Remake Month: Lady and The Tramp

First off, I'd like to apologize for the hiatus between the start of Remake Month and now. I've decided to pick back up now and will try to continue on from I left off.  Today, we are looking at another canine-themed remake as we look at our first movie Disney+ with the Lady and the Tramp remake. This movie was available the same day as when Disney+ launched.  I held off on watching it until this month because it didn't seem like something I'd want to watch until now.  Like the previous entries in Remake Month, I'll look at what's the same, What's Different and is this a good remake.  With that outta the way, let's begin.


What's The Same


The big thing that remains the same throughout is that much like the original is a period piece set in 1909. Both the original and the remake play up an idealized America of ideals that we'd like to believe existed.  Which is nice but almost glamorizes our past from the reality that existed. 


This is something that I'll touch upon a bit when I get to the What's Different part. Not to say that this is a bad thing but it is important to highlight.  In all, it is a faithful remake that much like the other live-action remakes does some new things but still feels beholden to the original.  And of course, the spaghetti scene and Bella Notte are included.






If you listen to it, you can tell that it is just the original. I'm mixed on this as the classic is good but I'd like to hear a new take. This movie covers all the same aspects of the original but instead of the 76 minutes run time, it's 28 minutes longer when very little new was added. The Peggy Lee, He's a Tramp does get a new take that honors the original while allowing Janelle Monae to do her own take
on the song.







Also, the climax with the rat is kept but has much more of an action sequence vibe to it now and just goes on and on.




What's Different


Let's start with the big one, Jim Dear and Darling are now a mixed-race couple.  Which is a neat change that while may not seem big shows a welcoming space and is more inclusive, even if to does play into the idealized America that I spoke of previously.

This is also taken into account with Aunt Sarah as played by Yvette Nicole Brown, who seems much more overtly evil in the live-action remake compared to her animated counterpart.

However, Brown stated in an interview that she does not view her character as the actual villain of the film. And to a degree that does make sense as the Dog Catcher plays a more prominent role in the film.  The rat is also introduced early on in the movie and the movie almost seems to set an antagonistic relationship. 

There is also a backstory given to Tramp about how he had a family but they got rid of him as to make us feel more sympathetic to him. I don't think it was needed as Tramp was a good enough character in the original without making us feeling sad.  There are also a couple new setpieces included such as one on a steamboat that is nice.

Let's also address the biggest change since the original came out, The Siamese Cat sequence has been viewed as problematic and was replaced with a new song sung by two cats. And honestly, it was for the best because while that may have been acceptable in the fifties,  there is no need for that in this day and age.

As Disney continues to plunder its archives, questions about past representations continue to arise—from Uncle Remus in Song of the South and Dumbo's Jim Crow to Peter Pan's "Piccaninny-tribe" princess, Tiger Lily. In Tramp, Si and Am are presented with thick accents, slanted eyes and buck teeth, deviously mess up

Instead, the song is sung by two male cats and looks to be called What a Shame. 






And okay I got say this right now but these cats look really fake.

This is one of many changes that I can get behind. The other one I appreciate is how after rescuing Lady from the pound, Jim Dear and Darling stand up to Aunt Sarah and kick her out of their house for what they did to Lady.



Is This A Good Remake?



Hmm, it's not bad and it does introduce some new elements but I don't think there is enough to make it stand on its own. It's not a bad movie if you're looking for something to watch but there are better options to watch on Disney+.  Join me next time for a unique entry as we pit two movies against one in the Freaky Friday Double Feature.