After focusing for three straight films on human characters, Walt Disney and his animation staff bring out Lady and the Tramp, a film that focuses entirely on the dogs of an American town. The film is a typical Romeo and Juliet story, but this time having canines acting in the lead roles. The film is truly a delight, with great songs and beautiful animation.Plot: A puppy is given to the wife of a wealthy man as a Christmas gift. The puppy grows up into a pampered little Cocker Spaniel who is used to being loved and treated like a human. But this all changes when the human woman becomes pregnant. Then, a scruffy mutt comes along and warns her about the dangers of the baby: "When the baby moves in...the dog moves out"
After a skirmish with a couple of conniving Siamese cats when the couple goes away for the weekend, the woman taking care of the baby, Aunt Sarah, tries to have a muzzle put on Lady, who escapes and runs into the Tramp in the inner city. The two trick a beaver into taking Lady's muzzle off and the two go to an Italian restaurant, where the two share a romantic dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. The two spend the rest of the night together and fall in love.
The next morning, Tramp takes Lady to chase chickens before taking her home, but Lady is caught by the dog catcher and brought to the pound. After learning a few dark secrets about Tramp, Lady is heartbroken. After Aunt Sarah picks her up and ties her up outside, Tramp tries to explain, but Lady refuses to listen to him. As Tramp leaves, Lady sees a rat enter the bedroom of the baby. Tramp returns in time to kill the rat, but Sarah has Tramp taken to the pound. It's up to Lady and her friends to convince the humans of their mistakes and save Tramp before it's too late.
What's Bad?: There really isn't anything I can say about this film that is morally or ethically wrong in this film. The film does drag in some spots, but since the main plot of the film was the romance, i guess it's okay. We were kind of spoiled with action in Peter Pan. The comedy isn't very funny, but this film was trying to be different from it's predecessors. The one thing that is sad is that the film has no set villain. The rat was acting on instincts, while the Aunt was just worried about the baby.
What's Good?: The film is abundant in likable characters and classic musical numbers. The two Italian chefs are my favorite parts of the movie, but the rest of the cast is very genuine and likable. In fact, this may be the most likable group of characters in any of the films Walt Disney created, with the exception of The Jungle Book.
The songs are good, but not as memorable as the ones in the early part of the decade. The story really pushes the fact that dogs are better than cats, too. Since I've found out that Walt Disney despised cats, I can see why the Siamese cats are such a-holes in this film.
Overall: While not being one of Disney's stronger efforts, Lady and the Tramp is in the same department as Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland. The film is charming and sweet, the perfect Disney film, but not the perfect film. It's good, but don't expect their best work.
Report Card
Heroine: A-
Hero: B
Villain: N/A
Side Characters: B
Songs: B+
Musical Score: B-
Animation: A-
Theme: A-
Story: B+
Special Effects: B-
Overall: B
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