Finne wrote in a 1968 New York Times review of the book. “Miss Smith’s affection for dogs is evident in their warmly drawn personalities, but her virtue is also the story’s undoing,” Rachel R. The book was certainly not as popular as its predecessor-perhaps because it was lacking a villain of Cruella’s stature.

Cruella de Vil does not have much of a presence in The Starlight Barking-the dogs do make a visit to see her, but find that she is also asleep, and is no longer obsessed with fur coats (instead, plastic raincoats). In the book, it’s up to the dogs to decide what to do when it appears that everyone around them cannot be woken up. The sequel, The Starlight Barking, is not connected to the sequel films 102 Dalmatians (2000) or 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure (2003). In 1967, Smith published a sequel to The One Hundred and One Dalmatians, in which one morning the now grown-up dalmatian puppies discover that all living creatures have succumbed to a mysterious sleep. Here’s everything you need to know about the origins of Cruella de Vil. There’s Dodie Smith’s 1956 children’s novel that 101 Dalmatians is based on, as well as the real-life women that the creative team behind the 1961 movie were inspired by when developing the character. Though this is the first time we’re seeing Cruella de Vil’s coming-of-age and rise in the fashion world, her origins can be traced back to several places. Their relationship gets messy quickly, and spurs Estella to lean into her mischievous side, culminating in an intense power struggle between the master and the protégé. Directed by Craig Gillespie ( I, Tonya), Cruella is set in 1970s London where the titular character, known then as Estella, works as a designer for fashion icon Baroness von Hellman ( Emma Thompson). The movie, which arrives May 28 in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access, stars Emma Stone as the infamous dog-napper before the events of 101 Dalmatians. Cruella, the new Disney live-action film, wants us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about the character by giving her the origin story treatment.

The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith