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Of all the
older Disney films, my absolute favorite
has to be "Lady and the Tramp."
I'm sure many of you will agree that it
contains one of the most memorable scenes
for most grown-up kids, that of Tramp and
Lady sitting at a table behind an Italian
restaurant, eating spaghetti and meatballs
("Two spaghetti and-a meatsa-balls
especiales…heavy on the meatsa-balls….")
The two wind up eating the same spaghetti
strand which eventually brings their faces
closer together until an unexpected 'kiss'
breaks it. Tramp then pushes the last 'meatsa-ball'
on the plate over to Lady and the two fall
hopelessly in love. Ahhh… the romantic
in me loves to sing along to "Bella
Notte", much to the chagrin of my family.
Over the past few years, the House of Disney
has been releasing these classic animated
films in 2-disc Platinum Editions and I
have been joyously collecting them (ahem…for
my kids) and plan to continue doing so until
we have them all.
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"Lady and the Tramp" has been on my
wish list for so long that I wasn't sure how to
celebrate once the announcement came of its upcoming
release. (Though the thought of an Italian dinner
with my family came to mind…) I will admit
that I was so happy when it arrived on my doorstep
that I made sure to gather everyone around to
watch it that very night. And there wasn't a hint
of disappointment from any of the four of us.
As is expected these days from any Disney release,
"Lady and the Tramp" has been painstakingly
restored and looks absolutely beautiful. It's
so hard to believe that the movie is celebrating
its 50th Anniversary (thankfully I'm not old enough
to have seen it in its original theatrical release…barely).
The disc offers the choice of Full Screen or Widescreen,
though I have no idea why ANYBODY would choose
anything but Widescreen. The colors are extremely
vibrant and the new 5.1 enhanced audio mix almost
literally transports you into the middle of the
film, if you have a home theatre setup.
While we were watching the movie for the 2nd time
a few days later, I started noticing how much
of the film was obviously the product of another
time. And here is where I'm waiting for some bored
and unemployed people to start making a fuss.
There are some major stereotypes presented in
many of the characters, from the (evil) Siamese
cats who replace all their R's with L's in their
song, the Chihuahua who has an extremely thick
Hispanic accent, and yes… and the owner
of the Italian Restaurant "Tony's",
who doesn't 'speak-a the English too good…"
Being that I'm Italian, many people seem to expect
that I should be outraged by this stereotype.
But, of course… these are same people I
mentioned before who are either bored, jobless,
or both. Too be honest, stereotypes of any kind
do not, and have never bothered me in the least
and they certainly don’t in a Disney film.
Regardless of what some 'intellectually challenged'
people think, stereotypes are funny. And if my
children ask me about it, that's exactly what
I'll tell them. As long as it is not mean-spirited…
"fuggedaboutit…"
That said, the story of "Lady and the Tramp"
is a beautiful and romantic 'tail', about star-crossed
lovers from both sides of the tracks. Lady, is
pampered Cocker Spaniel, who lives a life of luxury
on the well-to-do side of town, while Tramp is
a happy-go-lucky mongrel who 'owns' many families
but refuses to settle down with just one. When
the birth of a baby in Lady's family (and the
subsequent visit from a dog-hating Aunt) intrudes
on her world, she finds herself on the wrong side
of the tracks and eventually under the protection
of Tramp. It's a wonderful story, rich with colorful
characters and perfectly suited for the entire
family. Again I have to mention, it is one of
my favorites, if not THE favorite.
The 2-disc Platinum Edition is a Disney-philes
dream. It contains a ton of extra features, including
a couple of deleted scenes, a closer look at the
songs in the film, a couple of games for the young-uns.
But as this IS a Disney release… that's
not all. There is a "Backstage Disney"
feature that delivers over two full hours of behind
the scenes video clips, photos, interviews and
an explanation of the storyboard and how it relates
to the finished film. Especially interesting is
a lengthy look at the original 1943 storyboard
of the film, which actually tells a decidedly
different story than what finally made it into
theatres.
This new DVD release of "Lady and the Tramp"
is undoubtedly worth every penny, and I HIGHLY
recommend adding it to your collection.
Starring (the voices of): Peggy Lee, Barbara
Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Lee Millar
Extras: Never-before-seen deleted sequences: "Turning
the Tables" - Tramp describes what it would
be like if dogs were the masters and people were
their pets; and "La La Loo" - Alternate
abandoned concept for the arrival of the baby,
1943 original storyboard version of the film,
Finding Lady: The art of the storyboard, Lady's
Pedigree: The making of Lady and the Tramp, Disney
Virtual Puppy: DVD-ROM feature in which you adopt
and care for your own virtual puppy. You can even
teach him tricks!, Disney Dog Trivia: A virtual
board game
PuppyPedia: Learn about real-life breeds that
inspired the characters in the movie, Restored
original theatrical soundtrack, all-new "Bella
Notte" music video, Your inner bark: Personality
profile
Specifications: Widescreen (2.55:1), Full Screen
(Pan & Scan), Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround Sound,
Original Theatrical Soundtrack
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 2/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website
We'll give Lady & The Tramp: 50th Anniversary
Edition an A+. |
