Cruella: 15 Most Epic Quotes From The Movie

The newest live-action adaptation of a Disney animated classic, Cruella, was met with pretty strong reviews from almost every critic. Needless to say, audiences jumped at the opportunity to witness yet another iconic villain be somewhat redeemed.

Cruella is an exciting new take on the classic Disney villain, and from the fashion to the dialogue, there’s no shortage of things to love. The latter, in particular, deserves intense acclaim, as the movie is endlessly quotable. Of course, many of the best lines came directly from the main character herself. However, the audience is also introduced to many new characters with plenty of interesting things to say as well.

Updated on January 5, 2022, by Kevin Pantoja: In a lot of ways, Cruella is Disney’s best attempt so far at a live-action retelling of one of their animated classics. Going with a unique origin story for a villain allowed this film to be its own thing without trying to recreate the magic from decades past. The movie has now been seen by more and more people as it has been available on Disney+ for several months at this point. Those new viewers are appreciating the fantastic Cruella quotes as much as those who have watched it multiple times. These lines are epic and are part of why the film is special.

Foreshadowing At Its Best

“That Necklace Is The Reason I’m Dead.” – Cruella

Right at the start of the movie, the audience is given a huge clue about something that will play an important part in the greater story. Cruella narrates the scene and points out a necklace that she claims is the reason that she’s dead, which is not what the viewer expects.

While it’s not a powerful quote that explains more about Cruella’s personality or anything like that, it goes a long way towards laying out a later twist. Whoever is watching now has to wonder if Cruella is actually going to be dead at the end of the movie or try to figure out what exactly happens.

The Mischievous Cruella Has A Plan

“I Want To Make Art, Artie. And I Want To Make Trouble. You In?” – Cruella

There’s no question that one of the best characters in Cruella is Artie. As soon as they meet, you get the sense that they’ll be great friends and that they have a lot in common. Cruella utters this line to Artie in a way that feels right in line with her character.

By this point, Cruella is ready to step into that fun and villainous persona. The way Emma Stone delivers this line is everything as it showcases just how much joy Cruella is taking in the opportunity to wreak some havoc against her enemy, alongside her new friend.

She Is Far From Finished

“There’s Lots More Bad Things Coming, I Promise.” – Cruella

Once the transformation is complete as Estella becomes Cruella, there’s simply no stopping her. This is a quote that she doesn’t say until that has happened but it actually comes earlier in the film as she narrates the things that happened in her past.

While Cruella certainly has her iconic evil side, the film does tremendous work to make sure that she remains likable. There’s a fun sense to everything she does, including this line. Cruella promises terrible things will be done but she teases it in such an enticing way.

Asserting Her Dominance

“If You Have To Talk About Power, You Don’t Have It.” – The Baroness

As villainous as Cruella can be, there’s no doubt that The Baroness is just a bit better at it, at least from a vicious standpoint. Cruella might be much more fun but The Baroness is ruthless and does everything with a sense of pride that simply makes her stand out.

In fact, when Cruella attempts to stand up to her, The Baroness makes sure to assert her position over her. She details a true statement that those who talk about having power often actually don’t really have it. The Baroness is as powerful as they come and she doesn’t need to remind everyone constantly. It’s a lesson Cruella needs to learn.

The Sixth Stage Of Grief

“Well, I’d Like To Add One More…Revenge.” – Cruella

On its own, this line doesn’t feel like it means all that much or that it’s special at all. However, when you get it in context, it’s impossible to deny just how perfectly Cruella it is. To start, she lays out the common five stages of grief that everyone seems to know.

The twist comes at the end when Cruella adds one more stage of her own. Cruella includes revenge, which is an iconic addition that encapsulates the path she’s on now. She can cry and be upset but she’s going to do something about it and get revenge, showing how much Cruella has changed throughout this origin story.

Dropping An Iconic Line

“I Am Woman. Hear Me Roar…” – Cruella

Cruella, aka Estella, speaks this quote during her voiceover narration at the beginning of the movie. Young Estella was a bright young woman who stood out from the crowd, in more ways than one. First of all, her natural hair color was half white and half black and the colors split right down the middle of her head.

Second of all, her mind was unique. She was extremely intelligent, especially in the world of fashion. Because she was so different, she was bullied in school. However, she fought back, even against the boys though this eventually meant she had to leave the school, though.

Roasting Her Co-Worker

“I Feel Sad That You Think That Looks Good.” – Cruella

As a young adult, Estella gets a job at Liberty, a place that, according to her, is the most fashionable in town. As an entry-level cleaner, she does not have a say in any of the clothing lines or the fashion designs despite her big aspirations.

One day, while standing outside the store, she says this phrase to the woman creating the current window display. It turns out she wasn’t the only one to feel this way. It sets the stage for her future as once she changes it one drunken night alone in the store, the Baroness sees it and hires her on the spot.

