“Why must Disney choose to put out a live action version on every single movie?” This is what I asked myself when I saw the trailer for Cruella. Admittedly, Emma Stone is a perfect Cruella De Vil, but surely it cannot be good. After all, the other Disney live actions have been horrible at worse and pointless at best. It can’t be good, right? Right?

Well… I’m here to tell you that it is not good, it’s sublime! I had zero hopes for this movie and was completely, entirely caught off guard. When I saw the run time of a little over two hours, I was like “yikes, maybe I don’t want to be stuck in there for that long.” But I left the theater saying, “holy shit, I wish that was two hours longer.” I can not believe how great this movie is and it honestly has no right being this good.

First and foremost, Emma Stone is absolutely perfect in the titular role. She nails this and I could not think of a better casting choice. But it does not stop there! Everybody is perfect in this film. From Emma Thompson as the total bitch Baroness to Joel Fry as the childhood friend of Cruella that keeps her grounded. Also a huge shout out to Paul Walter Hauser as the lovable conman Horace (but Paul Walter Hauser always plays the most amazing, interesting characters in everything. I love the dude). The casting is phenomenal.

But what’s a cast without a story? This is where Cruella shines. It is not a retelling of 101 Dalmatians, but rather a prequel. It’s Cruella’s backstory. Which we never really got in the original cartoon. This is an amazing approach. They get to do the live action without shitting all over the originals. This is why the other remakes just don’t work for me. The original movies are all masterpieces that obviously stand the test of time. Why remake them? It’s either to replace them with an inferior product or for a cash grab (which, knowing Disney, is totally the reason). I cannot imagine that they think the live actions reach today’s children better than a cartoon. I mean… Are kids ever going to hate cartoons? No! In fact, I think a kid would probably like watching a cartoon more than a live action genie played by Will Smith. They don’t even know who Will Smith is… So, I mean… it must be for the paycheck. Which is fine, but it just hurts to see them do this to these beloved cartoons. But regardless, Cruella does not do this. 101 Dalmatians exists AFTER Cruella. This is just a lead in on that movie. And it’s a perfect one at that. We see Cruella’s tragic backstory and just how she came to be. You end up really loving her and sympathizing with her. Which could have been a bad thing. We’re not really supposed to like her. Because in the cartoon, she is a bitch just because she can be. But this is where the masterful writing comes in. She is also a bitch for no reason in Cruella and she only gets worse and worse as the movie goes on. Now this is usually a sort of unrecoverable space for a protagonist to be. The audience can really only cheer for someone so much. Eventually you’ll start to hate the character and it’s game over. But, Cruella totally nails this fine balance. They don’t make her too likable, but they don’t make you hate her either. This is an incredibly hard thing to do and Cruella nails it. A lot of this is because the person that Cruella is being a bitch to, is somehow even worse. The Baroness is a horrible horrible person. So no matter what, Cruella is still going to be the person you cheer for. Even when she starts being questionable. I loved this and it totally feels in character for the cartoon version of Cruella De Vil. Just masterful writing.

One last quick thing that totally blew me away: the fashion in the movie. Cruella De Vil is an aspiring fashion designer and all of the outfits and dresses and stuff they design is amazing. This was probably a dream job for whoever was in charge of costumes and they completely crushed it. I also love the montage of Cruella outsmarting the Baroness at every single fashion show. So great.

Overall, I give Cruella a 3 out of 4. This movie is incredible. Super easy to watch and super easy to enjoy. Emma Stone is perfectly casted. As is the rest of the cast. I also love the story and was completely enamored with this movie. I loved it and will gladly watch it again. It’s also a perfect lead in to one of the best Disney movies ever made. This is hands down the best live action Disney movie. I honestly do not think an argument could even be made. Please take notes Disney on what made this movie so amazing. Maybe we could get back stories on some other Disney villains? Just please please please leave Oogie Boogie alone. I beg you… Please?