LONDON IS CALLING! Grab your hats and furry sidekicks for a tour of sensational London through Miss De Vil’s eyes.
The Disney live action movie of everyone’s favorite fur-wearing villain stars Emma Stone as the genius Estella who becomes the fashionable madwoman we love to hate, Cruella. The film also includes stars, including: Joel Fry as the proclaimed brains of every operation Jasper, Paul Walter Hauser as the brawn and friend to all furry friends Horace, John McCrea as fellow fashion disruptor Artie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as journalistic troublemaker Anita Darling, Emily Beecham as the lovely and supportive mother to a genius Catherine, Mark Strong as the secretive and cunning John The Valet, and Emma Thompson as the fashionably vicious Baroness.
The movie is essentially the origin story of how Cruella became the rich and fashion forward woman she was always destined to be. Behind the many stunning runway – worthy couture moments (and believe me, there were a lot!) lies a tragic backstory no one saw coming
CAUTION: A WHOLE LOTTA SPOILERS AHEAD…
HIGHMORE COTTAGES
The film opens with the birth of Estella. For a small portion of her life, she was raised in a cottage village much like the picture above. Highmore Cottages – located in a small town called Little Missenden – is known for its popular village hall.
ENGLEFIELD HOUSE
Multiple scenes take place here including flashbacks. Probably the moment that most showed off young Estella’s (played by Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) mischievous side was when she snuck into this mansion during a fashion show. The 14,000 acres of land with over 600 properties, the estate manages many services and activities. For example, visits to the Englefield Gardens where The Baroness infamously offed Estella’s loving, single mother Catherine.
OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE
An orphaned Estella meets young versions of partners-in-crime duo Jasper and Horace by a fountain similar to the one above at the college. The fountain scenes act as a comforting safe space for her to remember and speak to her mother throughout the film.
GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET AND LITTLE MARLBOROUGH STREET
A young adult Estella walks across this street to enter the Liberty of London department store for her first day of work. Her hope was to work with clothes, instead Estella was working not to get her hands crushed under the weight of her supervisor while she scrubbed the floors or took out the trash. The actual Liberty London is a brisk 3 miles away from popular restaurants and attraction, such as Carnaby Street.
CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE
After a tumultuous incident in a storefront window that nearly got her arrested, Estella is taken under the wing of The Baroness and hired as a seamstress – Estella’s dream job. This venue hosts many weddings, conferences, and other private events even The Baroness would approve of.
TOWER BRIDGE
Estella, under the guise of Cruella for the first time, comes to a realization about the night her mother died… and how the Baroness was involved. Her beautiful background was set in front of this landmark. Visitors can look inside to take in the amazing views London has to offer.
THE ATHENAEUM
Cruella wages war on The Baroness by upstaging every event and taking the spotlight away, which infuriates the designer. Cruella’s evil genius sense of style and the art of making an entrance surely makes for a newsworthy headline. In the picture above, Cruella rides alongside a garbage truck with her dramatically long gown billowing in the breeze, after another successful spotlight-stealing moment, leaving The Baroness livid in front of this luxurious hotel.
OLD SQUARE
Cruella learns the truth about her past at John The Valet’s London flat in an area similar to the picture above. This scene was filmed in an apartment in Old Square.
SHAD THAMES
In a mad dash to free her Jasper and Horace from jail, she ran a garbage truck through the police station to cause enough chaos for them to escape. Yup, nothing ordinary about Cruella’s entrances and exits. According to Secret London, this area was named the most photogenic streets in London.
Check out the wildest origin story about this fabulous villainess on Disney+.
