Lady and the Tramp (1955)
And now, on to one of my all time favorites from the vault. I remember watching this movie over and over again and never tiring of it. Revisiting it, solidified that admiration.
Believe it or not, the inception of this movie began way back when Snow White was finishing production. The idea of writing a story about the life of a family dog from it's own point of view attracted Walt, leading to it becoming his 15th animated film. Proving to be a popular hit with audiences, it was marked the most successful animated movie since Snow White.
This movie, also marks a few beginnings for the studio. It introduced Cinemascope to the animator's repertoire. A filming technique that allowed for larger and wider animated scenes, making the world they create have more of a feeling of space and reality. It also marked the first, and as far as I know only Disney animated movie without a clear villain. That's right, just because Aunt Sara doesn't like dogs, doesn't mean she's evil. And the rat was simply acting out of instinct.
Anyway, this movie hold's a special place in my heart, so seeing it as an adult, and falling in love with it all over again made me very happy.
First off, this movie is gorgeous!!! Cinemascope truly showcased how talented the Disney artists were with their beautiful recreation of small town America at the turn of the 20th century. The studio loosely based the fictional town after Walt's own hometown of Marceline, Missouri, with it's lovely Victorian style houses and manicured streets. The romance of Americana is potent in this movie.
And, speaking of romance...
What a love story this movie hides behind it's animated facade!
The relationship between Lady and Tramp, and how it evolves over the course of the story, has enough depth for any adult to respond to. And might I just say, Bella Notte is still one of my favorite love songs from any of the Disney films. Hard to believe Disney almost cut it from the film.
As far as characters go, humanizing dogs with personalities, wants, and fears, still to this day isn't something we tire of as movie going audiences. As a matter of fact, I believe a certain Secret Life of Pets is currently in theaters as I write this. Seeing them respond to the strange world of their owners, and dwell over the perplexity of what the ramifications of a baby really is, truly is charming and entertaining. Despite Disney's continued demonification of cats ('We are Siamese"), the songs who were written with help from widely known songstress of the time, Peggy Lee, are very memorable. Despite how few of them the movie overall holds.
Overall, Lady and the Tramp is a wonderful story about love and devotion to our families. And how sometimes our worst fears, weather it's babies, or leashes and dog licenses, are sometimes blown out of proportion. We see both the main characters evolve over the course of the movie as they explore these things they know nothing about, and find they aren't nearly as scary as what they originally perceived. Tramp's idea of living on a leash is changed due to his love for Lady. As her naivety and street smarts are changed due to Tramp. It furthers my theory that people come into our lives at given moments when they have something we can learn from them. Our differences from each other allow us to grow and shape ourselves into who we need to be, and sometimes leads us to happiness and fulfillment. Which, in this case, is even true for dogs.
So there you have it, Lady and the Tramp still holds up well to today's standards. And I highly recommend a revisit to this old tale of two star-crossed canines! Next up is Sleeping Beauty, see you all in 1959!!
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