Cruella's car is the vehicle owned by Cruella De Vil in the 101 Dalmatians franchise. In the books, it is black-and-white (like a moving zebra crossing), but in the animated feature and its sequel, as well as its TV series adaptation, it is a deep burgundy red (though more purplish/plum at times) with black fenders. However, in the live-action film, its 2000 sequel, and the 2021 film, it is black-and-white like it was in the books. It should be noted that in the films, Cruella does not have a chauffeur (like in the books), but drives it herself. At the end of the first film, the car is totaled due to Cruella's reckless driving while she chased the Dalmatians.
Background[]
Development[]
Back in the 1960s, Disney animators were using Xerox camera technology to translate pencil drawings on paper into line work on cels, which replaced the traditional hand-painted cels in order to save money on creating animated films. During the production of One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the studio came up with an idea on how to animate Cruella's car: they built a model of her car out of cardboard with bold black lines on the edges.
To make the wheels articulate, the animators took a long piece of cloth, taped small pieces of wooden doweling underneath it, and then put the car on top of the cloth suspended from a kite string. They would then pull this long piece of fabric with all these pieces of wooden doweling underneath the wheels, and they would shoot a take of that. To give it the look that the car had suspension, they put in springs so it would have this little bouncy effect. The footage would then be run through the same Xerox process that was being used to transfer pencil line work into cels and then painted to what was seen in the final film. When Cruella is seen driving her car up the hill of snow, a sand-like substance was used for it to drive through, all shot in slow motion.
The process of shooting models with those black outlines worked very successful when making One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and it was also a clever idea to save money. This process would again be used in later animated films, such as The Aristocats. The current status of the original model of Cruella's car remains in storage, mostly fully intact.
Physical description[]
In the original release of the book, Cruella's car is a 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith limousine created by the coach builders Hooper & Company. Similar to its real life incarnation, the hood, roof, and trunk are black, while its doors, running board, and fenders have black stripes painted over the white paint job (like a zebra crossing). The car is equipped with an L6 engine with 150 horsepower with a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h) that can get the vehicle to run two miles within two minutes (which was powerful at that time). The car is also equipped with a brand new horn louder than 80 dB, which Cruella describes as the most strident horn in all of England. In later editions of the book, the car was illustrated to resemble a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I and the pre-war Rolls-Royce 40-50hp Phantom II 'Continental' Sports Saloon with horizontal black and white stripes all over the entire car.
In the animated films, Cruella's car is a massive, long, imposing roadster from the 1930s with a hood stretching out for several feet, concealing its enormous, powerful V8 engine running at 160 horsepower. It is strongly based on a Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet, a 1936 Alvis Speed 20 SD Drophead Coupe, and a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Weinburger Cabriolet. The main body is a deep burgundy-red color, while the fenders and running boards are black and the grill, ornament, landau bars and bumper are silver while the right side of the car has a gold horn with a long, thin piping attached that omitted in the later parts of the movie. The headlights and front bumper are shaped to resemble an angry face (much like the 2003–2006 (2007 Classic) Chevrolet Silverado "cat-eye" design for the former, despite being completely different vehicles as those are pickup trucks), and the hubcaps have a stylized "CD" on them. The car has right-hand steering (to fit the British theme) and does not have a rear bumper, but tail lights resembling exhaust pipes sticking behind each fender. In 101 Dalmatians: The Series and 101 Dalmatian Street, Cruella is shown to be taller than the car.
In its first film appearance and just like from the book, the car is iconic for its loud, blaring horn, announcing Cruella's presence to all nearby. When Perdita hears the horn, she immediately recognizes it as belonging to Cruella. It is shown in 101 Dalmatians II to have a radio (which was rare in 1930s cars), with Cruella kicks in a rage after Roger's song about her comes on as she starts the car. It is also shown to start up automatically after turning the key ignition (in contrast to turning a car on manually with the ignition, choke, and full throttle switches from that era the car was made). The car is completely totaled and torn apart after Jasper and Horace crash their truck into it at the end of One Hundred and One Dalmatians. At the beginning of 101 Dalmatians II, the car is shown to be largely intact, albeit heavily damaged from the wreck at the end of the first film. The car falls apart as Cruella tries to drive it after being denied entry to a furrier's shop, until there is nothing left but the engine, frame, and seat. It is not seen again after she abandons it in the film.
