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Lady
and the Tramp (50th Anniversary Edition)
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Disney is going to the dogs. Actually, man’s best friend has always
been a popular part of their animated features, and Pluto may be one
of the first that comes to mind, there are two other canines that
have been waiting to come to DVD. Lady and the Tramp, the
fifteenth full-length feature animated film in the companies long
list, is released just in time to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Lady and the Tramp is a tale that just about everyone knows
despite the fact that is one of Disney’s feature films that doesn’t
have a ride based around it, nor have the characters been seen in
any offshoot television series. Despite its simplicity, this is a
classic and heartwarming tale. The story is told, for the most part
at least, from the perspective of dogs, and a couple of cats for
good measure. We first meet Lady, a cocker spaniel that has been
given to Darling (not her real name) as a Christmas present, and the
puppy in a box is rumored to have been based on a real event in the
life of Walt Disney.
Lady is raised in a very well-to-do family, and things seem to be
ideal for her, until she learns that Darling and her husband Jim
Dear (actually Jim, Dear) are expecting a baby. The neighborhood
dogs Jock, a Scottish terrier, and Trusty, a bloodhound who has lost
his sense of smell, try and convince Lady that the baby isn’t
anything to worry about. That’s when Lady meets the Tramp, a
homeless dog who is simply a free spirit living life on his own
terms. He tries to give Lady the other version of the baby coming,
speaking from experience of course, and it soon seems that she might
be right.
Jim Dear and Darling take a much needed break after the baby is
born, and Aunt Sarah comes to watch the infant, bringing with her
two Siamese cats, Si and Am. The crafty felines get Lady in a heap
of trouble and Aunt Sarah thinks the solution is a muzzle. Lady
however runs away from the pet store and soon bumps into Tramp once
again and before long, she finds herself in the pound. But, this is
a Disney tale, and as we all know, they always have a happy ending.
Lady and the Tramp is something of a rarity in the grand
scheme of Disney animation. Although the story is very loosely based
on the 1937 book Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog, but it serves as more
of an influence. This is more of an original tale as opposed to
those previously made that were based on stories and fairy tales.
Lady and the Tramp also marked Disney’s first use of the newly
created CinemaScope widescreen process and also was the first of
their animated films to ever use the Buena Vista name.
At the heart of everything, Lady and the Tramp has two themes
going for it. First, we see the difference in class, and in this
case we have Lady, who is more of the debutant type of female
character, a direct opposite of Tramp who more or less comes from
the wrong side of the tracks. Despite their obvious differences, the
two dogs get along quite well together, and this leads to the second
theme of the story, that being a cleverly disguised, and quite
simple, love story. And besides, even if you’re someone who has
never seen this film before, there is at least one sequence that
everyone knows; the spaghetti “kiss.” It’s something that is not
only fondly remember by those who have seen Lady and the Tramp,
it’s also a scene that has been parodied a time or two in cinema.
Like many of the films that were done before Walt Disney died in
1966, Lady and the Tramp shows the careful attention to
detail that Walt always wanted to put into the company’s animation.
Lady’s big, floppy ears are one of her most memorable traits, and
the animators spared no expense in making sure they are noticeable.
The way Jock walks, which is just like a terrier, is perfect, and
there’s no chance that anyone could ever forget Si and Am, even
though there are seen for only a few minutes in the movie. There are
humans in the film as well, but they tend to take the backstage to
the animal stars of the series. The turn of the century setting
featuring cars and covered wagons as well as gas powered lighting
also brings a great deal of life to the movie.
Another process used in Lady and the Tramp that was still in
its infancy was the overdubbing process. Peggy Lee, who wrote the
songs for the film and provided the voice for Darling, Peg (the
impounded female dog who has a crush on Tramp) also did the voices
for both Si and Am. The two cats only speak in the lyrical sense of
the word, but Peggy Lee recorded one voice, and then recorded again
for the other cat. Speaking of voices, also listen for the voice of
Thurl Ravenscroft, a distinctive talent that some might recognize as
the voice of Tony the Tiger but Disney fans will easily identify as
the lead vocalist in the Haunted Mansions “Grim Grinning Ghosts”
song (and is also featured as one of the busts on the ride.)
