Cruella’s Name Change Was Deeper Than You Realize

In the live-action movie, Cruella, the protagonist changes her name in an act that was actually much deeper than audiences may realize. When Estella (Emma Stone) sheds her name and becomes Cruella, it is a pivotal moment in the character’s origin story, and a change that signals the coming of age of one of Disney’s most notorious villains. Yet like most origin stories, this one challenges audiences to look past the cold and calculating character they know as Cruella from 101 Dalmatians, and rather consider just how Estella became Cruella de Vil.

After losing her mother and working as a con artist during her younger years just to get by, Estella has a lucky break when she catches the eye of fashion mogul Baroness Von Hellman (Emma Thompson). Thrust into the fast-paced world of fashion, Estella realizes that in order to survive, she must work to set herself apart and drown out the naysayers. She begins to simultaneously take on two personas, learning in the process who she is really destined to be. This driven work ethic leads to the creation of some of Cruella’s most iconic looks, cementing herself as a thought-provoking fashion designer.

Estella changes her name to Cruella de Vil towards the end of Cruella in a symbolic effort to shed herself of her previous identity and take on a persona that she feels comfortable in. Estella was weak; Cruella is fierce. The name “Cruella de Vil” is suspiciously similar to the words “Cruel Devil.” In other languages, the Disney character’s name is different, though still invokes a villainous sense. Estella changes her name to Cruella de Vil in order to realize her true identity and give herself a platform to be who she really is.

During the final scenes of the movie, the main character, at this point now known as “Cruella,” narrates her previous persona’s “death” and the “birth” of a new one. “Estella” is “killed off” in the same spot where Cruella’s mother had died at the start of the movie. And while some attend Estella’s funeral because they truly believe her to be dead, Cruella attends the funeral as a way to metaphorically “bury” her.

It’s also worth noting that Cruella de Vil’s name appears differently in other languages. The name loosely sounds like “Cruel Devil” in English, but in other languages, attempts at capturing the essence of the character have been made in their own ways. For example, in Polish, it’s “Cruella de Mon” (Cruel Demon). In French, it’s “Cruella d’Enfer” (Cruella of Hell). And in Dutch, “de Vil” remains, but instead the word means “skinning,” likely a reference to how the character Cruella treats the dogs in 101 Dalmatians. Clearly, strides have been taken around the world to preserve the villainous nature of Cruella, but with all that said, it is her choice that she be identified as such.

Cruella not only sheds her name in this movie but sheds her previous identity, finally becoming the person she always knew herself to be on the inside. The origin story Cruella is not about how a woman came to hate dogs; it is about how Estella, a young girl with a tragic backstory, morphs into Cruella, the confident woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to pursue it. Cruella is not a Disney villain, but rather a person working to understand and express her own identity.

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