Lady and the Tramp

Disney's "Lady and the Tramp" was just re-released as a new two-disc DVD to celebrate the film's 50th Anniversary. It is worthy of everyone's money and attention. Children in the family? Fond childhood memories of the film? A film student? Interested in filmmaking? A kid at heart? This is the film for you. "Lady and the Tramp" is easily one of the best films ever made by Disney, animated or otherwise. It combines an irresistible romanticized view of Victorian America with great animated characters and a couple of catchy tunes. Perhaps the best thing about this film is the relative lack of overly cutesy elements. Because the film is told from the viewpoint of the animated animals, they become a much more important element of the story, downplaying the tendency to make animated animals `adorable' and `cuddly' (see Disney's current "Chicken Little" for an example of how overdoing it doesn't work). On Christmas morning, Darling, the lady of the house, opens a gift from her husband, Jim Dear. The box moves, wiggles and whimpers, and Darling finds a little Cocker Spaniel puppy inside whom they quickly name Lady. Lady is soon an integral part of the family and has grown into a beautiful adult dog living a happy life following Darling around and waiting for Jim Dear to come home. When Darling has a baby, Lady initially feels neglected as she no longer receives the attention she once did. The Tramp, a mutt who makes it his practice to visit many of his adult friends on a weekly basis, stopping at the Italian restaurant one night, the deli the next, takes a liking to Lady. Darling's aunt comes to visit and take care of the baby while Jim Dear and Darling are away on a trip. Her two Siamese cats, Si and Am cause mischief and Lady gets into trouble and become banished to the dog house. Can the Tramp help her? Made in 1955, "Lady and the Tramp" is a beautiful, fun animated film, certain to please every one in the family. Thankfully, the DVD release features both a full screen and a widescreen version of the film. When the film was released, both anamorphic and academy prints were made available to theaters. Anamorphic films were created in an effort to battle the impending threat of television. Watching the widescreen print, I was struck at how beautiful the film looks. The colors are crisp and bright, the images are believable and lifelike, and it just looks mesmerizing. This is the result of restoration done by the studio for this DVD. There are two more reasons why these Disney Platinum DVDs are so important for any family or film aficionado. In each of the Classic Disney films, the primary reason they are remembered today is because of the story. As subsequent generations watch the films, they are equally entranced by puppets brought to life, the plight of a deer, the story of a boy who would never grow up and two dogs who fall in love, in addition to the adventures of various kings, queens, princes and princesses. In the late 80s and early 90s, the studio enjoyed a resurgence creating a new batch of films with timeless stories. These films work because both audiences can enjoy them; the kids can enjoy the stories along with the adults. Because parents grew up with them, and loved them, they take their children to them or rent the DVDs for them, exposing a new generation to the magic of these films. The story is charming. It was a stroke of genius to set the story in Victorian America. Walt's childhood home of Marceline, Missouri seems to have been the setting, feeding off of the filmmaker's romanticized memories. Not only are the settings and backgrounds beautiful, but the depiction of a simpler time is beneficial to the story. Because there are fewer things going on, the relatively simple story has greater impact. The story also calls on familiar moments in our lives. Many people have received pets on Christmas day, a little box squirming around, with a pet wearing a bow inside. Many people have dealt with jealousy and being blamed for something we didn't do. It all brings back memories of our childhood and of happier times, making the film all the more endearing. When the story does deviate from the traditional, it does so in an exceptional manner. When Lady arrives in the pound, her fear is palpable until she meets the other dogs, realizes they are all very nice and would do her no harm. This is also the opportunity for the filmmakers to introduce another song, "What a Dog!" by Peggy Lee. While the song doesn't exactly fit the setting, it is very memorable and enjoyable, introducing a very timely Jazz theme into the film. "The Siamese Cat Song" and "Bella Notte" only further enhance the musical heritage of this film. I think a large number of people who have never seen the film could at least tell you something about these songs. The film does have some racial stereotypes, but they don't seem offensive or mean-spirited. Any dog character uses the accent associated with their name. For instance, a Chihuahua has a Mexican accent, a wolfhound, Russian. Jock, a Scottish terrier, speaks with a heavy brogue, Rusty, an old bloodhound, speaks with a heavy Southern accent. Then, of course, there is Tony and his assistant. Because they are Italian chefs, they have heavy Italian accents. I think the key here is most of the characters involved play an integral part to the story. Tony is the host to Lady and Tramp's first date, including the very memorable and often spoofed spaghetti kiss. With the exception of the Chihuahua, none of the stereotypes seems mean-spirited or offensive. Perhaps you could use this as a platform to discuss this type of behavior with your kids and help them recognize why this practice is no longer PC. The Disney Platinum DVDs are like encyclopedias of information. They include deleted songs, storyboards, portions of Walt Disney television shows explaining techniques or promoting the films and much more. Each DVD title has a second disc containing a plethora of extras. Of course, the more recent titles have more extras, but the folks at Disney usually come up with at least two or three great finds, making these discs a great treasure for film historians. Disc Two features a lengthy documentary about the making of the film, covering everything from the origins of the story to the design of the characters to the different voices used for different characters. Each of the segments in this documentary can be watched separately or as part of a nearly hour long documentary. There are two particularly interesting extras featuring reconstructions of abandoned scenes and a different, extended version of the song "La La Loo". There are also the obligatory kids' games and excerpts from related Disney TV specials. There is a lot of information here and it will provide any film scholar with a good look at the making of this animated classic. "Lady and the Tramp" is a joy to watch, anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Since they seem to have stopped re-releasing the films in movie theaters, this DVD is the next best thing to watching it on the big screen.

