The music in Disney’s Cruella is one of the many highlights of the experience and Walt Disney Records has you covered with two separate soundtrack options. Cruella (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) features the 1970’s classic songs featured in the film, plus the brand-new Florence + the Machine track “Call Me Cruella.” That same track also kicks off Cruella (Original Score), which features 25 compositions from composer Nicholas Brittel. You really can’t go wrong with either release and with both available on major streaming platforms, you don’t even have to choose.
Sampling “Cruella de Vil” from the 1961 animated feature 101 Dalmatians, “Call Me Cruella” by Florence + the Machine creates a moody new song that better fits this version of the character. With a story set in the 1970’s, the song has a throwback sound that perfectly leads into the rest of the soundtrack, which includes the likes of Queen, Ike & Tina Turner, The Clash, The Doors, BeeGees, Electric Light Orchestra, and many more.
The Original Score album is hauntingly beautiful, with Nicholas Brittel creating a main theme for Cruella that can be played as both sinister and optimistic, but there’s always a twinge of sadness to it. It gets repeated in different ways, including with chilling vocals. He incorporates instruments that were hallmarks of music of the 1970’s, including tambourines, electric guitars and lutes. The album also includes a bonus track, “Orchestral Waltz,” that features a more lilting, classical performance of it.
The Baroness, played by Emma Thompson, also gets her own theme that’s as snappy as the character is demanding. Like Cruella’s main theme, a vocal version is included, but it also has more sinister variations. “The Cliff,” for example, finds it becoming downright menacing.
When you see Disney’s Cruella on May 28th, one of your favorite parts will undoubtedly be the music. With all the songs from the film on Cruella (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and highlights from the score on Cruella (Original Score), you can take it all with you wherever you go.