KEY POINTS

  • Several social media users said “Cruella” promotes animal abuse
  • The film, slated for release on May 28, stars Emma Stone
  • “Cruella" is a prequel to the 1996 film “101 Dalmatians” 

Walt Disney Studios dropped the trailer of "Cruella" on Wednesday, and the reactions from netizens have not all been positive, with many rallying for the cancellation of the film because it "promotes animal abuse."

“Cruella,” which stars Emma Stone in the titular role, is a live-action film following the life of the young Cruella de Vil, known to the fans of the 1996 film “101 Dalmatians” as the fashion tycoon who wanted to murder puppies and make fur coats with their skins.

Months before the slated release of “Cruella,” Disney shared the film’s trailer on different social media platforms, including Twitter.

“Brilliant. Bad. A little bit mad. May 2021,” Walt Disney Studios tweeted.

The trailer, which now has more than 13 million views, garnered mixed reactions from social media users, with most of them asking Disney to cancel the film.

“This movie is anti-canine and promotes animal abuse,” a Twitter user replied to the comment thread. “Cancel it.”

“This movie will inspire incel women to commit animal abuse,” said another Twitter user. “It’s dangerous and needs to be removed.”

“I take animal welfare very seriously and will henceforth be boycotting Disney for glamourizing puppy-genocide,” another Twitter user commented.

“I guess after Harley Quinn, it's cool and edgy for girls to [sympathize] with crazy mass murderers and ladies who kill dogs to make coats as long as they are empowered women. Disney is just trying to follow the [trend],” a netizen added.

“Let's see them ruining another classic,” he said.

“Nice try Disney. You’re not [going to] make me sympathize with a villain who murders adorable Dalmatians for coats,” another Twitter user replied. “I’m curious how they’re [going to] include that into the movie [though] without seeming too dark.”

Meanwhile, some Netizens replied to the comment thread with a few different memes, including “Cruella” being compared to “Joker,” a short clip called “Puppy Power” and snaps of different actresses who, according to the Twitter users, should have played the character instead of Stone.

According to Disney's brief description, the film is set in the 1970s, CNN reported. Before she became Cruella, she was known as Estella de Vil, a famous designer in London who was obsessed with dogs’ skins, especially those of Dalmatians.

The movie is set to release in theaters on May 28.

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