When Cruella burst onto screens in 2021, it reimagined one of Disney’s most infamous villains as a punk-rock antiheroine. Against the riotous energy of London’s 1970s counterculture, Estella embraced her darker side, shedding innocence for ambition, and transforming into the iconic, merciless fashion revolutionary known as Cruella de Vil. With a taste for revenge and a flair for spectacle, she conquered the city’s fashion world in a blaze of couture, chaos, and unforgettable drama.
Now, in Cruella 2 (2026), the stakes are higher, the rivalries sharper, and the games deadlier. Directed by Craig Gillespie, with a screenplay by Dana Fox, Tony McNamara, and Aline Brosh McKenna, the sequel takes Cruella beyond her origins, cementing her as not just a star of style — but a legend forged in fire, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of power.
The Queen of Fashion – or the Queen of Nothing
Cruella (Emma Stone) now rules the fashion world with ruthless brilliance. Her designs dominate runways, her shows redefine spectacle, and her name inspires fear as much as admiration. Yet at the peak of power comes danger: new rivals, hungrier and even more ruthless, rise from the shadows. Among them is a mysterious figure from the past who threatens to unravel everything she has built — not with scissors or silk, but with secrets buried deep in her origin.
In a city where loyalty is fleeting and betrayal is an art form, Cruella must learn that staying on top requires more than vision. It demands survival.
Rivals, Alliances, Betrayals
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Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson): Once defeated, never forgotten. The Baroness may have fallen, but she is far from gone. Twisted by vengeance, she plots her return with elegance as sharp as her cruelty.
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Jasper (Joel Fry): Once a loyal accomplice, Jasper now questions whether Cruella’s hunger for dominance leaves room for loyalty — or friendship. Their bond, tested by ambition, threatens to break under the weight of mistrust.
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New Entrants: The sequel introduces formidable players in London’s underworld of fashion and crime — designers who use scandal as weapon, aristocrats with dark appetites, and allies who can turn into adversaries overnight.
Cruella must navigate this minefield with her signature mix of madness and brilliance, proving she can outsmart enemies even more vicious than herself.
A War of Style and Survival
Fashion is no longer just art — it is war. Runways become battlegrounds, gowns become armor, and each collection is a declaration of dominance. The sequel pushes the visuals to dazzling extremes: anarchic street parades, clandestine galas in decaying manors, and punk-fueled spectacles that make every stitch a weapon.
But beneath the glitter lies blood. Each show, each rivalry, carries consequences that spill far beyond the fashion world — into crime, politics, and survival itself.
The Evolution of Cruella
This is not the tale of how Estella became Cruella. This is the tale of how Cruella becomes immortal. Emma Stone reprises her role with greater depth, portraying a woman torn between ambition and vulnerability, chaos and control. Cruella’s journey is not just about defending her throne, but about defining what it means to rule.
Is she a visionary? A tyrant? A legend? Or simply another victim of her own hunger for power?
Themes Beneath the Glamour
While Cruella 2 dazzles with punk, couture, and chaos, it also explores deeper questions:
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Identity vs. Image: Can a woman who built herself from lies ever live her truth?
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Power and Loneliness: What is the cost of greatness when it leaves you with no one to trust?
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Legacy: In a world of fleeting trends, how do you become timeless?
The film is as much about psychology as it is about spectacle, showing the fragile humanity behind the flamboyant mask.
A Punk Opera of Power
Director Craig Gillespie blends biting humor, visual extravagance, and raw edge into a punk-rock opera of betrayal and ambition. The script, sharp with wit and venom, paints a world where loyalty is currency and love is liability. With electrifying performances, breathtaking costumes, and a soundtrack that bleeds rebellion, Cruella 2 promises to be both a feast for the senses and a haunting meditation on fame, fury, and the price of becoming a legend.
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