In her “jail house blues” song, Peg wishes that Tramp was double,
and if that’s what you’re hoping for, your dreams will come true. As
with all of their almost all of their animated DVD released, Lady
and the Tramp is a two-disc set, and I love that Disney has
included both the full screen and the widescreen editions of the
film on one DVD. I’ve felt that it is pointless for other companies
to release both versions as two separate releases, but Disney has
given fans something they will be extremely pleased about. Plus, the
film has been digitally remastered and also comes complete with a
5.1 stereo mix, perfect for those of you with elaborate home theater
set ups. That’s just the first DVD however, and there is plenty more
on the second disc, all of which is bonus material.
There are two different animation sequences that were deleted from
the film, and although they were never actually completed, there has
been storyboards for them found in the Disney achieves. One feature
a reversal of roles where humans have gone to the dogs, quite
literally while the other is an extended sequence leading up to the
arrival of the baby. Dialog has been put into these storyboards to
tell the tale and you can watch them with or without an
introduction. “The Siamese Cat Song” is looked at a little closer in
the music section and this included alternate takes of the song
while a new version of “Belle Notte” performed by Steve Tyrell is
included, though this rendition sounds much more like a lounge
version.
Disney seems to always find something in the old achieves, and
Lady and the Tramp is no different. There is a look at the
storyboards from the film, as well as those of other Disney films,
and you’ll learn a great deal about the animation process. You’ll
also get a look at the original storyboards from 1943. There is a
nearly hour long making of features that includes not only new
footage and interviews, but classic Disney material from before the
movie was released. There are two different promotional excerpts
from the Disneyland television show, art galleries, and even the
theatrical trailers from the original and re-releases of Lady and
the Tramp.
There is still a bit more to take a look at however. If you like
trivia, there is a trivia game that centers on nothing but Disney
dogs. It’s not just about Lady and the Tramp however, so
hopefully you know your pooches. The Going to the Dogs featurette
finds us taking a trip to a dog park with none other than Fred
Willard to get up close and personal with a few different breeds. If
you ever wondered what type of Disney canine you’re most like, you
can take a personality test. On an interesting note however, my
results found that I’m not a dog at all. Instead, I was more like a
cat, and who better to represent that fact than Si and Am (it’s not
a shock though since I live in a household with three cats and no
dogs.) There is also a virtual puppy section which will let you
chose a baby version of the dogs (Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty, or even
the bulldog) to train. The virtual pet seems to have been influenced
by the popular Nintendogs, though there’s a bit less to do here. You
can also install wallpapers or screensavers for your computer, but
you will have to also install the software on the DVD in order to
use any of these features.
It may be a simple tale, but that’s part of the beauty of Lady
and the Tramp. After 50 years, I think that Walt would be quite
proud to see that this, as well as the other features he was behind,
have held up so well and have entertained generations. These puppies
are just begging to wag their way into your DVD collection, and
Lady and the Tramp is a must have for not only the Disney fan,
but those that love a story that can be watched over and over which
will still pull you along from start to finish on your proverbial
leash.
-mike-
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Directed by:
Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske
Written by:
Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ralph Wright, Don DaGradi &
Joe Grant
Based on the Novel by:
Ward Greene
Voice Cast:
Peggy Lee (Darling/Si/Am/Peg)
Barbara Luddy (Lady)
Larry Roberts (Tramp)
Bill Thompson (Jock/Bulldog in Pound/Policeman at Zoo/Dachsie/Joe)
Bill Baucom .... Trusty (voice)
Stan Freberg (Beaver)
Verna Felton (Aunt Sarah )
Alan Reed (Boris)
George Givot (Tony)
Dal McKennon (Toughy/Professor Pedro)
Lee Millar (Jim Dear/Dog Catcher)
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DVD Features:
Disc 1
Anamorphic - 2.55:1
Pan & Scan - 1.33:1
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby 3,0, Spanish Dolby
Digital 5.1 & French Dolby Digital 5.1
English Subtitles
Feature Presentation
Disc 2
Deleted Scenes
1943 Original Storyboard
Finding Lady: The art of the storyboard
Lady's Pedigree: The making of Lady and the Tramp
Disney Virtual Puppy: DVD-ROM feature
Disney Dog Trivia: A virtual board game
PuppyPedia: Learn about real-life breeds that inspired the characters in
the movie
Restored original theatrical soundtrack
All-new 5.1 Disney enhanced home theater mix
Presented in both widescreen and full screen (pan and scan) format
All-new "Bella Notte" music video
Your inner bark: Personality profile |
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