Disney has given us some classic couples over the years such as Belle and Beast or Mickey and Minnie and while those are great couples in their own right, there is another classic Disney couple with a beautiful love story that seems to be overshadowed these days. An example of this is when AFI (American Film Institute) did it's special 100 Years... 100 Passions (a countdown of the greatest cinematic love stories) , it only ranked at # 95 while another Disney film, Beauty and The Beast came in at # 34. What film am I talking about? Well, it's in the title of this review. Won't you join me as I take a look at two characters that have stars in their eyes as I review Lady and The Tramp.
Now this isn't something I do very often but this trailer feels somewhat misleading. In the sense that they're hiding the love story aspect of the film and yet that is what the film is most remembered for. Instead with this trailer, it looks like they're playing up the dog angle. Which while the main characters are dogs, this film is more about the relationship of Lady and Tramp yet it to me at least feels like this trailer was saying "If you love dogs, come see this movie". Now that's just how I see it. Maybe you see it differently but this is interesting to say the least.
The Plot
It really seems that the older Disney films are simpler in nature than others and that works for this film. This may be a film about dogs but it's a film about dogs falling in love. They both happen to be from two different worlds. Lady comes from the Park Ave and is considered a dog of higher class while Tramp comes from the streets and loves life on the street. He wouldn't trade it in for anything, that is until he meets Lady and he falls in love with her. This plot while simple works well for this story and I will admit there were moments in this film that made it feel like a romantic comedy with some of the cliches used but it was never overly sappy unlike rom-coms.
Characters
I'll be breaking this down into Main, Supporting, and antagonists. Also just as a sidenote, Lady and Tramp are adressed by different names other than their own. Therefore, I'll include their other names when talking about them.
Main Characters
Lady/Pige voiced by Barbra Luddy
Lady is a character that I'm not sure how I feel about. I mean on the one hand, she does come off as being privileged. Though this mostly comes from the lifestyle that she's led. Does it make her unlikable? No, not really but there are moments where her actions make her come off as being cold. She's a good lead character though but I just think Tramp is the better lead out of these two. As for nickname Pidge, Tramp gives her that nickname because when he sees her at one point it's at a birdbath with pigeons around.
Tramp/Butch voiced by Larry Roberts
In my opinion, Tramp is a bit more interesting and part of that comes from that fact most of his life was spent on the streets. Also Tramp is shown to be a sort of salesman, making it obvious that he is also a bit of a con artist. This is mainly seen when sells the Beaver on Lady's muzzle as a log puller. While Tramp may not have the best track record, he is likable and he does look out for his friends and wants to help them for the most part. True, this can be argued because when Lady is caught by the dog catcher, he just hides and doesn't do anything to stop her but at the same time, I do understand where Tramp was coming from in that instance because the Pound had been looking for him and didn't want to be caught. This is one of those moments where his actions are understandable but not completely justifiable. Still, it is evident that he does have affection for Lady. I think this is most evident during Lady and Tramp's night out on the town. I think the biggest reason, I prefer Tramp over Lady is that while Lady does have some character flaws, they're really not fleshed out whereas Tramp's character flaws are much more obvious and better fleshed out. Having these flaws makes him a much more engaging character than Lady. As for his nickname of Butch, that is what the character of Tony calls him. It's never explained why and it doesn't need to be.
Supporting Characters
Jim Dear voiced by Lee Millar
One thing that I liked in this film was that Lady's two owners were never addressed by their actual names but rather affectionate nicknames that they have for one another that Lady assumes are their real names because that is what Lady hears them address each other by. Okay, now that I got the niceties out of the way, can I say I'm so happy that Jim Dear and Darling are not in much of the film because they are bland. These two are up there with Jenny from Oliver and Company and Penny from The Rescuers as two of the most forgettable characters from Disney. Hmm, starting to notice a trend here, Disney films that animal leads sometimes have forgettable human characters. Interesting. Back to Jim Dear, to me it feels as though the only important thing he has to offer is that he is that bought Lady and gave her to Darling. Now I know what some of you may be thinking, when I did my re review of Dumbo, I listed Mr. Stork as an important character because he delivered Dumbo. Here's the thing unlike Mr. Stork, who we got to spend some quality time with, the film never fleshed out Jim Dear or Darling. Not that they needed to because the story is about Lady and Tramp but in the short amount of time we had with Mr. Stork, there was a personality there but that was not the case here.
Darling voiced by Peggy Lee
Now I won't be spending too much time on Darling because I talked about her a lot when I talked about Jim Dear. Darling is likable and nice but other than that, there wasn't much to her. By the way, get used to seeing Peggy Lee's name because she voiced other character besides Darling.
