the point where we had to get new copies of all three DVDs because they were just scratched and worn out. Seeing all of the little elements like the "Hell Hall" sign and Pongo and Perdi being given to Roger and Anita at the end just made me burst into tears in the cinema and thank god for waterproof mascara. In saying that, I saw a lot of myself in this iteration of Cruella which makes me at the very least headcanon that she is autistic. She clearly has a special interest in fashion design and the Baroness to the point that she can look at a Baroness design and name the year and collection it comes from. She is fully aware of yet chooses to disregard social norms. She feels emotions very deeply but doesn't express them in a socially acceptable way. I even think that instead of the typical physical stimming to regulate her emotions, Cruella is a collection of stimulus for Estella (in assuming that they are not a DID system). Cruella is a vocal stim in itself, her eccentricity allows her to move freely, the clothes she wears undoubtedly are perfectly comfortable for her and the reactions she gets out of people, for better or worse, provide both hormone rushes and feelings of control. Plus, the intersectionality of the autistic and LGBT+ communities makes me further this idea to Artie. While both characters are queercoded (I mean can we even call Artie queercoded?), they also seem to vibe together over their unique and deep interests in fashion. Just my two cents.
Oh maybe this is part of why I liked this movie so much. I focused on animated movies in general and could quote them or replay them in my head whenever I wanted. Although some things did stick out to me more (for some reason the 30 second singing montage at the end of Horton Hears a Who with Steve Carell is one that I remember just replaying over and over before school). I think animation might be a special interest of mine because I can talk endlessly about what things work and what don't, why I prefer one era of a department vs another, and how animation has evolved even just in my lifetime. Also, little facts like how 101 dalmations was where disney first used a xerox machine which is why it's so scratchy like that. So cool! Princess and the frog was the last hand animated Disney movie. Neat! Even to this day I generally prefer animation to live action as a media because I find it more expressive, the exaggerated emotions and things are easier for me to understand, and the physics and logic that are allowed in animation more than live action I think allow more room for comedy.
Also yes I choose to believe she is autistic. It makes sense to me. I see a lot of myself in her.
I could 100% see that. There's definitely an element of not picking up on social cues intuitively, but instead being very selective about when to pay attention and how to use them. And even then, when she does make the effort to pick up on cues, her interactions from there are not *quite* right. It's like she's hearing the words, and making a guess about the non-verbal that she observes, and then merging that with what she's hoping to get from the conversation, and then responding according to that.
Oh, same! I'm autistic too, and I always saw past the bullcrap of "they make us sorry for puppy killer!!11!1!" It's a beautifully crafted, well written, well acted movie.
I'm autistic too and I disagree. Cruella/Stella doesn't seem to me like someone who would be autistic. She has too much of a domineering personality for the sake of the power rush and glory alone. She isn't preoccupied with how to seem human amongst humans. She does not have a strong sense of justice, quite the contrary she thinks in terms of means to an end. She is selfish, not because she thinks she is acting the right way, but because she wants to and because it serves her purpose, and so on. Her Cruella persona is a stiletto heel pointed at the eyes of the world, telling it to dare to come to her, a direct threat and challenge. Most autistic people I know, myself included, have had to learn about acting normal as a survival skill born from the need to stop the harassment and stress, and born from a desire to fit in and participate in normal activities. We do not live to see our bullies crushed by revenge, because it would serve no useful purpose. We mostly are pragmatics and we usually do not have delusions of grandeur leading us to use people around us to achieve our goals, even if we will not shy away from saying we are the best at something. Also, you know non-autistic people can have deep passions and interests too, right ?
Talking about Cruella never voluntarily going in for therapy reminds me of a time I was seeing a doctor for my ADHD (pi), otherwise known as ADD. It was obvious to me that the doctor was used to dealing with hyperactive individuals in Silicon Valley, people who saw their ADHD (ph) as almost a superpower.
ADHD brains do actually thrive in certain businesses and fields, so it doesn't surprise me that for some people, their ADHD becomes a boon rather than a hindrance.
