Close began to appear in television movies rather than doing theatrical films in the early 2000s. She returned as Cruella de Vil in "102 Dalmatians" (2000). Although the film received mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office. Close later filmed "The Safety of Objects" which premiered in 2001, a movie about four suburban families dealing with maladies. This was Kristen Stewart's first film role, and Close and Stewart would later reunite in the 2015 film "Anesthesia". Close starred in "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her" in the same year, this would be one of many future collaborations with director Rodrigo Garcia. In 2004, she played Claire Wellington, an uptight socialite in the comedy "The Stepford Wives" opposite Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken. She provided the voice of the Blue Fairy in the English version of "Pinocchio" (2002) and Granny in the animated film "Hoodwinked" (2005). Close continued to do smaller films like "Le Divorce" (2003) and "The Chumscrubber" (2005). In 2005, she reunited with director Rodrigo Garcia to do "Nine Lives"; he would later direct Close in the film "Albert Nobbs" (2011). In the same year, she starred in the film "Heights" (2005), an independent drama centered on the lives of five New Yorkers. Close's performance was lauded by critics.