Jock voiced by Bill Thompson
Jock was an all right character. He was likable and gave me off the vibe of wanting to see best for Lady and would do anything to protect her almost in a fatherly sense. While at first it appears that he has a disdain for Tramp, he does end risking his life to save Tramp from the pound.
Trusty voiced by Bill Baucom
Trusty was a fun character and I think that he was meant to be the comic relief and you know what, it worked. Sure at times, his joke of being forgetful wore thin but just like Jock, he had a lot of heart and oh man in the final confrontation, when Trusty and Jock go to save Tramp that is one of the coolest things ever done by Disney. That chase sequence was so much fun to watch and had me rooting for Trusty and Jock to save Tramp. That is one of the coolest moments in this film.
Tony voiced by George Givot
Now unlike Jim Dear and Darling, Tony is a great human character in this film. Tony is such an endearing character and it is so much fun seeing him interact with Tramp or as he calls him, Butch. I got the sense that Tony was the only in town as more than a mutt and considered him his pal. It felt as though, Tony wanted to protect Tramp and he knew how to take care of Tramp and Lady. I mean after all, he is the one that sings Bella Notte. Also it is kinda cute how he gives Tramp and Lady a menu to order off and according to Tony, they wanted spaghetti and that led to perhaps the most famous Disney kiss. Oh before I move on to Joe, there is something that I found that is kinda cool. On Main Street in Magic Kingdom, there actually is a restaurant called Tony's and if you go to the back window you'll see Lady and Tramp on the window. Also there is a Lady and The Tramp fountain. Here take a look.
That is pretty cool if you ask me but now getting back to the review and we pick up with Joe.
Joe also voiced by Bill Thompson
Joe is Tony's loyal employee and according to DisneyWiki, sidekick. Which I can buy (at least more than the DisneyWiki saying that Jock was voiced by Sterling Holloway). Anyways, as with Jim Dear and Darling, not much time is spent with Tony and Joe but the time with them is memorable and Joe is a great character to balance to Tony. He may get upset with bosses' short temper but you can see that he enjoys working for Tony and only wants to make the best food. Going back to the parks, here for a second, Tony and Joe don't appear in the parks often and after seeing this it is clear why.
I do apologize if the park stuff is taking away from the review but I wanted to try something different.
Peg also voiced by Peggy Lee
Hmm, Peg. The one character that has stumped me in how to describe her. I guess you could say she's an alright character and comes across as the dog equivalent of the girl that men want but they know can't have and she knows it too. And she uses that to her advantage. It's also hinted that she had a thing for Tramp and if she wasn't in the pound, pursue him. I'm still not sure if I got this character but this is at least how I perceive her.
Music
Main Title (Bella Notte)/The Wag of a Dog's Tail
I just love the opening music for this film. It is so relaxing and so much fun to listen to. It is so calming and peaceful. It's also very soothing and gives you the hope that love is real. Now I'll be talking about this song again seeing as Bella Notte is performed twice. This entire number is gorgeous.
Peace on Earth
Until rewatching this film for this review, I'd forgotten that it opened on Christmas and while this version of Peace on Earth does have a timeless feel to it, I'm not sure if I like the voice of the person singing it. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful voice but I don't think that it fits the song.
The Siamese Cat Song
Okay, how is it this song is one of the more remembered from this film? The imagery is fun to look at, sure and the characters are funny but really the lyrics in this song are forgettable, if you ask me. Must be the sound of this song and what Si and Am do because really, this song to me at least it feels forgettable.
Bella Notte (Main Version)
This is what I remember most from this film and I have a feeling that I'm not alone. This sequence has to be one of the cutest in any Disney film and Tony knows how to sell this song. I love the transtiton of going from Tony to the other singers during the montage of Lady and Tramp's night out on the town. It is beautiful and in my opinion, the best song in the film. We get to spend time with Lady and Tramp during this montage and see them fall in love and it works.
He's a Tramp
As stated in the trailer, Peg knows how to sell a song and it has been so long since I've heard the original version of this song as I'm used to the On the Record version and I think I like that cover better but even still, this song is a lot of fun and if you've been reading my blogs for a long time, you know that I've labeled songs about villains not sung by villains, "Cruella" songs and well, I believe the same can be said for this song except instead of being about a villain, it's about one of our lead characters. It works well and if you recall what I said about Peg wanting to pursue Tramp, I feel that the evidence lies within this song to show that.