Just ordered 6 bags of Lisa’s Passion for Popcorn. Thanks guys and crew! EDIT: The “Bromance” (the amount of respect and care you have for each other and your feelings because of your friendship) is one of the main reason I keep coming back. The def of friendship goals! The respect you have for each other radiates from these videos. It’s low key kinda restored my faith in the kindness of people which is something I’ve been struggling with. Thank you.
Am I the only one who saw that she was heavily manipulative of her friends? "Is it so hard to ask you to help me?" "I can't say no to you" "that's what I like about you" "And you're cute when are" "You're my family" Like, she paints herself as the victim or guilt trips them into doing her dirty work and never stopping because whenever they try to she uses guilt KNOWING that they'll cave before it.
Think about the monologue when she's talking about how she was raised 'love me into shape, try to fit in...', her behaviours are an amplified representation of how her Mother managed her "bad side". She has resentment towards her Mother for treating her like she was broken for having this other side to her, for teaching her to reject and repress it, to be ashamed and fearful of it - but she couldn't express that resentment because her grief when her Mother died prevented her from doing so (feeling guilty for having negative feelings now that she's dead) so she bottled it up. She's stuck in all that pain now and it's repressing the light in her and the love she has for her Mother, twisting her perspective on her memories of childhood - this is all feeding into her core belief that she is inherently bad and always was and always will be. I think she has CPTSD.
Doesn't change the fact she was manipulative and dig many wrong things. We can understand it, but does justify it.
I know. It really bothers me when media does this thing where two people are in an argument and then something dangerous happens and they reconcile bc what really matters is they love each other or something. I hate how the issues that were very legitimate before just never get addressed. I really wanted Jasper and Horace to just leave Cruella at some point or to at least lay down the law after she apologized that if she treated them that way again they would. But instead that boundary never really gets set because they're family.
Also, I just noticed it: she was a millionaire by the end of the movie, but Jasper and Horace were still poor. She could have helped them, but she wanted them to still be under her
I didn't watch the movie, but watching that soliloquy alone I got the feeling that she was talking herself up, she was _convincing_ herself that she was bad, because being bad was the only way to get whatever it was she wanted.
This is a very creatively inspiring film to me: It’s family friendly yet so mature and sinister at the same time. Hollywood needs to put out more stuff like this.
The worst thing is it actually explains why J and H would stay with her and stay so loyal to her. They love an element of her she essentially kills to get her revenge.
I love how they couldn't find 4 pictures of Alan's shirts without at least one of them being Alan crying. #relatable
I wanted to ask if you guys could make a video about Frollo from "Hunchback of Notre Dame" because he is such a realistic, interesting and dark villain :)
Yes! I just saw the musical at our local high school last week and had the same thoughts about his character. I’m still processing it, in fact, and would love to see Alan and Jono’s take on it.
This! But 2 videos - one for book Frollo and one for Disney Frollo- they are not the same character.
Oooooh yes…he’s DARK and I don’t love him lol, cause he’s too realistic, but he’s a perfect villain . But he’s kinda unusual for Disney villains, cause he’s not the “love to hate you” kind, he’s just the “yikes…people like this really exist and that’s TERRIFYING” kind
Agreed
@@heatherporter5515 I felt this. I first saw the movie like 5 years ago and am still processing his existence tbh
Having Bipolar disorder ll( with ADHD mixed) as I was watching her hypomanic episodes I enjoyed them as if I was having them too. Love those episodes
I really love the narration only being in the first half. Because the narration is undeniably Cruella. And it's a really cool way to display that Cruella was ALWAYS there. We all have that side to ourselves, but when Estella wasn't giving into it, that voice was just in her head. But when she began to show it to the world, the voice was no longer in her head, but instead going out to the world.
I have Bipolar II and that includes Hypomania. I loved how you delved into that for viewers and informed others. This explains why I enjoyed the movie so much possibly.
