Emma Stone’s Cruella Movie Won’t Be Family Friendly, Just Got A Surprising Rating
Emma Stone is getting a little naughty in Disney's Cruella.
This article is more than 2 years old
In the trailer for Emma Stone’s Cruella, she tells us that she is “not for everyone”. Apparently, she meant it. The new live-action Disney movie has just received its rating from the Motion Picture Association. While most families would expect the new movie to be PG like most of their films, Cruella has been announced with a PG-13 rating.
Often, raising the rating would be due to swearing or the comedic scenes that go a touch too far. In the case of the new Emma Stone movie, the MPAA said this was due to “violence and thematic elements”. From what we’ve seen of the character in other productions, we know that she is a terrifying villain who likes to skin dogs. While the trailer for Cruella doesn’t mention much about that, it may be good to know what exactly these violent and thematic elements are, or at least that they don’t involve hurting dogs. While Cruella de Vil is one of the most beloved Disney villains, no one actually wants to see a story where a dog gets hurt. There are websites dedicated to warning you about such tragic events.
Fortunately, the trailer for Cruella doesn’t make it look like this is something we’ll be seeing on screen. Neither does the movie’s description. For the most part, the story is going to take place before dogs come into the picture. This is the origin story for the character we know as the villain in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The animated Disney classic showed a much older Cruella de Vil, established as a businesswoman in the fashion world. In the Emma Stone movie, we’re going to see how she got there. According to the trailer, people always thought Cruella de Vil was a touch off. Watch the trailer below.
While Disney’s recent live-action Mulan received a PG-13 rating, it was still a surprise for many to see on Cruella. When the trailer first released, some were comparing the anti-hero lead character to Joker. The DC Comics movie was rated R and clearly a far step away from what we can expect to see in the new Emma Stone movie. However, the PG-13 rating does make the comparisons seem more apt.
Previously, Disney released Maleficent in 2014. That movie had a similar storyline, as it featured the villain from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty in her own origin tale. Maleficent earned $758 million at the box office, which got it a sequel in 2019. That movie only had a PG rating. The Angelina Jolie story also took a very different tone from what we’re seeing in the Emma Stone trailer. Jolie’s origin story was violent but beautiful. It worked to capture fairy tale magic. In Cruella, we’re going to 1970’s London. Emma Stone’s character is going to hang out with punk thieves and find herself breaking into the fashion business. It’s a bit more cutthroat, a bit grittier. Or at least, it goes as far with those elements as Disney is willing to lean into. A PG-13 rating surely suggests the family-friendly company was willing to stretch themselves a little this time around.
Just how dark will Emma Stone go in Cruella? We’ll be able to see when the movie releases in theaters on May 28, 2021.