Peace On Earth (Finale)
Just as how this film opened on Christmas, it also closes on Christmas and here we see Lady and Tramp's kids for the first time until this came along. Moving on, I think that this was a great idea to have the film open and close on Christmas. I'm not sure if it is the same person singing the finale as the person that sings Peace on Earth at the beginning of the film because I actually prefer the singing in this one compared to the first one. It feels happier and is a nice way to close out the film.
Antagonists
Si and Am both voiced by Peggy Lee
Si and Am are the two Siamese cats that toy with Lady and end up getting in her trouble with Aunt Sarah. As I stated above, I don't understand why their song is so memorable. The characters I get somewhat but they are in so little of the film, that it is almost surprising that The Siamese Cat Song has been considered one of the scariest moments in this films. I guess if your younger, perhaps but I don't see it as scary but rather humorous.
Aunt Sarah voiced by Verna Felton
Aunt Sarah in may regards reminds me of The Elephant Clique from Dumbo in that I would not label either one as true villains and again, you may be wondering why I'm including Aunt Sarah as an antagonist. Simply put, her actions come across as more antagonistic but at the same time, her actions are justifiable in my opinion because she is trying to protect the baby and while she may not like Lady, she never comes across as truly evil. A great example of her actions being justified are when Tramp goes into the baby's room to get rid of the rat. She'd never seen Tramp before and she was in her right to shoo Tramp out of the house and call the pound. Sure, I may have felt bad for Tramp in that instant but I do understand her actions in that moment. Now as much I try to justify Aunt Sarah's actions, there is one thing that she had done to Lady that scared me. If you'll recall at one point, Aunt Sarah takes Lady to the dog store to get a muzzle put on Lady. Forget The Siamese Cat Song because the muzzle scene is the scariest sequence in this film. Just the fitting of the muzzle frightened me more than anything else.
My Final Thoughts
In the end, this film holds up rather well. A lot of elements work but there are some things that should have been tweaked such as making Jim Dear and Darling more engaging characters. The love story is wonderful but at the same time, I can see why AFI only placed it at # 95. It's not that the film isn't memorable or timeless but it seems that while the love story is good, it wasn't until Beauty and The Beast came along that Disney had perfected the love story. Taking Beauty and The Beast out of the equation, though this film has a wonderful love story and while it may not make my Top 6 Favorites Animated Disney Films (neither would Beauty and The Beast by the way), it's still fun to watch and I would reccomend it, if you like good love stories or dogs.
Now this isn't something I do very often but this trailer feels somewhat misleading. In the sense that they're hiding the love story aspect of the film and yet that is what the film is most remembered for. Instead with this trailer, it looks like they're playing up the dog angle. Which while the main characters are dogs, this film is more about the relationship of Lady and Tramp yet it to me at least feels like this trailer was saying "If you love dogs, come see this movie". Now that's just how I see it. Maybe you see it differently but this is interesting to say the least.
The Plot
It really seems that the older Disney films are simpler in nature than others and that works for this film. This may be a film about dogs but it's a film about dogs falling in love. They both happen to be from two different worlds. Lady comes from the Park Ave and is considered a dog of higher class while Tramp comes from the streets and loves life on the street. He wouldn't trade it in for anything, that is until he meets Lady and he falls in love with her. This plot while simple works well for this story and I will admit there were moments in this film that made it feel like a romantic comedy with some of the cliches used but it was never overly sappy unlike rom-coms.
Characters
I'll be breaking this down into Main, Supporting, and antagonists. Also just as a sidenote, Lady and Tramp are adressed by different names other than their own. Therefore, I'll include their other names when talking about them.
Main Characters
Lady/Pige voiced by Barbra Luddy
Lady is a character that I'm not sure how I feel about. I mean on the one hand, she does come off as being privileged. Though this mostly comes from the lifestyle that she's led. Does it make her unlikable? No, not really but there are moments where her actions make her come off as being cold. She's a good lead character though but I just think Tramp is the better lead out of these two. As for nickname Pidge, Tramp gives her that nickname because when he sees her at one point it's at a birdbath with pigeons around.
Tramp/Butch voiced by Larry Roberts
In my opinion, Tramp is a bit more interesting and part of that comes from that fact most of his life was spent on the streets. Also Tramp is shown to be a sort of salesman, making it obvious that he is also a bit of a con artist. This is mainly seen when sells the Beaver on Lady's muzzle as a log puller. While Tramp may not have the best track record, he is likable and he does look out for his friends and wants to help them for the most part. True, this can be argued because when Lady is caught by the dog catcher, he just hides and doesn't do anything to stop her but at the same time, I do understand where Tramp was coming from in that instance because the Pound had been looking for him and didn't want to be caught. This is one of those moments where his actions are understandable but not completely justifiable. Still, it is evident that he does have affection for Lady. I think this is most evident during Lady and Tramp's night out on the town. I think the biggest reason, I prefer Tramp over Lady is that while Lady does have some character flaws, they're really not fleshed out whereas Tramp's character flaws are much more obvious and better fleshed out. Having these flaws makes him a much more engaging character than Lady. As for his nickname of Butch, that is what the character of Tony calls him. It's never explained why and it doesn't need to be.
