Soon after the firstCruella trailerwas released, “Disney’s Joker” began trending on social media. In the upcoming movie from director Craig Gillespie, Stone portrays a younger version of the animated antagonist from the 1961 movieOne Hundred and One Dalmations. Delving into the origin story of the dastardly character is in many ways reminiscent of what Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix did withJoker, and the phrase “Disney’s Joker” appears to be the most common reaction to theCruellatrailer.
“This is basically Disney’s Joker,” one fan puts it bluntly on Twitter, echoing thousands of other tweets in response to seeingEmma Stonein her black and white Cruella De Ville wig.
I was definitely not expecting this to be Disney’s Joker, but honestly, I’m here for it," explains another fan. “I think Emma Stone will own the role ofCruella, and I liked some of the visuals for this trailer. Craig Gillespie feels perfect for this story.”
“Finally… Disney’s Joker,” jokes another fan, including a meme to stress the similarities between the two movies.
Says another fan, “I see Disney’sJokertrending & all I can say is, if the movie ends up being as good as the Joker film, then good. Hope it does well & can’t wait to see Emma’s performance as Cruella.”
While aJoker-like premise has some fans intrigued, others aren’t so thrilled about the idea. One Disney fan writes, “I’m willing to give #Cruella a LITTLE bit of grace for at least having a cool aesthetic but it really does feel like Disney’s Joker and also they’re trying to turn a woman whose primary motivation is PUPPY MURDER into a girlboss so uh.”
Along with theJokercomparisons, theCruellatrailer is reminding other DC fans of Harley Quinn. In addition to serving as a strong female character, the comparisons are also due to the red, white, and black colors Cruella adorns in the trailer footage. However, a lot of Harley fans don’t seem to appreciate these comparisons as much, feeling that the theBirds of Preycharacter would be appalled by Cruella’s mistreatment of dogs.
As one tweet puts it, “Why are they trying to make the puppy killer into Harley Quinn??? I swear Cruella is one of the last Disney villains you can make a misunderstood anti hero of. She is a rich lady that skins puppies. Please. She doesn’t need the attractive and charismatic revamp.”
And another Harley fan laments, “I love a good villain. But it seems to me likeDisneydoesn’t understand that the cackling rich woman who got utterly obliterated by the tiny puppies she tried to murder, is not some Harley Quinn-esque badass lady lol.”
Cruellais set in 1970s London, starring Stone as young fashion designer Estella de Vil. An origin story, the movie details how she becomes obsessed with dogs' skins, especially Dalmations, until she eventually beocmces a ruthless and terrifying legend known as Cruella. Along with Stone, the movie also stars Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, and Emily Beecham. Craig Gillespie directs using a screenplay from Dana Fox and Tony McNamara.
However people might fel about the comparisons to Joker and Harley Quinn, in any case, theCruellatrailer is certainly getting a lot of people talking. We’ll all be able to see how close the movie really feels toJokerorBirds of Preywhen it is released in theaters on May 28.