The Most Ruthless Woman

“Can You Get Me A Red Like That?” – The Baroness

The Baroness, played by Emma Thompson, is a very intimidating character. Estella is her newest employee in charge of designing some “looks” for the next fashion collection. As the Baroness walks down the aisle of designs by her employees, she is not impressed. In fact, she fires one of her employees for his atrocious design.

Then, she gets to Estella’s design, pauses, takes out a knife, and swiftly cuts the dress. In the process, she nicks Estella with the knife. Without even wincing, the Baroness grabs Estella’s hand which is now bleeding and points it at another employee before asking for the color of that blood. It’s a sign of how little she cares about anyone else.

An Epic Introduction

“I’m Artie, Or Art, As In ‘Work Of’.” – Artie

Artie is a new character introduced in this version of the story. He is a store owner in London, who meets Estella when she walks into his store, immediately recognizing the dress in the window display as one designed by the Baroness a few years earlier. Artie is obviously very creative and artistic.

This is likely why the two hit it off so well right off the bat. When he introduces himself, he says, “I’m Artie, or Art, as in ‘work of.'” The scriptwriting for his character was done really well. Just from these first few words, the audience gets a feel for the kind of person Artie is and he is instantly likable.

A Stunning Reveal

“Do You Have A Light?” – Cruella

Estella comes up with a design and a disguise she can use at the upcoming Black and White Ball. At first, Estella shows up as Cruella in a long, white coat. Unassuming and nonchalant, nobody seems to notice her at first. Then, just before the Baroness is about to give a toast, Cruella makes her grand entrance and crashes all the champagne glasses on the floor.

She apologizes and then asks, “Do you have a light?” to light her cigarette. Instead, she drops it on the floor and she is surrounded by a puff of smoke as her white coat vanishes to reveal a gorgeous blood-red gown. The moment shocks everyone around and the Baroness is instantly jealous.

Cruella Improved The Baroness’s Design

“I Fixed It.” – Cruella

At the Black and White Ball, the Baroness asks Cruella where she got her beautiful red dress, to which Cruella tells her it was designed by the Baroness herself. Of course, the Baroness is pleased with her work until Cruella adds, “I fixed it.” And each viewer has to pick up their jaw from off the floor.

To see Estella passive-aggressively tell off the Baroness in such an epic way was extremely satisfying to watch. The audience knows how talented Estella truly is. Even though viewers know that she eventually becomes a villain, they still root for her when it comes to her facing the evil Baroness.

The New Queen Of Sass

“Am I Going To Have To Catch You Up A Lot Or Can You Keep Up?” – Cruella

At the Black and White Ball, the Baroness is curious about the new woman who crashed her ball, which leads to her asking several questions. The person she’s talking to just so happens to be Cruella.

Finally, Cruella just says, “Am I going to have to catch you up a lot or can you keep up?” For the entire duration of the movie up until this point, the Baroness has ruled as the queen of sass. Now, it is Cruella’s turn, and she seems to do it better anyway.

The Transformation Is Complete

“Cruella Was In A Box For A Long Time. Now, Estella Is The One Making Guest Appearances.” – Cruella

It is revealed that the Baroness actually killed Estella’s mother at the beginning of the movie. Now, Estella is not only motivated by getting her family heirloom back but also by avenging the death of her mother.

She starts treating her friends Horace and Jasper differently and they express to her that they want her to be nicer to them and that they miss “Estella.” She responds by saying the above line, proving that the old Estella is officially gone. She is starting to embrace the part of herself that she had been rejecting for most of her life. Even though the audience feels bad for Jasper and Horace, fans can’t help but feel empowered by her newfound confidence.

A Perfect Explanation Of Who She Is

“I’m Cruella. Bold, Brilliant, Born Bad, And A Little Mad.” – Cruella

After the Baroness leaves Estella to die in a fire, John the Valet saves her. He then reveals to her that she is actually the secret daughter of the Baroness. John was asked to kill the baby right after her birth but he knew he couldn’t do it and instead, he gave the baby to Catherine, one of the maids working for the Baroness.

Catherine pretended to be Estella’s real mother until she was killed. Estella, as Cruella, goes to visit the park fountain that she likes to talk to her dead mother at. This is the moment she comes to terms with who she really is, and why she has tendencies for being the way she is.

The Devil Is Unleashed

“Cruella De Vil?” – Cruella

At this point in the movie, everyone thinks Cruella De Vil died in a tragic accident where her house burned to the ground with her inside it. However, she actually survived. She came back to a party held by the Baroness, as Estella this time but The Baroness “kills” her by pushing her off the same cliff that Catherine fell off of. Little did she know that Estella had planned this. She had all the party-goers outside to watch it happen so there would be no denying the Baroness’ guilt.

The Baroness tried claiming that Estella, the one who was just pushed off of a cliff, was actually Cruella. Then Cruella pulls up with Jasper and Horace in their vehicle, and she says, “Cruella De Vil?” Fans loved watching this epic revelation and if that doesn’t impress, no evil thing will.