It IS satisfying to see one's own often-misunderstood condition accurately portrayed. As an autistic person, I don't share that much in real life, because everyone expects either Sheldon Cooper or Rain Man.
Oh me too bruh. Bipo ll and ADHD I enjoyed her hypomanic episodes and felt them as if I was having them lol
@@rollercoaster8881 Same here! Lol
@@reniefuwa I have ocd and a lot of people are like “oh you must have a really clean house then” or “really? Can you organize (insert basically anything that could be organized here) for me?” It’s really annoying
Preach!
Emma Stone as Cruella *mwah* chef's kiss. So glad they gave her a back story, Wicked style, like what they did with Maleficent
And the winks at OG then them doing something entirely different-if there’s a sequel/series, this is NOT the same universe as OG 101. (Unless you want incest puppies!)
It’s soooo good! I’m glad they didn’t hate on this movie like a bunch of others did without even seeing it
But the Baroness was all around Golden. That moment in the black and white part scene is just gorgeous
@@SpagettiSpeltWrong her scenes stole the show! Adored her character such a great love to hate character
@@SpagettiSpeltWrong Oh definitely. Both Emma's were fantastic
Can you do Bucky Barnes? I feel like his psychology is very interesting, and would like your guys' opinions on him (and his relationships with Steve Rogers, and Sam Wilson) Edit: I love the "Hamilton" insert! I love that movie/play to the ends of the earth
I love him too, the therapy scene is so fun to watch :D
@@lisinuthu6376 The therapy scene is hilarious. Words can't describe my reaction to it!! XD
Watching this movie on the theater literally brought tears to my eyes, because I personally can Identify with the plot... Having a shitty life because you have shitty parents yet blaming it on your self until you grow enough to realize why you find your self in the shit show you do... Sadly in real life you don't get poetic justice, and vengeance even if its doing the same thing that was done to you tend to be somewhat "illegal"
While Cruella was by no means a masterpiece, I do think it exceeded expectations by a lot. I think it's a very excellent film with great performances and an interesting narrative.
I agree with this - the wardrobe was beautiful, the performances were strong, and there were definitely a lot of moments/scenes that I enjoyed, but I don't think it's the amazing film a lot of other people in the comments are making it out to be. The narrative was definitely interesting and different from what I expected, but the runtime was so long that there were a lot of boring sections that could have been condensed so that by the time we got to the big reveals, like that the Baroness is Estella's real mother, we would've been more invested. The twists also came across as too telenovela-ish to be enjoyable, at least to me; I think this movie just wasn't my cup of tea, but I also think there are a lot of ways in which the story itself is objectively not good. Still, I agree, it exceeded expectations in other ways.
@@hnichole I agree. However I personally love films that can do the telenovela thing right, (jtv, which is completely different)
@@hnichole everyone has different opinions. U might not have found it phenomenal but others did
Regarding the on-screen note about Dissociative Identity Disorder: I was under the impression that with DID, what one identity experiences isn't experienced by the other. If that's the case, then Estella/Cruella can't be different DID alters, because she experiences and is aware of all the experiences of both.
I believe that is possible with OSDD, not DID though
I second that it could be OSDD which is experienced without amnesia blocks
It depends on the relationships between the alters in the system and other factors such as what is going on currently, and in the person's life in general For example, alter A who is the protector might be able to have conversations with alter B, who holds the trauma(s), and alter B might have access/remember most/all of what alter A does But if alter B takes control of the body, because alter B holds the trauma, it often means there is a crisis, events like self harm might happen, and amnesia might happen to It is truly dependend on the individual with DID's journey, how much they understand (and accept) their system, how alters communicate with each other, etc. and other commorbidities such as ADHD, autism, etc.
Through work in therapy for DID, (I'm poly-fragmented so it may be different for me and my inner siblings): When I was young - there was complete amnesia. But through the years I am aware of, can communicate with, conference with other alters.
