Performer(s) Appeared in Cruella De Vil (a pun on the words "cruel" and "devil") is the main villain from the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith and its 1961 animated adaptation by Walt Disney Pictures. She is a wealthy, fashion-obsessed heiress who wishes to use the skins of at least 99 Dalmatian puppies for a fur coat.