Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Since the dawn of film, dogs have found their way to the spotlight of cinematic features. Even the legendary Charlie Chaplin knew the potential of a canine star with his 1918 short film, A Dog's Life. Considering Disney's wide usage of animals throughout their early filmography, it only was a matter of time until Disney landed on a dog protagonist with their 1955 feature, Lady and the Tramp. Following a pampered American Cocker Spaniel named Lady (Barbara Luddy) who meets a cynical homeless mongrel named Tramp (Larry Roberts) and travels around the city together, Lady and the Tramp is a simple yet charming feature that is elegant in delivery and heart.
There is a certain level of charm to Lady and the Tramp that helps elevate the overall more simple feature. For example, the characters throughout the film have a certain depth to them that feels real and natural. Little quirks like Lady's Scottish Terrier
neighbor, Jock (Bill Thompson), having a complex method of hiding his bones and seeing all the funny misconceptions by the dogs of what human life is like creates a world that feels lived in and developed. While maybe not revolutionary, Lady and the Tramp does make the most of its premise and perspective in a way that is still charming and clever to this day. This bleeds into a larger world that is wonderful to explore as Lady and Tramp travel around.
Almost feeling reminiscent of the works of Woody Allen at times, much of the plot of the feature is dedicated to Lady and Tramp traveling around the city on a journey that is more focused on smaller characters than grand adventure. The biggest conflicts of the film come from moments of the dogcatcher trying to take Lady and Tramp into the pound alongside a larger backbone conflict of Lady having to confront her fears of losing her family's love once they have a baby. While the baby issue might be the catalyst for Lady and Tramp first interacting, much of the film is more about them becoming friends and slowly learning to appreciate the other. From the iconic Italian dinner they share to taking a break from walking to chase chickens, this connection feels authentic and is one the better relationships to be developed within Disney's early filmography.
While this is largely due to the film's writing, praise must also be given to Luddy and Roberts. Roberts especially gives an incredible amount of charisma and personality to his portrayal of Tramp who gets away with being more cynical without ever feeling forced or damaging to the larger plot of the film. Sometimes, a character like Tramp who sees the negative in the world will be used ineffectively with their skepticism interfering with any scene of enjoyment. Tramp is used far better and as he opens up, he does feel like a notably layered and successful character for this era of Disney.
The animation is also quite strong. The dogs are, of course, adorable and the personality the artists are able to inject into their designs is an impressive feat. These characters truly feel like they have identities and so much of that comes from their facial expressions and body language, something not always easy to achieve when the character is a dog. It also is worthy to mention that the lighting and actual shot composition are also strong with Disney again creating an enticing world to live in for the film's runtime.
It should be said, however, that the plot does remain rather basic and it is hard to say there are many moments that ever elevate the feature from being a more generic enjoyable viewing experience. As with so many Disney films, the blessing, however, comes from the film's runtime which sits at a quick 76-minutes. For an investment of this short amount of time, what the film delivers feels serviceable and worthwhile. The only point where it feels like the film can threaten to drag is in the opening act which focuses on Lady's experience growing up in her family, but this is far from terrible and largely survives due to the adorable visuals of Lady living her best life. For anyone waiting specifically for Lady and Tramp's time together, there is nearly 30-minutes of runtime that will see them waiting.
Beyond this, the conflict that drives Lady out to seek Tramp's help is also somewhat weak. The gimmick of an evil nanny, in this case aunt Sarah (Verna Felton) is nothing new and her hatred for Lady feels quite forced. This also gives us Sarah's pair of Siamese cats, Si and Am (Peggy Lee) which, while iconic at the time, has grown to represent more problematic racist ideals and feels uncomfortable on a modern viewing. Luckily, the entire aunt Sarah segment lasts for no more than 5-minutes making its impact on the overall feature rather minimal.
While Lady and the Tramp might remain a simpler film, the feature is still rather enjoyable and charming. Especially due to its canine protagonists, the film finds a notable personality and energy that carries the film and creates a completely passable final viewing experience. While not Disney's most worthy offering, the film is still an easy recommendation for some lighter animated fun.
There is a certain level of charm to Lady and the Tramp that helps elevate the overall more simple feature. For example, the characters throughout the film have a certain depth to them that feels real and natural. Little quirks like Lady's Scottish Terrier
neighbor, Jock (Bill Thompson), having a complex method of hiding his bones and seeing all the funny misconceptions by the dogs of what human life is like creates a world that feels lived in and developed. While maybe not revolutionary, Lady and the Tramp does make the most of its premise and perspective in a way that is still charming and clever to this day. This bleeds into a larger world that is wonderful to explore as Lady and Tramp travel around.
Almost feeling reminiscent of the works of Woody Allen at times, much of the plot of the feature is dedicated to Lady and Tramp traveling around the city on a journey that is more focused on smaller characters than grand adventure. The biggest conflicts of the film come from moments of the dogcatcher trying to take Lady and Tramp into the pound alongside a larger backbone conflict of Lady having to confront her fears of losing her family's love once they have a baby. While the baby issue might be the catalyst for Lady and Tramp first interacting, much of the film is more about them becoming friends and slowly learning to appreciate the other. From the iconic Italian dinner they share to taking a break from walking to chase chickens, this connection feels authentic and is one the better relationships to be developed within Disney's early filmography.
While this is largely due to the film's writing, praise must also be given to Luddy and Roberts. Roberts especially gives an incredible amount of charisma and personality to his portrayal of Tramp who gets away with being more cynical without ever feeling forced or damaging to the larger plot of the film. Sometimes, a character like Tramp who sees the negative in the world will be used ineffectively with their skepticism interfering with any scene of enjoyment. Tramp is used far better and as he opens up, he does feel like a notably layered and successful character for this era of Disney.
The animation is also quite strong. The dogs are, of course, adorable and the personality the artists are able to inject into their designs is an impressive feat. These characters truly feel like they have identities and so much of that comes from their facial expressions and body language, something not always easy to achieve when the character is a dog. It also is worthy to mention that the lighting and actual shot composition are also strong with Disney again creating an enticing world to live in for the film's runtime.
It should be said, however, that the plot does remain rather basic and it is hard to say there are many moments that ever elevate the feature from being a more generic enjoyable viewing experience. As with so many Disney films, the blessing, however, comes from the film's runtime which sits at a quick 76-minutes. For an investment of this short amount of time, what the film delivers feels serviceable and worthwhile. The only point where it feels like the film can threaten to drag is in the opening act which focuses on Lady's experience growing up in her family, but this is far from terrible and largely survives due to the adorable visuals of Lady living her best life. For anyone waiting specifically for Lady and Tramp's time together, there is nearly 30-minutes of runtime that will see them waiting.
Beyond this, the conflict that drives Lady out to seek Tramp's help is also somewhat weak. The gimmick of an evil nanny, in this case aunt Sarah (Verna Felton) is nothing new and her hatred for Lady feels quite forced. This also gives us Sarah's pair of Siamese cats, Si and Am (Peggy Lee) which, while iconic at the time, has grown to represent more problematic racist ideals and feels uncomfortable on a modern viewing. Luckily, the entire aunt Sarah segment lasts for no more than 5-minutes making its impact on the overall feature rather minimal.
While Lady and the Tramp might remain a simpler film, the feature is still rather enjoyable and charming. Especially due to its canine protagonists, the film finds a notable personality and energy that carries the film and creates a completely passable final viewing experience. While not Disney's most worthy offering, the film is still an easy recommendation for some lighter animated fun.