A great prequel/origin story, far less cardboard cutout than the fully adult villain - whether the animated or the Glenn Close'd. Also: Both Emmas are great in it. Stone as well as Thompson.
I just adore the part where she says "you tried to love me into shape". I felt that on a spiritual level.
Hi! Accent enthusiast here. I would agree that, as a general rule, British actors tend to get American accents right more often than Americans get British accents right, however I would posit that this is mainly because Americans do not get the chance as often. America produces a massive amount of the world's media, and our pool of available actors covers both American actors as well as many British and other immigrants who came here to work. Britain also produces a ton of media, but as a much smaller country they do not have nearly as many opportunities for outsiders to be cast, and tend to use exclusively in-country talent. Since American media is pretty much available worldwide (Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, DC, to name a few franchises), more English folks are likely to be immersed in American accents, and therefore more likely to be able to imitate it. With the exception of those of use who grew up watching BBC shows such as Doctor Who, Poirot, Miss Marple, Robin Hood, etc., most Americans in general do not get steeped in that kind of culture. For British actors getting into film/TV, it's all but garrenteed that you will have to have a good American accent at some point for some role since so much of big media is produced by American companies. For American actors, while it is a tremendously useful skill, it's not so much a necessity. That's not to say that all British actors have perfect American accents (I can think of a few off the top of my head who make me cringe, for both sides), just that it's more likely.
Not to be a dick when I ask this, but how can American accents be done better when there isn’t a true American accent? Sure there is the ”normal” accent type, but I don’t think it’s done better when there isn’t a clear indication of the definite “best”.
@@darkm.annoyance8548 great question, and comepletly true. America contains many different dialects (such as Southern, New York/Jersey and Boston, West Coast and Midwestern), and British accents also have a great veriety, such as traditional RP (Received Pronunciation, your posh Londoner accent a la the Queen), Cockney, Yorkshire, Welsh, casual RP (normal Londoner). If we open it up to all of Britain that adds in Northern Irish, Highland/Lowland Scottish, etc. You see why accents are just hard in general when you start to break them down. 😅 Most of the time a "basic" American accent is considered in media to be some type of West Coast/Californian, and a "basic" English accent is usually considered to be casual RP/Londoner. Usually the easiest way to spot a fake accent is just by knowing the normal vocabulary for that region, as well as how words are said. I imagine that most people wouldn't notice an unperfect accent unless they have studied, listened, and practiced like I have though 😆. An example of a poor American accent off the top of my head would be Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange. His words are far too overpronouced (a command mistake for people inexperienced in a new dialect).
This is something I was talking to my brother about while we watched Uncharted. Tom Holland spends so much time playing Americans it’s so easy to forget that isn’t his default state 😂 I literally said it’s because not only do Brits have to play American more because we’re a heavier creator of film/TV, but also they’re better at it because a lot more American stuff hops across the pond for consumption than British stuff, which either doesn’t make it at all or gets remade entirely. We simply don’t hear British accents as often as they hear our accents. I also agree that it’s not a rule without exception; Doctor Who is a source of several of my weakest examples of Brits playing Americans 😂
@@Nargon46 Wow! When you break it down like that, it’s definitely a whole other can of worms 😵💫. And it makes sense that British actors go for the West accent since it’s the most clear, if that makes sense. Though, I do agree that many British actors do have the accent down pat! Tom holland and Daniel Craig are AMAZING, they’ve definitely earned their roles. But with those other accents in the UK you mentioned, it makes me wonder if we’ll ever get good American voice acting.
