The Cruella trailer gives the iconic Disney villain a punk rock origin story

The trailer for Disney’s Cruella here and the live-action prequel about the early life of one of Disney’s most iconic animated villains certainly has an interesting look and feel. The film stars Emma Stone as the future dog-killing fashion icon, and sports distinct The Joker meets Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl vibes.

Set in 1970s London, the film’s punk rock origin story will follow Estella, an aspiring designer and talented grifter who’s doing her best to get society’s movers and shakers to take notice of her. But eventually, “her flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute… But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella.”

If the trailer is anything to go by, it seems as though the film will lean into the high drama and madness of the character. “I guess they were always scared that I’d be a psycho,” Stone intones in a voice over narration followed by maniacal laughter that feels more than a little Harley Quinn-esque.

Watch for yourselves below.

There are a few ominous glimpses of Dalmations, but little indication why they’re the specific breed Cruella herself will long to make into outerwear. (And, honestly, that burning dress trick is straight out of The Hunger Games. I’m not mad about it.)

Emma Thompson stars as Cruella’s adversary/possible mentor/wer’e not really sure yet Baroness von Hellman, and the cast also includes such familiar faces as Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, and Mark Strong.

Cruella is slated to hit theaters on May 28, but given the state of the global pandemic still battering movie theater box offices, there’s no way to know right now whether that date will hold. (Disney has already proven willing to move some of its feature films to Disney+ releases after all – see also: Soul and Mulan.)

Are you looking forward to seeing what makes Cruella tick? Sound off in the comments.