Lady and the tramp is a true Disney classic. If I can give this 10 out of 10 stars I would. I have loved this movie ever since I was a little girl and I am now 58 years old. I recently introduced this movie to my 21 year-old son. he watched the movie last night and then he turned around and watched it again today. He likes it that much. He plans on watching it again tomorrow. It truly is a movie for all ages and sexes. The Blu-ray comes with several bonus features that are very interesting to watch. One part that was really interesting that was included was where Walt Disney’s daughter was talking and shared some memories of her dad as he was making the movie and she talked a bit about how Walter felt about animals, dogs especially. It’s really interesting hearing her point of view from all of this. I bet it would be really neat growing up in Walt Disney’s household and hearing her memories of her father was a really great added feature. Other special features included: never before SEEN deleted SCENES , a never before HEARD deleted SONG; inside some of Walt’s STORY MEETINGS over this movie and more…. Many times I don’t give much attention to bonus features but our family thoroughly enjoyed EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of the bonus features with this movie.

It's been years—perhaps fifty—since I've seen "Lady and the Tramp," released the year I was born (1955). This late Disney classic is a hundredfold better than I remember it. To clarify: I am reviewing the two-disc (DVD + Blu-Ray) edition (2012). The movie itself: Almost two decades in gestation, "Lady and the Tramp" was produced when both Disney and his studio had recovered from ravages of WW II and were operating at the height of their creative powers. By this time Disney's cadre of principal animators—the fabled "Nine Old Men"—had mastered the unique Disney technique inaugurated twenty-eight years earlier with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The animation, rendered in the classic hand-drawn, hand-painted style, is a masterpiece of the form. When you have animators talented enough to caricature dogs caricaturing humans, as the script requires, you're speaking of sublime talent. In many ways "Lady" was a turning point for the studio. Its genesis was a story idea by Joe Grant, who gave us "Dumbo" among many other treasures; this would be Grant's last work for Disney until decades after Walt's death. It was the last musical score by Oliver Wallace, Disney's maestro for decades, and "Lady" is a semi-musical, at least a comedy-fantasy with a pitch-perfect score. This was also a time of beginnings: "Lady" was the first Disney film released in CinemaScope (1:33:1), though simultaneously released in a conventional format for theaters not yet equipped with widescreen projectors and screens. It was the first animated feature to be released by Disney's own Buena Vista production company. It marked the introduction of popular songs and singers into the musical mix: Sonny Burke and Peggy Lee (the latter, both vocalist and voice artist). Disney departed from a classic fairy tales as source material, setting this story in an early modern period (turn-of-the-twentieth century Americana). Oddly, it is one of the simplest, most basically human stories Disney ever set to film: pampered girl meets boy from (literally) the wrong side of the tracks, each strengthens the other, they fall in love. The supporting characters, voiced by some of the great voice artists of the time, are memorable for their various personalities. Because the entire story is told from the dogs' point of view, I think it superior to "1001 Dalmatians," six years later. The mix of comedy, conflict, danger, and even sexiness is handled with a dab hand that a child from five years up can handle. And its running time is seventy minutes: not too short, not too long. The DVD special features—an interview with Disney's daughter Diane and a comedic short with Fred Willard—are pleasant but skippable, unless you're a wee one. It's the Blu-Ray features that shine and under no circumstances should be missed. A special "Making of [the Film']" documentary—twenty-one minutes longer than the movie itself is a gem, featuring interviews with experts old and young, family members of Disney's artists, and a host of others who help one appreciate how the movie came to be. On top of that, you can watch the Blu-Ray with an extraordinary commentary: not of experts jabbering, but voice artists speaking for Disney himself, his story men, and his animators, using as their script what, apparently, were stenographers' notes from the creative story sessions, synchronized to what you are watching onscreen. Nine times out of ten, the special touches that really sell the story, sequence, even screen-seconds were Walt's ideas. In this recording it demonstrates what a firm grasp he had of characters, storyline, story beats, what voices and music were needed—everything. Disney was every inch the producer-director behind his brother Roy's bookkeeping and his animators' staging. Fabulous—and amazing, when one realizes that, when this movie was made, his mind and body were elsewhere, building an amusement park in Anaheim. Don't miss this set. If it goes out of print, make sure that you purchase a Blu-Ray edition with these truly special features. Many critics write off this movie as make-work for the studio, but, If ever a Disney movie got everything right, "Lady and the Tramp" would win my vote.