@@averyeml Uncharted actually has great examples of both! Tom Holland obviously has a spot on New York accent (even if it might have been better for the director to have him try a less specific accent to differentiate between Drake and Peter Parker, but I'll take a great NY accent over a spotty general accent), but the woman playing Chloe (who is American) is inconsistent with her British(?) accent. My guess as to why this is is that she was not given proper direction and didn't commit to one region, so halfway through the movie I started to wonder if she was supposed to be South African. But really, it all comes down to certain words. I just watched part of the first episode of Pennyworth last night, which takes place in London. Thomas Wayne is in it and is of course American but within his first sentence I called him out as English, because he said "I don't know what their *agender is* , instead of *I don't what what their *agenda is* . There are incredible subtleties that have to be listened to, practiced, and given honest feedback if they are to to fool everyone like Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Millie Bobby Brown, and Henry Cavill have with their American accents, and like Elijah Wood, Emma Stone, Johnny Depp, Robin Wright, and Scarlet Johansson have with their English accents.
That “It was Agatha all along” got me laughing
That deserved its own chef’s kiss!
"It's not easy to do therapy with someone who doesn't want to change." My approach to therapy is that I'm cool with the person I am, though I know that person can always be better. It's a lot of work, and I'm ok with that, because I'm not trying to "fix" myself, just to "improve" some things about myself.
This movie SHOOK me when I first watched it. So incredibly done. Had to show it to my dad, he loved it too and downloaded the sound track
I think this story is a great chance to study the difference between a hero and a protagonist, as well as a villain and an antagonist. A hero is typically a character who acts as a driving force for good, but they don't necessarily have to be the protagonist. The protagonist is the lead character of our story; the primary viewpointy. A villain is the antithesis of a hero, in many cases, being boiled down to being evil and nothing more. An antagonist, however, is the force that's keeping the protagonist from accomplishing what they want, and *doesn't even have to be a person*. We can see this by examining the middle school reference chart for types of conflict. There's "Man vs. Man", "Man vs. Nature", "Man vs. Society", ect. In the case of Cruella, Estella *is* the protagonist (Sorry, Alan), but she's not the hero. As for the antagonist, we can see multiple sources of conflict, including Estella's inner self. While the Baroness does provide a villain for the story (Man vs. Man), Estella is also having a fight with her inner self wanting to become more Cruella (Man vs. Self). The movie recognizes this, and doesn't try to paint her as a hero, but rather a character we would want to root for over the opposition. Does this relate to the point of the video? Not really. But it's something I've been thinking about as a wannabe writer for some time, and I'll take any chance I get to go off on it.
I think there’s also a big difference between Cruella and Joker here with “man vs self.” Cruella has supportive people in her life and is ultimately held accountable if she wants to keep them. Joker…becomes a murderer and truly becomes his “darker half.” Cruella/Estella embrace Cruella in a functional way by the end. In Joker…there’s Only Joker. They faced a similar choice, and chose differently.
@@anonymousfellow8879 I really like that comparison. They face similar conflicts of identity in their stories, and while neither ever become a hero, they have completley different endings.
I think what I really liked about “Cruella” is that it makes itself pretty clear that it’s not canon-compliant, it’s an alternate universe, and it does so with the dogs. Cruella got a lot of flack with the “dogs killed my mum” scene. It’s obvious those people never watched or finished the film-not once did Cruella ever fear or hate dogs or physically harm them, even in her hypomanic state. It would’ve been easier to kill the Dalmatians to retrieve the necklace, she doesn’t. Granted Jasper and Horace are stuck with the dirty work of retrieving it (literally), but those two also rehabilitate and retrains the dogs while they’re in their care. (They also ultimately keep the dogs.) We get a second Scare with the coat-the Baroness even thinks she has killed her dogs. That’s the point. But the dogs are still alive. Then at the end of the film, not only does Jasper’s and Horace’s rehabilitation of the dogs save Estella’s life (aside from her obviously planning for getting pushed off), the trio stays together and keeps the dogs. (And gifts the resulting Perdita and Pungo to Anita and Roger…so, Definitely Not the same universe as 101 Dalmations.) And I do appreciate that Cruella does apologize, sincerely. She even accepts that she’s treated her found family so poorly that they have every right to leave. There’s actually seen work to repair those relationships. By the end of the film, she’s no longer Estella, but she’s more aware of her hypomanic and vitrol and to NOT direct it at people she really does care about. She’s found a new baseline-she’s not supressing parts of herself anymore, but she’s become self-aware (and it’s Okay and Healthy to care.) So…she’s more of an anti-hero or anti-villain. She’s not a nicer person, she’s just found her own balance between repressing a distinct part of herself or surrendering complete control to it and disvaluing kindness. She found her teeth again instead of swallowing them. And learns not to bear them at her own tribe
I love how they included the original lines from the cartoon when introducing cruella de ville: born brilliant born bad and a little mad
7:36 is unnervingly encouraging. Honestly, being noticed too soon can put you in over your head and leave you at the mercy of someone else's vision. Don't be discouraged if you're not breaking into and being noticed by the industry you want to get into. Chances are either you're not ready to perform consistently (at least not without an early burnout), they're not ready for you, neither are ready for each other, or there's too much competition anyway.