Supporting Characters
Jim Dear voiced by Lee Millar
One thing that I liked in this film was that Lady's two owners were never addressed by their actual names but rather affectionate nicknames that they have for one another that Lady assumes are their real names because that is what Lady hears them address each other by. Okay, now that I got the niceties out of the way, can I say I'm so happy that Jim Dear and Darling are not in much of the film because they are bland. These two are up there with Jenny from Oliver and Company and Penny from The Rescuers as two of the most forgettable characters from Disney. Hmm, starting to notice a trend here, Disney films that animal leads sometimes have forgettable human characters. Interesting. Back to Jim Dear, to me it feels as though the only important thing he has to offer is that he is that bought Lady and gave her to Darling. Now I know what some of you may be thinking, when I did my re review of Dumbo, I listed Mr. Stork as an important character because he delivered Dumbo. Here's the thing unlike Mr. Stork, who we got to spend some quality time with, the film never fleshed out Jim Dear or Darling. Not that they needed to because the story is about Lady and Tramp but in the short amount of time we had with Mr. Stork, there was a personality there but that was not the case here.
Darling voiced by Peggy Lee
Now I won't be spending too much time on Darling because I talked about her a lot when I talked about Jim Dear. Darling is likable and nice but other than that, there wasn't much to her. By the way, get used to seeing Peggy Lee's name because she voiced other character besides Darling.
Jock voiced by Bill Thompson
Jock was an all right character. He was likable and gave me off the vibe of wanting to see best for Lady and would do anything to protect her almost in a fatherly sense. While at first it appears that he has a disdain for Tramp, he does end risking his life to save Tramp from the pound.
Trusty voiced by Bill Baucom
Trusty was a fun character and I think that he was meant to be the comic relief and you know what, it worked. Sure at times, his joke of being forgetful wore thin but just like Jock, he had a lot of heart and oh man in the final confrontation, when Trusty and Jock go to save Tramp that is one of the coolest things ever done by Disney. That chase sequence was so much fun to watch and had me rooting for Trusty and Jock to save Tramp. That is one of the coolest moments in this film.
Tony voiced by George Givot
Now unlike Jim Dear and Darling, Tony is a great human character in this film. Tony is such an endearing character and it is so much fun seeing him interact with Tramp or as he calls him, Butch. I got the sense that Tony was the only in town as more than a mutt and considered him his pal. It felt as though, Tony wanted to protect Tramp and he knew how to take care of Tramp and Lady. I mean after all, he is the one that sings Bella Notte. Also it is kinda cute how he gives Tramp and Lady a menu to order off and according to Tony, they wanted spaghetti and that led to perhaps the most famous Disney kiss. Oh before I move on to Joe, there is something that I found that is kinda cool. On Main Street in Magic Kingdom, there actually is a restaurant called Tony's and if you go to the back window you'll see Lady and Tramp on the window. Also there is a Lady and The Tramp fountain. Here take a look.
That is pretty cool if you ask me but now getting back to the review and we pick up with Joe.
Joe also voiced by Bill Thompson
Joe is Tony's loyal employee and according to DisneyWiki, sidekick. Which I can buy (at least more than the DisneyWiki saying that Jock was voiced by Sterling Holloway). Anyways, as with Jim Dear and Darling, not much time is spent with Tony and Joe but the time with them is memorable and Joe is a great character to balance to Tony. He may get upset with bosses' short temper but you can see that he enjoys working for Tony and only wants to make the best food. Going back to the parks, here for a second, Tony and Joe don't appear in the parks often and after seeing this it is clear why.
 |
| Disney, really? This looks cheap |
I do apologize if the park stuff is taking away from the review but I wanted to try something different.
Peg also voiced by Peggy Lee
Hmm, Peg. The one character that has stumped me in how to describe her. I guess you could say she's an alright character and comes across as the dog equivalent of the girl that men want but they know can't have and she knows it too. And she uses that to her advantage. It's also hinted that she had a thing for Tramp and if she wasn't in the pound, pursue him. I'm still not sure if I got this character but this is at least how I perceive her.
