Cruella’s Biggest Unanswered Questions

Disney’s Cruella serves as an origin story for the classic villain, but the movie leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Starring Emma Stone, Cruella — which is in the same vein as Malificent, another Disney villain origin twist rather than a direct remake — aims to connect the dots to 101 Dalmatians. However, much like Oddball from 102 Dalmatians, it’s missing a few spots.

By and large, Cruella ticks the boxes of what’s to be expected here. It gives Cruella – or Estella, as she was previously known – a tragic, if somewhat convoluted, backstory. It shows how she meets Jasper and Horace, her 101 Dalmatians henchmen, and also makes her and Anita Darling old school friends. The film even gives an explanation for her name, which comes from a combination of a pun by her mother and a make of car.

However, Cruella doesn’t offer answers for everything. Indeed, in a lot of cases, the movie contradicts or retcons what’s been established in 101 Dalmatians, leaving much of her future a mystery. Here’s every question left behind by Cruella.

Where Does Cruella Fit In 101 Dalmatians Canon?

Prior to the release of Cruella, there were theories that it would serve as a prequel to 1996’s live-action 101 Dalmatians. This was supported by the timelines seemingly matching up – Stone is the right age for her Cruella to become Glenn Close’s version in the ’90s – and Glenn Close receiving an executive producer credit. Alas, Cruella doesn’t really fit in with 101 Dalmatians at all. There are several inconsistencies, such as this Cruella being seemingly unlikely to kill dogs, but in the end, the timeline doesn’t work either. Cruella‘s post-credits scene introduces Pongo and Perdita as puppies, and since this is the 70s, then sadly, there’s no way to make that fit with the Close movies. That seemingly puts Cruella in its own timeline or universe instead, but whether that will lead to its own version of 101 Dalmatians remains to be seen. Interestingly enough, many of the typical characteristics of Cruella are given to Emma Thompson’s Baroness, who exhibits most of the cruelty Close portrays in the 1996 film.

Where Does Artie Go Before 101 Dalmatians?

Many of Cruella‘s key characters are already part of the 101 Dalmatians story – Cruella herself, Jasper, Horace, Anita, Roger, etc. – but one who isn’t, yet seems like they should be sticking around, is Artie. The vintage clothes store owner becomes an important friend of Cruella’s, and the character plays a crucial role in her fashion designing. Given that, then it would be logical to assume that Artie is still involved as Cruella’s business grows, but he’s not someone who has appeared in either form of 101 Dalmatians. If Disney does remake that movie, then it’s possible Artie will be worked into the story. Otherwise, it could be that he and Cruella eventually go their separate ways, that something bad happens to him, or that he simply takes a backseat while she skins puppies.

How Do Jasper & Horace Become Cruella’s Henchmen Again (Rather Than Friends)?

Another of Cruella‘s changes comes with Jasper and Horace, who aren’t introduced as her henchmen but instead her friends and co-conspirators. The duo takes her in from the streets, forming strong bonds that are tested in Cruella but not broken. The relationship does shift as Cruella takes over from Estella and is increasingly driven by revenge, but their friendship is seemingly mended by the end of the movie. Does that mean these two aren’t destined to become the put-upon, mistreated henchmen of 101 Dalmatians, or will something further happen – such as a new position of power and/or a misfortune – that more drastically changes Cruella’s character and her relationship with the pair? In 101 Dalmatians, Cruella’s relationship with them is pretty awful, and they seem to despise her. It’s hard to say whether this will ever filter over into the Cruella sequel, which is in development, but it could strain Jasper and Horace’s relationship with their friend to the point of their transition into being solely henchmen.

Why Does Cruella Give A Dalmatian Puppy To Roger?

Cruella‘s credits scene sees her give the Dalmatian pups – Pongo and Perdita – to Roger and Anita, respectively. It makes some sense that she would give one to Anita: Cruella isn’t exactly blessed with a lot of close friends. Anita is among the best she has and is certainly the person she’s known the longest. Roger is rather more curious. While he goes against the Baroness and so is effectively on the side of Estella/Cruella, there’s no interaction to suggest that he’s someone she would remember, let alone gift a puppy to. It has to happen because of the 101 Dalmatians setup, but it doesn’t quite mesh with the movie itself. And considering how Cruella isn’t exactly beholden to anything that actually happens in 101 Dalmatians, it remains rather vague as to why the character would give a dog to someone she barely knows. All told, it seems like a shallow way to set things up for Cruella’s story in the future instead of working to deepen the relationship she has with Roger in the film.

Why Does Roger Write The Cruella De’Vil Song?

As well as getting Pongo, another big part of Roger’s 101 Dalmatians story is set up by Cruella‘s credits scene. Now working as a songwriter, he pens the classic “Cruella De’Vil” song. Again, it’s a moment that is something of a necessity because of where these characters are headed – and because it’s so iconic – but it’s unclear exactly why he does it. In Cruella, there is no story reason for Roger to write the song, and the fact that he does so isn’t given very much context outside of it being a familiarity. Cruella isn’t exactly shown in the best light, but she is more favorable than the Baroness, whom Roger went against, and Roger himself has no firsthand experience of her cruelty. So why is he singing about how scary and evil Cruella is? The tone of the song does seem a little more playful here, but it’s still a peculiar choice, especially as she’s just given him a puppy. Similarly, this creates more issues for 101 Dalmatians, because it’s unclear just what conflict arises between them. All it does is create more confusion.

Are Pongo & Perdita Siblings?

Cruella gives Pongo and Perdita to Roger and Anita, but also seems to imply that they are brother and sister. The likelihood is that they are the offspring of at least one of the Dalmatians Cruella took from the Baroness, meaning they’re part of the same litter and thus siblings, which paints 101 Dalmatians in a slightly different light. Obviously, dogs – and other animals – are different from humans when it comes to mating and inbreeding, but it’s still an interesting choice for Disney to set up the future Dalmatian puppies as being inbred especially when it’s a matter that could have been avoided completely. Instead, it raises a lot of questions about Pongo and Perdita that will likely remain unanswered.

How Does Cruella Become 101 Dalmatians’ Villain (& Why Would She Kill Dogs)?

Cruella doesn’t answer the question that would appear to be its entire reason for being: how did Cruella De’Vil become 101 Dalmatians‘ villain? In fact, the movie not only doesn’t answer, but actually goes in the opposite direction. It does set up a clear motive behind her desire to kill Dalmatians in particular (they murdered her supposed mother), but then never suggests she would ever harm the animals. Instead, she adopts them as her own and cares for them, giving two puppies as gifts. A villain of sorts she may become, but this Cruella is all bark and no bite. That means something truly terrible must happen for her to wish to skin dogs and wear them as coats; either that, or she was just pretending all along. Either way, a sequel would have to turn her into much more of a villain, rather than the anti-hero of Cruella.

Will Cruella 2 Happen?

Cruella 2 makes sense given the amount of dots still left to connect. Cruella had a reasonable run at the box office and has the double-win of pulling in viewers on Disney+ as well; it seems to have performed well enough to warrant a sequel. In August 2021, Emma Stone closed a deal to return as the titular character for Cruella 2, which was officially announced as being in development not long after the debut of Cruella. With Cruella now in Hell Hall and with the wealth of the Baroness hers, then a direct sequel could very much continue her story, showing her burgeoning fashion empire as she replaces the Baroness. Disney makes Cruella into more of a heroic figure, and Cruella 2 could continue this by introducing a new foe for her to face off with, or it could twist things more, leaning into her darker tendencies and fully making her a villain in order to connect to 101 Dalmatians.

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