17:00 I always thought that the shakiness was good at first for those exact reasons but should’ve had more stability as she affirmed her resolve and the music cranked up
This was such a great movie. Having a such great set of people talking about it and explaining the mental science behind it is perfection.
Oh kiddo I bet you’re so excited to grow up
@@Joeysaladslover oh old man, I bet you’re excited to die cause that big wise brain of yours is already so full of knowledge and is far superior compared to everyone else
I do wardrobe and make up for theater and indie film, and I gotta say...this film is GOALS. Every little detail, every lewk, is AMAZING
Seeing you make a cutaway to Mary Poppins makes me want and analysis on Mary Poppins Returns, if not a 2-parter on both films. Mary Poppins has fantastic themes on childhood, grief, hope, taking new perspectives, etc. and simply a must-watch for any Disney fan. Also, THE MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR THE SONGS AND SCORE FOR RETURNS IS AMAZING!!! The leitmotifs and the scenes they are used in are simply perfection. Please please PLEASE do the Mary Poppins films!
You showed a clip of Gone Girl, I would love you guys to do an episode on that and the themes behind both the husband and wife's narcissistic behavior and superficial marriage
Gone Girl will almost certainly be a Movie Couple's Therapy episode at some point.
Cruella has mastered the act of subtly (sometimes not) insulting very powerful people
As an actual fashion designer who couldn't take the vanity and aggorance, I wish I could hack it on my own but to my mental health it was too much. I'm bipolar so I understand her anger driven drive. I love the wardrobe in this movie and can't wait to make the Dalmatian jacket for myself. Side note: I'm a historical garment maker now.
I love that you have chosen a pursuit that honours your talent yet spares you the toxic traits of fashion designing.
It's official: you guys' videos are my newest obsession. Psychology plus filmography? It's ingenious. Absolutely brilliant. You guys bring a fresh perspective as well as insight and encouragement. Thank you!
I love this movie so much. I love how Cruella is bold, unafraid, unapologetically herself, creative, ambitious, visionary and she brings her vision to life. If I ever snapped and went off the deep end, this would be me.
A protagonist and a hero are two different things. A protagonist leads the story while an antagonist opposes them, but a hero is the good guy to the villians bad guy. You can be a protagonist villian
I’ve had a hypomanic episode before, that lasted about three days. I felt like I wanted to run a marathon everyday and my thoughts were racing, and I was signing up for things. I felt so euphoric. I still don’t know why that happened honestly, maybe I never will 🤷♀️ I’m not sure.
I wish we could naturally just be euphoric
"If you struggle with mental health, you are 10 times more likely to become a victim of violence than a perpetrator." OOf that hit hard and explains a lot...
Cruella's journey is very interesting, especially the fact that she literally brings out the crazy side of herself to reach her goal. Reminds me of Medea, the classic play where everything happens from her point of view. When she realises she has no way out of her situation except get kicked out alone after all the sacrifices she made, she (spoiler) plunges herself in a deeper state of rage and despair to get the courage to kill her own children and awake her powers as a witch. Is it a morally good story? No. Was it good to play her at my school as a teenager? Hell yes. We are all capable of separating villains from good guys, doesn't mean we're not allowed to understand them. Grow up, parents.
