Stunning New Animated Short Takes On Cruella's Version of "A Twisted Tale

We're getting another highly-stylized animated short telling the darker tale of a Disney animated classic in A Twisted Tale series, this time taking on 101 Dalmatians and a story featuring Cruella De Vil.

What’s Happening: 

• Similar to another short animated adaptation of a Disney classic, we are now seeing a new animated story inspired by The New York Times best-selling series, A Twisted Tale. 
• In it, we pose the question - “What if Cruella and Anita had grown up together and were friends at school?” Using that as a jumping point, we launch into a mystery of a stolen family heirloom, and the decision that Cruella must face to retain her only friend. 
• As with other entries in the A Twisted Tale series, this reimagined version of the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic, 101 Dalmatians, is a darker version of the classic, this time focused on a distant past between Creulla (or Stella) and in this animated short, told in a highly-stylized eye-catching style. 
• This three minute short, Cruel Truth, tells the story of the A Twisted Tale book of the same name, introducing new characters, new story arcs, and that aforementioned decidedly darker tone to the familiar tale. Check it out in full below. 
• Interestingly, some fans might be sure to catch some similarities - though not exact - between this story and the live-action hit Cruella, starring Emma Stone, which was released back in 2021. 

• Cruel Truth is officially the 21st book in the A Twisted Tale series, a collection of young adult novels that imagine alternate “What if?” versions of beloved Disney stories. Each book takes a familiar animated film and explores how events might unfold if a key moment or arc in the original source story happened differently. 
• This book focuses on Anita Weatherby and Stella (Cruella) De Vil as teens in 1953 London, exploring their relationship and unexpected events that unfold, including fashion shows, family dynamics, and mysteries involving Dalmatian puppies. 
• The book was released stateside in September of 2025, following other titles like Go The Distance, So This is Love, Conceal Don’t Feel (based on Hercules, Cinderella, and Frozen, respectively). 2026 is also slated to see the release of additional titles, Nobody Gets Left Behind (Lilo & Stitch), and Adventure Is Out There (Up), in the darker series. 

• You can also check out our Twisted Tale archive for more about the book series and its other titles. To pick up your copy of Cruel Truth, head over to Amazon.com.