Appearances[]
The Hundred and One Dalmatians[]
Cruella's car in the novels
Closer view of Cruella's fender
The car was first seen being driven by a chauffeur in the first chapter of the book. The car pulls up to a large house as Cruella steps out of the house and has a brief conversation with the Dearly couple. Cruella later boasts to the couple about her car's horn being the loudest of all of England, which she demonstrates before leaving the house with her husband. Later, Cruella travels to Hell Hall with the car to instruct the Badun brothers to kill the puppies before heading back to London. In one chapter, while in a village with a bakery on fire, Pongo spots the car parked near the bakery with Cruella standing on top of the roof watching the bakery burn while her husband repeatedly blasts the horn, which gave the Dalmatians more time to escape. Soon after the fire was out, Cruella and her husband drove the car back to London, traveling two miles within two minutes and repeatedly blaring the horn. In order to evade the De Vil's, the Dalmatians hid inside a large van as the De Vil's drove past it. The car was last seen heading back to Cruella's house after she and her husband attended a dinner party.
The car was mentioned in the book's sequel The Starlight Barking in a chapter where Pongo, Missis, and Cruella's Persian cat reminisces Cruella's pursuit of the Dalmatians with the car.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians[]
Cruella herself is shown to be pretty reckless when it comes to driving the car, such as making drifting turns in the streets, driving extremely fast in snowy conditions, and sometimes running other cars off the road. However, she always blames a near accident on whoever is on the receiving side of the accident. The car is shown to be very resistant to damage. It survives Cruella's reckless driving, smashing into a fence on the side of the road, crashing through a wooden barrier, falling into a ditch, and crashing through another fence with no visible damage. Parts begin to fall apart when Cruella jumps it through a grove of trees (the roof and hood), showing the V8 engine, as it blows flames out of the cylinder pipes (the latter similar to Snot Rod from Cars, giving it a more "hot rod-like" appearance, and the former making the car turn into a "convertible"). The car falls apart even more as it spins through the air after being rammed by Jasper and Horace's truck.
When the Dalmatian pups reach Dimsford, Cruella drives her car around the village looking for them, before spotting the Dalmatians on the back of a moving truck. She recklessly chases after the van, trying to ram it off the road. Cruella's car eventually gets lodged onto the rear bumper of the van, before Horace and Jasper crash their own van into her, resulting in both of the villains' vehicles falling into a ditch and getting totaled.
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure[]
In the beginning of Patch's London Adventure, the car is briefly shown to have been poorly repaired following its destruction at the ending of the first film (implying that mechanics and/or repair shops actually exist in the universe). When Cruella starts it, Roger's song about her played on the radio, only for Cruella to kick it in a rage, until it disconnects. As Cruella tries to drive it, more and more pieces fall off, until the engine, frame, and seat are all that's left, and the car dies (if viewers listen closely, it can be heard as a "burp" sound, despite not being characterized/anthropomorphic like in the Cars series). In a display of temper, Cruella ditches the steering wheel away, kicks the front right tire, causing the radiator to deflate, the seat to fold up, and all of the tires to fall off, showing that her car was completely useless from that point on. In a later part of the film, Cruella, Jasper, and Horace steal a Kanine Krunchies truck and use it to kidnap the puppies.
It is unknown how could her car arrive despite the poor repair still with wreckage.
101 Dalmatians: The Series[]
Cruella's driving in this car is shown to be even more chaotic than before; however, that could come from the car itself, as it has shown to be quite erratic whoever is driving it (e.g. Anita or the Dalmatian puppies themselves), with the exception of Jasper and Horace. Unlike from the animated films, the car's grill, ornament and landau bars are gold instead of silver and it's a left hand drive with off-white colored seats that comes with seatbelts.
The car has been damaged a lot in the series, such as being crushed into a cube via a harvester or crashing into the swamp (the latter having it be repaired by Swamp Rat). On some occasions, the car is shown to give off fire trails, which sometimes set fire to the pavement or bridges which it crosses. When Cruella opens her Cruella World amusement park, the "Coup Go Round" has a design similar to the "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" ride at Disneyland, only with Cruella's car instead of an elephant.