You might like this book "Circe" by Madeline Miller. Medea's story only passes through it for a bit, but it gives interesting perspective to a lot of greek stories and characters.
I literally got my diagnosis yesterday after a few neuropsychological analysis sessions and was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 where hypomania is characteristic. I had never heard of that term until yesterday. And you come to me with this video today. I was watching this like ... nooo way... Funfact, even during my "normal" sessions people generally ruled out bipolar precisely because I needed manic episodes, which I never had. The diagnosis makes perfect sense and will help me find a better and more effective treatment! I highly recommend!
I was also not diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder for a long time; it was only after I was prescribed medication for anxiety that my hypomania was apparent to physicians. Turns out that having a heart rate like a squirrel's while you're just sitting down talking isn't normal...
I was recently diagnosed with bipolar 2. I love that you are talking about hypomania because it is something i dealt with my whole life without realizing i was doing it or even what it was called. So thank you so much for talking about it... I was wondering if I could ask if there are any characters that you think are bipolar 2 instead of bipolar 1. I feel like every representation of bipolar in media is always bipolar 1 so I would love if you could name some characters you think might have bipolar 2.
I have been waiting until I watched Cruella to watch this episode and the wardrobe is amazing, I just finished the final assessment for my degree as a fashion major and I could see all the choices that went into all the garments . I was so giddy to see on screen costumes that were inspired by the actual designers of that time period as someone who would love to work as a costume designer, I love how a character can be visually shown through their outfits and their personality representation without a word needing to be said. SO GOOD. I really need to get back into the film industry since I miss it
I love how every time Jono does something weird in the sponsor bits, Alan dies a little inside. Just makes me laugh all the time.
First reaction was oop which one. I'm glad it's this one and a wider discussion of all. Villain/Hero therapy is my favourite Cinema Therapy content
I agree, I love how Alan and Jonathan can diagnose a hero or villain with a personality disorder, which might explain some of their actions throughout the work.
@@trinaq Perfectly put Trina
@@Firegen1 Thanks a million, Firegen1, it's always a pleasure to hear from you! 😘❤️
In a sense she had already all the qualities she needed for revenge, it’s just that some of those qualities prevent her to fully commit to the cruel route. “Estella” represents all those qualities that are in the way, and black-and-white-thinking leads to the conclusion that “Cruella” represents everything else
I agree with Allen on the soliloquy. The first time I was too focused on Emma Stone’s performance to notice, but on a rewatch the shaking cam was very distracting.
Yeah they should’ve used a stabilizer or something.
Emma Stone was SO good in this I enjoyed EVERY second of her screentime
I appreciate this series of videos on movie villains. I don’t necessarily relate to Cruella but I’ve sometimes felt like a villain or at the very least hated at some points of life due to my attitude or my actions. It is refreshing to see how people that are seen as “bad” are actually flawed human but they still have a chance at being stable and balanced, if not necessarily changing into a “good” person at least not affecting others negatively. It does gives me some hope and comfort.
I get hypomanic sometimes, and for me, I talk way more about all the things, and I get into periods where I'll write much, much more, and I don't sleep, and I can tell, even within it, that it's not entirely healthy. But, man, can I be productive. So, Alan, I totally get what you're talking about during the soliloquy; it's actually the focal setting and not the unsteady camera. If the field of depth was something different (have no idea which way it should go), it would feel so much more grounded.
As someone with some kind of personality disorder (not DID), I can say from personal experiences that I and people with a personality disorder can switch on command. It does rely highly on the circumstances like who is switching, what the purpose is, why I want to switch, etc. However sometimes it takes longer than what they show in the movie, sometimes it’s seamless, sometimes the person out (or presenting as my system likes to use) gets stuck for a while, and sometimes the switches are uncontrollable. While I never thought of Cruella having another personality I do like to deter around the good and bad personality trope, I do see the possibility of her having multiple personalities throughout he life that either integrate or don't come out a lot. I'm very glad I can talk about this more in a safe place and get free therapy from watching movies with the rest of this community. I would love it if you would review tropes about Split since I see a divide in the DID community of it being a good or bad representation. Keep up the good work I love what you do!
