Every version of Cruella de Vil includes her signature black and white hair, but the 2021 live-action remake of the popular Disney animated film Cruella gives a reasonable explanation as to why the villain has two different hair colors.
The reason given for Cruella's distinctive hair is poliosis, a disease that causes a decrease or absence of melanin in head hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, or any other hairy area. More often than not, the hair is affected in splotches or directly over the forehead to create a streak of white, akin to Rogue in X-men.
Physical appearance. Cruella is an extremely thin woman that almost appears skeletal around the curves. She has pale skin, red lips, green eyes, and eye shadow. She has shoulder-length hair, the two halves of which are a different color; the right side is black, and the left side is white.
Since her childhood, Cruella has been dyeing her hair red to blend in. After switching back to her natural black and white color, she keeps a wig to maintain her identity as "Estella". "Cruella" was a nickname Estella's mother used to describe her personality when she misbehaved as a child.
Estella Dyes Her Hair Black & White When She Becomes Cruella
Because of her unusual hair, Estella was bullied in school, which partly shaped her into the villain she eventually became. She was an outcast, and in order to fit in, Emma Stone's character dyed her hair red to hide her natural two-toned color.
The most time-consuming part, she admits, was perfecting Stone's hair. Before putting on her Cruella wig, Stacey painted Stone's actual hair the same colors to make it look as realistic as possible.
Why does Cruella hate Dalmatians in 101 Dalmatians?
You might even find yourself enjoying the movie, before remembering that the inciting action and entire motivation for the story is that Cruella's mother was pushed off a cliff by some CGI Dalmatians. Yes, that is the reason Cruella de Vil hates Dalmatians.
In 101 Dalmatians, Cruella wanted to purchase Perdita and Pongo's Dalmatian puppies because she was a selfish heiress who viewed the puppies as a fashionable commodity to be exploited rather than as innocent living beings.
In the 1961 animated original film, the fashion-obsessed heiress was usually seen clutching a cigarette and holder as sickly green smoke wafted behind her. When asked why the wardrobe statement piece was intentionally left out, Stone attributed it to evolving opinions about smoking within the past 60 years.
The first thing Disney did to make Cruella a redeemable character was to portray her as having dissociative identity disorder (sometimes called multiple personality disorder).
Starring Emma Stone in the title role, and set in the vibrant punk era of '70s London, the film follows Estella, a rebellious young grifter who – with her natural black-and-white hair, which she disguises with red hair dye – has always felt like an outsider.
Gray or white hair is not caused by a true gray or white pigment, but is due to a lack of pigmentation and melanin. The clear hairs appear as gray or white because of the way light is reflected from the hairs. Gray hair color typically occurs naturally as people age (see aging or achromotrichia below).
Cruella comes to visit and feels that Anita just sending the sketches of her designs because she is on leave from work isn't the same as the interaction they had together. She mocks Roger for his job and for starting a family which makes his respect for her, turn to hatred.
In Disney's original animated “101 Dalmatians” from 1961, Cruella de Vil is an evil woman in her sixties whose goal is to kill and skin the Dalmatians for their fur as a new fashion statement.
The Dalmatians in question belong to Cruella's rival Baroness Von Hellman, and are – according to Cruella at least – partly to blame for the death of her mother, which goes some way to explaining exactly why she went on to harbour such a grudge against the poor spotted pooches.
Some theorize that her hatred for animals is a result of her traumatic childhood; her parents were allegedly distant and emotionally abusive, and her only solace was her pet black and white spotted puppy.
With a drop of a flaming matchstick, Cruella's satin hood burns into nothingness and uncovers a red-hot dress and that signature half-black-half-white do.
While there are a few nods to the iconic Disney film, including an appearance from Anita and Cruella's iconic car, Cruella mostly acts as a stand-alone film, separate from the 101 Dalmatians universe.
Sadly, no, none of it was her real hair. Very few actors would die their hair two different colors in that drastic of a fashion. But then again, Estella's red hair wasn't Emma Stone's natural hair either. According to Nadia Stacey, who headed up hair and makeup on “Cruella,” it was all wig work.
In contrast, Emma Stone's Cruella has bright green eyes, like many other Disney Villains. This is an interesting choice by Disney since green eyes are actually one of the rarest eye colours but are frequently used for their villains.
Ever since her debut in Dodie Smith's novel, there have been many films and shows that have showcased the character Cruella de Vil. She appeared in 101 Dalmatians, the 1961 animated film by Walt Disney, where her character was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson.
