Call me heartless, but films about dogs don’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong I love dogs, I’d never own one as I don’t think I’d be able to give it the attention it needs, but man’s best friend is a creature I do enjoy spending time with whenever I can. The whole films about dogs thing though just doesn’t resonate with me. Why would I want to watch a film about dogs? I think it’s probably because the vast majority of films about dogs are bad…but there is one that I do quite enjoy.
Jim Dear (Lee Millar) and Darling (Peggy Lee) have a new puppy, Lady (Barbara Luddy), who fills their home with life and excitement. Lady ensures that her human’s lives are as easy as they can be as she is pampered and socialises with her neighbours Jock (Bill Thompson) and Trusty (Bill Baucom). Across town the Tramp (Larry Roberts) is living his own life of self-proclaimed luxury as he eats what he wants and does what he wants. The two meet and begin to realise how attractive the others lifestyle is to each other, and over time they fall in love. However, when Lady is forced out of her own home by a babysitter, the two dogs become the subject of a manhunt (or doghunt I suppose) by animal control.
Jim Dear (Lee Millar) and Darling (Peggy Lee) have a new puppy, Lady (Barbara Luddy), who fills their home with life and excitement. Lady ensures that her human’s lives are as easy as they can be as she is pampered and socialises with her neighbours Jock (Bill Thompson) and Trusty (Bill Baucom). Across town the Tramp (Larry Roberts) is living his own life of self-proclaimed luxury as he eats what he wants and does what he wants. The two meet and begin to realise how attractive the others lifestyle is to each other, and over time they fall in love. However, when Lady is forced out of her own home by a babysitter, the two dogs become the subject of a manhunt (or doghunt I suppose) by animal control.
I have always enjoyed Lady and the Tramp, but it had been so long since I last watched it that I forgot why exactly I do love it so much. It ultimately comes down to our two leading characters. Both characters feel like they have the world figured out, and it’s only once they start to dip their paws in the others way of life that they realise they know nothing. Tramp especially is a fantastic character as throughout the whole film he’s quite difficult to suss out. Is he trustworthy? The accounts given about him by other dogs are mixed, some say he’s a hero and some say he’s a rascal. So as we go on this journey with Lady and uncovering the layers to Tramp’s character we begin to understand more about him, what makes him tick, and how he really feels about Lady.
I personally adore how Lady and the Tramp looks. It’s always been one of my favourite Disney classics from an animation standpoint because it’s got such a striking look. It visually communicates so much about the time period, the characters, and the world, without ever relying on waffly dialogue to do the heavy lifting. It’s one of the earliest examples I can think of in Disney animation where the visuals tell just as much of the story, if not more, than the dialogue does and that’s something that really starts to come through much more in later era’s.
Lady and the Tramp is one of my personal favourite Disney films and probably my favourite of the Silver Age. Whilst many of the Disney classics are timeless, I feel Lady and the Tramp manages to feel much more modern than it actually is because of the great chemistry between the lead characters, the fantastic dialogue they share, and the great use of visual storytelling throughout. If you haven’t seen Lady and the Tramp in a while I recommend you change that, it’s always a great journey seeing how the other half live.
I personally adore how Lady and the Tramp looks. It’s always been one of my favourite Disney classics from an animation standpoint because it’s got such a striking look. It visually communicates so much about the time period, the characters, and the world, without ever relying on waffly dialogue to do the heavy lifting. It’s one of the earliest examples I can think of in Disney animation where the visuals tell just as much of the story, if not more, than the dialogue does and that’s something that really starts to come through much more in later era’s.
Lady and the Tramp is one of my personal favourite Disney films and probably my favourite of the Silver Age. Whilst many of the Disney classics are timeless, I feel Lady and the Tramp manages to feel much more modern than it actually is because of the great chemistry between the lead characters, the fantastic dialogue they share, and the great use of visual storytelling throughout. If you haven’t seen Lady and the Tramp in a while I recommend you change that, it’s always a great journey seeing how the other half live.