Music
Main Title (Bella Notte)/The Wag of a Dog's Tail
I just love the opening music for this film. It is so relaxing and so much fun to listen to. It is so calming and peaceful. It's also very soothing and gives you the hope that love is real. Now I'll be talking about this song again seeing as Bella Notte is performed twice. This entire number is gorgeous.
Peace on Earth
Until rewatching this film for this review, I'd forgotten that it opened on Christmas and while this version of Peace on Earth does have a timeless feel to it, I'm not sure if I like the voice of the person singing it. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful voice but I don't think that it fits the song.
The Siamese Cat Song
Okay, how is it this song is one of the more remembered from this film? The imagery is fun to look at, sure and the characters are funny but really the lyrics in this song are forgettable, if you ask me. Must be the sound of this song and what Si and Am do because really, this song to me at least it feels forgettable.
Bella Notte (Main Version)
This is what I remember most from this film and I have a feeling that I'm not alone. This sequence has to be one of the cutest in any Disney film and Tony knows how to sell this song. I love the transtiton of going from Tony to the other singers during the montage of Lady and Tramp's night out on the town. It is beautiful and in my opinion, the best song in the film. We get to spend time with Lady and Tramp during this montage and see them fall in love and it works.
He's a Tramp
As stated in the trailer, Peg knows how to sell a song and it has been so long since I've heard the original version of this song as I'm used to the On the Record version and I think I like that cover better but even still, this song is a lot of fun and if you've been reading my blogs for a long time, you know that I've labeled songs about villains not sung by villains, "Cruella" songs and well, I believe the same can be said for this song except instead of being about a villain, it's about one of our lead characters. It works well and if you recall what I said about Peg wanting to pursue Tramp, I feel that the evidence lies within this song to show that.
Peace On Earth (Finale)
Just as how this film opened on Christmas, it also closes on Christmas and here we see Lady and Tramp's kids for the first time until this came along. Moving on, I think that this was a great idea to have the film open and close on Christmas. I'm not sure if it is the same person singing the finale as the person that sings Peace on Earth at the beginning of the film because I actually prefer the singing in this one compared to the first one. It feels happier and is a nice way to close out the film.
Antagonists
Si and Am both voiced by Peggy Lee
Si and Am are the two Siamese cats that toy with Lady and end up getting in her trouble with Aunt Sarah. As I stated above, I don't understand why their song is so memorable. The characters I get somewhat but they are in so little of the film, that it is almost surprising that The Siamese Cat Song has been considered one of the scariest moments in this films. I guess if your younger, perhaps but I don't see it as scary but rather humorous.
Aunt Sarah voiced by Verna Felton
My Final Thoughts
In the end, this film holds up rather well. A lot of elements work but there are some things that should have been tweaked such as making Jim Dear and Darling more engaging characters. The love story is wonderful but at the same time, I can see why AFI only placed it at # 95. It's not that the film isn't memorable or timeless but it seems that while the love story is good, it wasn't until Beauty and The Beast came along that Disney had perfected the love story. Taking Beauty and The Beast out of the equation, though this film has a wonderful love story and while it may not make my Top 6 Favorites Animated Disney Films (neither would Beauty and The Beast by the way), it's still fun to watch and I would reccomend it, if you like good love stories or dogs.
Good review of an absolute gem!!!!!! I disagree on making Jim Dear and Darling more engaging. They're not supposed to be engaging at all. It's told from Lady's perspective and to her they are 1 dimensional and nice owners. Nothing more. Any elaboration on them would have destroyed the pacing and focus of the film and it's more important to see how Lady perceives the world around her then anything else. As for not having a Mr. Stork moment it needed to be a typical romantic thing for Jim Dear to give Darling and that very scene is inspired by Walt's life. He gave his wife a Chow puppy with a bow on it as a gift. It was a romantic gesture and did its job of establishing the typical American couple and the social class Lady would be raised in.Also with Mr. Stork he's a cartoony character that delivers all manner of infants. He's going to be a little quirky and has stories to tell. Jim Dear and Darling are the typical American couple how many interesting things could you do with them without it drawing focus from where the film needs to be (dogs)and without it sounding unnatural and forced for the type of story they wanted to tell? Tony and Joe on the other hand are semi match makers and their personalities are exaggerated so they fill that cartoony void of the Mr. Stork type character and it fits with the scene. Also it could be contrasting that Lady is seeing all manner of wonderful things in Tramp's world as opposed to her privileged home.So maybe that's why they needed to be bland for that contrast to work.
ReplyDeleteHmm, Intresting perspective and I do like your argument for Jim Dear and Darling because your right, this story is being told from Lady's point of view and that is probably all she sees her owners. You also bring up another good point in that there aren't many ways to make the story of giving a dog for Christmas, Intresting
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