I really wish that they had a Game Therapy since I'd love them to go over some of the mental worlds in Psychonauts 1 & 2.
So much this. I'd also love to hear their comments on It Takes Two, a game literally about family therapy
Yes! That would be SO COOL!
My only gripe with this movie is how they tried to wrap around cruella with the original one instead of just revamping it to be its own thing, they should have let go of the old cruella and embrace a new story, because this isn’t ‘cruella’, it has its own legs that get harmed by people comparing it to the old one. At least it is quite the step up from previous reboots of old Disney movies
They did. They did just that. The exact thing you said. This is a rewrite. Not a 101 Dalmatians prequel. Completely different universes.
@@bessieburnet9816 but they sold it with the name and brand, they didn't give it a new name , they up front said ''cruella'' they knew that it would be put side by side with the original as a prequel, and as such it doesn't hold its ground, it even does multiple hits towards the future with things like the names of the dogs, the parents who got them, and the song at the end it was a good enough story, it did not require being known as ''cruella'', because that harms it, at least to my view and taste.
@@bessieburnet9816 There's so much in the movie to imply it somehow segues into 101 Dalmatians that it's pretty impossible to expect it to be treated as standalone.
Exactly, that's my biggest problem with this movie.
I never expected you to do Cruella. After all, Estella has an extremely outlandish case. But I'm excited to watch it. This is one of my favourite movies! Well acted and soooo underrated.
I'm gonna be honest, I think that Cruella actually fits really well into 2 conditions: Bipolar and/or BPD. If we go solely by solid evidence, I think she is more likely bipolar. However, the nuances in her close relationships really made me feel like I was watching someone with BPD. The whole push and pull dynamic, the subtle guilt, etc... So yeah, I think she can accurately represent both conditions if we take into account some of these smaller details.
I agree with you on your BPD take. She also looks a lot like borderline to me, especially considering that she can voluntary witch between her two personalities which makes her less dissociative but more borderline.
@@elizaveta2407 people with DID can sometimes voulantarily switch using positive triggers. It just takes practice and a lot of work communication wise.
@@theHelianthusCorps I believe we all have our inner good and bad sides just like Cruella/Estella and the difference in diagnosis is how we use them. If a person is unaware of those two parts and they live separate lives - it's DID (like in the movie Fight Club), if a person is aware and can voluntarily switch but it's dysfunctional (bad to good ppl but good to abusers/bad ppl) or if the switch is random then it's BPD. If a person can switch intentionally and functionally (good to good ppl, bad to bad ppl) or mix good with bad depending on the situation, then it's psychological health. So it's like a spectrum in my opinion, if that makes sense. So if a person with DID learns to witness both inner parts and switch voluntarily then the recovery is taking place and he/she moves into the BPD category.:)
@@elizaveta2407 that is absolutely not how DID or BPD works. They aren't even in the same category of mental illness. One is a dissociative disorder, the other is a personality disorder.
thank you for doing these!!! can we have a villain therapy the phantom of the opera too????
As someone who was diagnosed with bipolar just few weeks ago, you guys give me hope that it's gonna be fine in the end.
OMG I freaking LOVED this film, as an audience AND as a fan of film and the craft. That one scene with Emma Stone lying on the bed as Ella with the camera doing a slow zoom/dolly into her face and you see 7 different emotions/thoughts develop across her face finally settling on the Cruella personality (and it was all in the EYES), was franking AMAZING and one of my favourite scenes in Cinema!
I appreciate Alan defining “needle drop” because I was not 100% clear on the definition. I do think of the Cruella film in an alternate universe from either of the 101 Dalmatians adaptations. Still is a lot of fun though.