With the recently released trailer for Cruella, Disney and DC fans have both recognized similarities between Cruella and Harley Quinn. The trailer, heavily emphasizing a fashion-forward seventies aesthetic, has shots of Cruella breaking into the fashion world then crashing a party, all set to "Who's Sorry Now" by Connie Francis. This pairs easily with Edith Piaf's "Hymne à L'amour" which plays in the background of the trailer for Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), with both song choices coming from the '50s and clearly intended to set a similar mindset, as reminiscent songs of love. Were the musical cues swapped, it would be difficult to say that the exchange would be a bad fit for either trailer.
The similarities are more than superficial and run through the production of the films. Casting for Cruella was debated for some time, and a number of actors almost played Harley Quinn - not surprisingly, as finding the right fit for these roles could be a tricky task. Both characters are famously unbalanced at the best of times, and it can be a challenge to portray this tactfully, without reducing their characters to their mental instability or that instability being so subtle that it slips into the background of the character instead of being a consistent character trait.
The similarities between the Cruella portrayed in the new trailer and Harley Quinn are such that they even set a hashtag about the pairing trending on Twitter. With some people wondering if Cruella is Disney's attempt at the fierce female antihero that won Margot Robbie's character some critical acclaim, others have expressed concern that with Cruella's tendency toward animal cruelty, Cruella may be copying Maleficent's mistake by humanizing a villain that would otherwise be irredeemable. Still, Harley Quinn has proven that a high-energy pseudo-villain can heal some reservations, and comparing the two is a good place to start.
Both Cruella and Harley Are Aware of Their Eccentricities
Self-aware characters are very much in vogue at the moment, and both Cruella and Harley give lie to the idea that everyone is necessarily a hero in their own stories. With Harley, this takes the form of self-analysis. As a trained psychiatrist, she has the capacity to recognize that her experience with reality is not 1:1 the same as that of those around her, and as an antihero, she most often chooses to revel in this difference. A major aspect of Harley's character is this awareness that removes her inhibitions and adherence to societal norms, a trait she shares with the Joker. This is why the Cruella trailer was also called a copy of Joker as it's a major common trait between the three characters, but more directly mirrored in Harley because of other similarities.
Cruella goes so far as to describe herself as "born brilliant, born bad, and a little bit mad" - a clear indication that she not only is aware of what others say about her but that she takes no significant exception to the description. Like Harley, she self-identifies with a predisposition toward certain patterns of thought, and her emphasis on how this influences her behavior takes up a significant portion of the trailer. The audience is given a view of Cruella as someone beginning slightly broken, and spiraling as a result of her environment.
Both Characters Are Defined By Fashion
While it may be expected that fashionista Cruella would naturally adopt a memorable look and unique hairstyle, Birds of Prey shows Harley Quinn wearing costumes of all different descriptions, drawing from both comics that she has featured in and from iconic fashion looks of the past six decades. Both characters also show a striking transformation from their original appearance to the one that best defines them - Harley, having swan-dived into acid, has bleached skin and hair, but also dip-dyes her hair and chooses clothing that is as eccentric and flamboyant as she is.
What the Cruella trailer shows of Cruella's aesthetic shift is no less a transformation - the first scenes of the trailer show a somewhat conservatively (if fashionably) dressed woman with red hair, compared to a later scene with her iconic white and black hair, and an outfit that embraces the air of menace that she is deliberately adopting. The adaptation of the animated character into live-action emphasizes these stylistic points, and while some question why Disney has made live-action remakes of a great number of their animated properties, Cruella's definitive style arguably works better in the live-action format than it did in the original movie.
They Both Embrace A Criminal Lifestyle
Birds of Prey showed Harley going "freelance" with her violent troubleshooting, she clearly has no interest in staying within the confines of the law. Meanwhile, Cruella's henchmen from the animated 101 Dalmatians have returned in the trailer for her prequel story. Both characters clearly take a lackadaisical view toward law and order, especially when it gets in the way of what they want to do. In the cinematic depictions of Harley Quinn, she is far more hands-on in crime than Cruella appears interested in being, but they both appear to be driven by impulse.
The contrast between the two characters also emphasizes this shared trait. From the new information appearing in the Cruella trailer, it appears that Cruella is using her casual relationship with the law to take revenge for sleights and obstacles put in her way, including an antagonist that seems to be of similar moral persuasion. However, Cruella seems to be somewhat more cerebral in how she chooses to upstage her adversary and take advantage of a given situation. Upstaging and taking advantage of situations also define Harley's approach to the Joker in Birds of Prey, but her efforts to do so are more personal, more visceral, and more directly violent.
...But They Do Have Some Differences
Harley, a great lover of animals, would likely object to the skinning of spotted creatures, as a dedicated pet owner. While the trailer for Cruella does not focus on her eventual plans to create a line of dalmatian coats, it is definitely presented as a prequel, suggesting that the events of 101 Dalmatians are yet to come. Harley Quinn may have a list of grievances that others have leveled against her, but no one has ever accused her of wanting to skin the neighbor's dog.
More broadly, however, is the expressed attitude with which each character goes through life. The Cruella trailer speaks of a woman who is determined to do harm, perhaps a bit sociopathic, but Harley's wander through life as depicted in Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey gives her an air of a good-hearted person who just makes bad decisions. While Cruella is cruel, Harley is self-interested, and that distinction may prove telling. If Cruella seeks to tell the backstory of a woman prepared to slaughter puppies for coats, it will end up a great deal darker than any project with Harley Quinn - the only question is whether Disney is prepared to commit to it.