Lady and the Tramp is not full of magic, fairies, princesses or other elements that are usual in Disney films. It's a simple love story and one of Disney's most down-to-earth films. The story is not complex but it has a lot going for it: Two sympathetic leads, a wonderful interaction between them, beautiful scenes (bella notte sequence, anyone?) and great supporting characters. Who would have thought that a love story between two dogs could've been so appealling, romantic and fun? Walt Disney did a pretty good job with this one and had stood the test of time very nicely. Lady and the Tramp has always been well regarded by the Disney Company and earlier this year, it became the fifth title to be given the lavish "Diamond Treatment" and the results are spectacular. Video & Audio Disney has a high reputation when releasing its classic films on BD and Lady is not exception. The lavish restoration that Disney has given to this film is simply breathtaking. Colors are rich and pop out of the screen. Detail is perfect and contrast is strong. Also there is not any anomaly like artifacts, banding or others. Is a completely perfect transfer through and through. In the audio department things are pretty good too. You have two options: a newly produced 7.1 DTS-HD MA and a newly restored version of the original mono audio presented in 3.0 DTS-HD MA. Both tracks are outstanding and everyone should be happy with the results. No hiss, no background noise, everything is crystal clear and has good directionality. A superb audio presentation. Bonus Material Lady and the Tramp comes with a nice assortment of bonus features both new and old. Unfortunately is not as comprehensive as previous Diamond titles such as Beauty and the Beast or Snow White but everything here is nice and informative. -Disc introduction by Diane Disney Miller is exactly that as Walt eldest daughter talks about the movie, her father and their connection. -Audio commentary: Inside Walt's story meetings is the best new feature of this set. Similar to Bambi's story meetings, here you can listen a group of actors reenact all the meetings that Walt and his team had for the creation of this film. You can't miss this one. -Disney Second Screen is a way to enhance the viewing of Walt's story meetings with additional storyboards, artwork and more. -Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad is a touching tribute from Walt's daughter where she talks about the time where Lady was been created alongside Disneyland. Another must see feature. -Three new deleted scenes. -A newly found unused song -Classic DVD bonus features carries over most of the material from the Platinum DVD. A DVD copy of the film is also included. Closing Thoughts Lady and the Tramp is one of Disney's most enduring classics. With great characters, a wonderful romantic story and beautiful animation, this film has stood the test of time and has become one of the most celebrated animated films of all time. This new Diamond Edition presents the film in a spectacular way with fantastic picture and audio and a nice assortment of bonus material. This set comes highly recommended!!

I’ve loved this movie since my daughter was little. Love it.

i enjoed watching lady and the tramp . i love it i watched lady anf the tramp yesterday . i enjoyed watching it my favorite is lady and the tramp . it,s a good movie to watch

The version I got was unfortunately not what I expected. Instead of three audio tracks (English, French, and Spanish) as described, there was only one. Even worse, when I tried to play it on my DVD player, it was skipping everywhere! Worse still, when I played it on my computer, there was a popup that appeared. Though I can't read it, as my screenreader wasn't able to tell me what it was, I was so frustrated that I finally contacted the Walt Disney Company and they had me send it to their antipiracy department. They were able to detect with some security software that the version I had was a pirated copy! They said a genuine copy would be better for me, but where to find one, I'm not sure. The DVD I purchased sure had me fooled! Buyer beware! Watch out for Pirated copies passing themselves off as genuine! On the bright side, this is a cute cartoon. I especially love the way Darling hums a sweet lullaby to her baby son. I plan to do that when I have children one day.

Great movie. I want to say that I bought this for the kids, but I love this movie so kids or no kids, I would have bought it anyway.

Delivered fast. Great movie.

Excelente presentación

Top

Intramontabile capolavoro classico di romanticismo e divertimento. Regalato a Natale al mio bimbo che attraversa una fase di non-drammaticità (ultimamente lo infastidiscono le scene crude della strega di Biancaneve o dell'incendio della foresta di Bambi, senza parlare della tragedia della morte della mamma di Bambi...) Questa storia commovente, a parte gli odiosi gatti siamesi e l'orrendo topo, non contiene streghe, sortilegi o altri elementi particolarmente spaventosi, ma contiene bensì un'esemplare raffigurazione realistica della crudeltà e della superficialità umane presenti in diverse forme, dalla trascuratezza dei padroni di Lilli, alla demenzialità della zia, alla spietatezza degli operatori del canile, e alla triste sorte degli animali che tanto affetto sanno dare e così poco o nulla ricevono dagli opportunisti che non li amano. Consigliatissimo dai 4 anni in su.

In unseren heutigen Gesellschaft werden leider nicht mehr so schöne Trickfilme hergestellt. Als Kind habe ich diesen Film zum ersten mal gesehen und bin seit dem Fan. Zum Glück wurde an diesem Film noch nichts überarbeitet wie bei anderen Klassikern. Man bekommt genau das, wie aus seiner Kindheit.