101 Dalmatian Street[]
Cruella's car in 101 Dalmatian Street
Cruella's car returns finally fully repaired, albeit minor rust, alongside an elderly Cruella in 101 Dalmatian Street. Since the series is a continuation of the animated films, it is reasonable to assume that Cruella had her car restored somehow. However, due to the decades between the films and the show, the car shows signs of aging like Cruella. Specifically, rust spots can be seen dotting the underside of the bumpers and fenders, as well as a few on the bodywork. Even after many decades, Cruella's reckless driving still remains the same. This is shown when Cruella arriving in London leads to a major accident in the city, forcing Delilah and Doug to head there. Cruella also uses her car to knock out the electricity in Dalmatian Street. After capturing Delilah and Doug, she drove them chaotically through the streets of London to the docks where the puppies were being taken to a ship to be killed and skinned. Dolly and Dylan pursued Cruella on P.C. Pearl. While Cruella was driving to the docks, Clarissa was able to leap on to the back of the car and was able to open the trunk, where Doug was tied up, where they were noticed by a person, who in turn phones the police, which in turn leads to Cruella getting arrested, before any harm comes to the Dalmatians. The car was later abandoned in the docks.
Cruella had a modern horn on the car, although not as strident as her previous one. However, she made horn sounds when she was driving instead of honking the horn when she arrived in London and while she was driving to the pier.
Other appearances[]
A red and white version of Cruella's car appears in the Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures episode "Donald's Garage" as a car owned by Mr. Bigby and tended by Donald Duck and the crew during Mickey's absence. The car's model name was "Royale Baguette" as a reference to the Bugatti Royale, one of the cars that inspired Cruella's car.
Live-action appearances[]
101 Dalmatians[]
Cruella's car in the 1996 remake of 101 Dalmatians
In the film, Cruella drives a custom black and white 1974 Panther De Ville coupe, similar to the car in the original novel. It's the presence of this car that makes Anita know Cruella is visiting them, after she and Perdita return home from the doctor's/vet's. Cruella then drives to De Vil Manor in Suffolk where, unaware to her knowledge, a skunk sneaks onto the passenger's seat of her car, which she later mistakes for her purse. Cruella later leaves the car in the barn prior to her arrest. Roger later installs the car into his game demo, where the player Dalmatians (Patches and Whizzer) throw an explosive barrel at Cruella in the car. Cruella's car in the 1961 animated film is clearly shown to have a manual transmission, while the Panther in the 1996 remake clearly has an automatic transmission. The Panther De Ville was fitted with a Jaguar V8 instead of the usual V12 engine like the other De Ville models.
102 Dalmatians[]
At the start of the film, Alonzo meets Cruella with the car when she is released on parole. However, Ella (as the reformed Cruella insists on being called) insists on driving them back. Alonzo also served as a chauffeur for Cruella during her probation and several occasions. When Cruella and Le Pelt take the Dalmatians to France the car goes with them on the train, so Oddball and Waddlesworth stow away in the car, so as not to be caught. Cruella then drives insanely through the streets of Paris, including being on the wrong side of the road and going down the wrong direction of a one-way street.
When Cruella is later arrested, Alonzo arrives at "Second Chance Shelter" in Cruella's car, which at first makes Chloe concerned Cruella has been released again. However, Alonzo claims that he wanted the honor to hand the check of Cruella's estate to the shelter. It can be assumed that Alonzo became the de facto owner of the car, either as the result of legal proceedings, or because Cruella was forced to sell it to him due to her fortune being taken away by the court.
In the film, the car's engine was replaced with a small-block Chevy 350 V8, which can allow Cruella to perform a power steer.
Once Upon a Time[]
Cruella's car in Once Upon a Time
Cruella's car appears in the second half of the fourth season of the ABC fairy tale fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time. The model in the series is a 1980s Zimmer Golden Spirit (itself a modified Mercury Cougar) and like in the novel and in the live-action films, the car is black and white with a license plate that reads: "DEV IL"; however, the only difference is that it has red velour seating, automatic transmission and left-hand drive. Interestingly enough, Cruella's mother Madeline is shown driving a red Rolls-Royce coupe that is not dissimilar to Cruella's car in the animated films and shows.
Cruella's husband and source of income is arrested by the FBI, and she scarcely manages to snatch away one of her priceless fur coats before they take everything, just as Rumplestiltskin and Ursula approach her in order to strike a bargain — she aids in their plan, and she shall receive her happy ending. Cruella is enticed by the idea and agrees to drive the three of them in her vintage car to a quaint little town called Storybrooke, where magic is present. Once they get into the town, the two lady villainesses drive and meet up with Snow White and Prince Charming, who threaten to kill them should they reveal what happened all those years ago.
