Baroness Von Hellman is the main antagonist of the 2021 film Cruella, portrayed by Emma Thompson. She is the biological mother of Cruella De Vil and an esteemed fashion designer operating in London. Known for founding the House of Baroness, she is fiercely protective of her position and reputation.
During her efforts, Estella learns that the Baroness is, in fact, her biological mother; she intended to have her baby killed after birth, but her valet John gave the baby to Catherine, who was a maid in the house at the time.
Sneaking inside, Estella loses her mother's necklace while being chased by the host's Dalmatian dogs, which push Catherine off a cliffside balcony to her death. Orphaned, Estella runs away to London and befriends street urchins Jasper and Horace.
The scene happens early in the movie, when Cruella is still the young, mischievous girl, Estella. Estella and her mother, Catherine, show up at the estate of the Baronness during a swanky gala. Catherine, a former employee of the filthy rich Baronness, is there to ask her former employer for a bit of money.
The Mom Twist Doesn't Change Cruella's Motivations
At the second act turn, the audience and Cruella (Emma Stone) learn that her mother wasn't the kindly woman who got knocked off the cliff by dogs. She's the daughter of the film's villain, the Baroness (Emma Thompson).
Cruella begins with Estella as a child with black and white hair, something that she was born with due to a disease called poliosis. The condition is caused by a decrease or absence of melanin in the hair on the body, typically resulting in a white streak or splotches in someone's hair.
Both Roger and Anita receive puppies from Cruella, Dalmatians named Pongo and Perdit, respectively. This perfectly aligns with the arc in both versions of 101 Dalmatians, wherein Roger and Anita fall in love, and their dogs give birth to an unnaturally large litter of 15 puppies.
John then shows Estella the key hidden on the necklace, which unlocks a box containing her birth records and then reveals the truth to Estella of being the Baroness' daughter. The Baroness is narcissistic and angered by her pregnancy as it would shift attention from her.
According to Gillespie, dalmatians were especially hard to work with because their attention span was limited and they became rather rambunctious and fidgety when in a scene with other dogs.
Why did Cruella want the puppies in 101 Dalmatians?
Her personal anthem, the song that plays in the animated version of 101 Dalmatians, is all about how “if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will.” And her defining characteristic is that she loves dalmatian fur so much she's more than willing to kidnap a bunch of puppies in the hopes of skinning them for their spots.
Baroness von Hellman vows revenge on Cruella De Vil, and her last words in the film. In the past, Baroness von Hellman married Baron von Hellman and eventually gave birth to his daughter.
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.
Their parents, Pongo and Perdita, set out to save their puppies from Cruella, in the process rescuing eighty-four additional ones, bringing the total of Dalmatians to one hundred and one.
Why did Genghis put on weight at the end of Cruella?
Apparently, the dogs got real friendly with Cruella and Horace's own pups, and the movie ends with Horace pointing out that Genghis — one of the Dalmatians, all three of which Cruella kept after getting the Baroness arrested — has put on weight. Sweet Horace. No, Genghis hasn't put on weight, she's pregnant.
At the 2022 Oscars, makeup artist Nadia Stacey revealed that the script for the sequel was in the works. Even in 2023, the project is still in its pre-production stage. Considering the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Cruella probably won't begin filming before 2024.
Though Jasper and Horace carry out Cruella's deeds, they only do it for money and not for enjoyment. Horace fears her wrath, but Jasper shows no respect for Cruella due to often being annoyed with her bossiness. This makes Cruella despise Jasper more than Horace.
Who are Estella's parents? At the end of the novel, Pip discovers that Estella is the daughter of Magwitch and Molly, a woman who now works as Jagger's servant after being convicted of murder.
Mr. Jaggers takes a liking to him. He courts and later marries Estella, but dies in an accident later. He is significant to the plot in the idea that he ruins Pip's dreams, marrying Estella and taking away Pip's true goal in life.
By drawing attention to Molly's impressive strength, Mr. Jaggers accentuates the boys' relative weakness. His claim that “very few men have the power of wrist" that Molly has could be seen as an attempt to humble them. However, the demonstration does not only reveal Molly's power; it also reveals her lack thereof.
She is an eccentric, fashion-obsessed heiress who wishes to use the skins of 99 Dalmatian puppies to create a spotted fur coat. Regarded as a "witch" and "devil woman", Cruella's infatuation with furs drives her to murderous insanity.
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.
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.
