The Baroness' Dalmatians are the secondary antagonists later protagonists of Disney's 2021 live-action film Cruella. They are the three Dalmatians that Baroness Von Hellman owns and at time she has been known to use them against her enemies before they switched their allegiance to Cruella De Vil.
Appearances
Cruella
At some unknown point the Baroness acquired three Dalmatians, whom she would show off during public gatherings such as her magnificent galas. The Baroness also used her dogs for darker purposes, such as murdering her enemies, which the Baroness used a special whistle as a tool to order and command her dogs to do such tasks. When former maid Catherine Miller appeared at the Baroness' gala to ask for money, a young Estella and her dog Buddy sneak into the gala and accidentally start a commotion, during which the Baroness uses her whistle to order her dogs to kill Catherine, during which they chase Estella and Buddy and then attack Catherine, who was pushed off a cliff to her death.
Years later, Estella attends the Baroness' gala as 'Cruella', during which the three Dalmatians growl at the unexpected guest when she crashes the party and sets fire to her white clock to revel a red dress, while Cruella and the baroness conversation about who Cruella is, Jasper and Horace start a pandemonium, during such the baroness starts commanding her three Dalmatians with her special whistle, which causes Cruella to realize that the Baroness commanded her dogs to murder her adoptive mother Catherine all those years ago. During the ruckus, one of the Dalmatians eats the necklace before Cruella and her accomplices can escape.
The next day Cruella, who is determined to get the necklace back, shows up at another one of the Baroness' gala's and kidnaps the three Dalmatians by luring them into their truck and driving off, which Jasper fears may cause Cruella to go to far. Cruella then keeps the three Dalmatians until one of them gives up the necklace via defecation. The Baroness was outraged that her dogs had been kidnapped and order the police to identify, find and arrest Cruella. After this Cruella pulled inspiration from the three Dalmatians fur and used it as a print in a dress, which caused the public to think that Cruella killed the dogs to make the print, even though the three dogs were actually still alive, Cruella likes the idea of letting everyone think that she killed them and made them into coats.
While holding the three Dalmatians in their hideout, Cruella taunts the Baroness by appearing at her gatherings in lavish outfits while staging pop-up shows that gained public support and caused the Baroness' sales continually dropped. Eventually the Baroness discovered that Cruella and Estella were the same person and tracked her to her, Jasper and Horace's hideout. After reclaiming her three Dalmatians the Baroness had Cruella tied up and attempted to murder her in a fire that would be blamed on Jasper and Horace, however Cruella was rescued by the Baroness's valet John.
Later on during the Baroness final gala for the season, Estella lures the Baroness outside to the cliffs where Catherine died. The Baroness then orders her dogs to attack Estella as they did to Catherine but Cruella easily commands them to her sides and the Dalmatians obey, accepting Cruella as their new master, due to taking the Baroness's whistle earlier. Estella then reviews to the Baroness her identity as her daughter, to which the Baroness feigned remorse for letting go "something extraordinary" but when the mother and daughter embraced, the Baroness pushed Estella over the cliff to her apparent death. Unknown to the Baroness, Jasper and Horace guided the guests outside so that the entire debacle would be witnessed by the guests, security guards and police. When she realizes she's been exposed for the monster she truly is, the Baroness tries to cover up her actions, but she is arrested for murdering her daughter, meanwhile Cruella survives the fall with a well-trimmed skirt made into a parachute.
With Estella's "murder" and the Baroness arrest, the Hellman family fortune, as well as the Baroness's former Dalmatians, are inherited by Cruella per Estella's will. After turning Hellman Hall into Hell Hall, Cruella took up residence in the mansion alongside Jasper, Horace, Artie, Wink and Buddy and kept the Baroness' former three Dalmatians by her side as new pets. Later the Dalmatians had puppies named Perdita and Pongo, whom Cruella gifted to Anita Darling and Roger respectively.
Trivia
- The Baroness is implied to have used her dogs to kill multiple people in a similar fashion to how she used them to murder Catherine throughout her life given her response to Cruella's declaration that she killed her mother.
- One of the three Dalmatians is named Genghis who is later revealed to be the mother of Pongo and Perdita.