When Regina tries to spy on Cruella's ranks to test her, Cruella drives the car onto the middle of the train tracks, just as a train is coming. There, they play a game of chicken (in the first game, they use their magic to save themselves), where Regina uses her magic to lift the car onto the road, just as the train is about to hit them.
In "Sympathy for the De Vil", it is revealed that the car originally belonged to Isaac Heller, the author, who gave it to Cruella. Because of the author's powers, he seems to have enchanted it, letting it drive on its own. Cruella also seems to have a car just like hers in the Underworld version of Storybrooke.
Cruella[]
Like in the 1996 film and its sequel, Cruella's car is a black-and-white Panther De Ville and has a license plate with the words "De Vil". However, unlike the De Ville used in the previous live action films, this De Ville is an inverted black-and-white saloon instead of a coupe equipped with a V6 engine instead of a V8, has a trunk, and its engine's pipes are attached to the fenders. Initially, Cruella hot-wires and steals a brown-and-beige Panther De Ville while escaping the Baroness' party, but it quickly becomes evident that she cannot drive as she crashes into cars and garbage cans. At a later time, Horace Badun finds an abandoned chassis of the same model and modifies it as a gift to Cruella. He comments that the car is called "De Vil" which sounds like "devil". Cruella remarks that she quite likes that and adopts the surname "De Vil". Cruella makes her grand entrance to Baroness' final gala with the car just in time to see her being arrested for the murder of "Estella". Cruella drives herself, Artie, Jasper, Horace, Wink, and Buddy to her newly-acquired mansion, Hell Hall.
Video games[]
Some remote controlled versions of Cruella's car appear in 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue as a toy line, which Cruella tries to sell. She later uses them in her attempt to abduct the Dalmatian pups, although Domino and Oddball are usually able to counter them. The toys tend to drive around and sometimes play the sound of Cruella's laughter from the 1961 film and run over the Dalmatians.
In the Disney Villains Challenge game, there are two challenges involving Cruella's car. One of which is where the player uses their finger to pin down Cruella's car, and the other where the player needs to give the car a makeover. In the game, it is referred to as a "roadster".
Cruella's car is also a playable vehicle with use of a Power Disc in Disney Infinity. The car itself has higher speed and abilities than normal cars used in the game.
Cruella makes a return in the ninth season of Disney Speedstorm with a go-kart version of her car still bearing elements from its 1961 counterpart. Cruella honks her signature strident horn for a very short period of time, creating sonic waves that stun opponents and destroy obstacles. The go-kart spews fire from the protruding pipes for a moderate period of time. While transformed, Cruella gains a Speed Boost and stuns any opponent she clashes with. The car can be customized to several different colors including a black and red striped motif that resembles flames. The customizable ornaments available are Cruella's own red telephone, a cupcake served by Nanny, and the Spirit of Ecstasy ornament. The kart is an inverted black and red color with a Rolls Royce style grill and headlights fashioned after the Rolls Royce Silver Wraith from the book. The Kart also has a deluxe version which was fashioned after the car from the movie. It has a 6-cylinder engine instead of a V8 inside the hood, hence three pipes protruding on each side of the kart. The long horn is positioned on the left side of the vehicle. The headlights are now four instead of two resembling the angry headlights from the movie's original incarnation and it came with two bumper frames that resemble fangs of a demon.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Internet automotive blog Jalopnik ranked Cruella's car as #10 of the "greatest animated cars".
- In the live-action film, when Cruella storms out of the Dearlys' house, and after she gets in the car and Jasper closes the door, her coat is shown to be stuck in said door.
- A model of the car in its live-action appearance can be seen on the table with a lamp in Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Pongo & Perdita.
- All live-action iterations of Cruella's car to date have her last name spelled as "DEV IL" on the license plate, instead of the correct spelling "DE VIL".
- Madame Medusa, the main antagonist of The Rescuers, can be seen driving a car quite similar to Cruella's during the scene where Miss Bianca and Bernard see her leaving her pawn shop in New York City and follow her to the airport for her flight back to Devil's Bayou, Louisiana.
- In Disney Villains: The Essential Guide, the car is stated to be a custom model of Rolls-Royce.
- On May 28, 2021, Cruella's car was present at a special drive-in screening of the film Cruella at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for healthcare workers, hosted by Prince William and Duchess Kate.[1]
References[]
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