The Walt Disney Studio experienced a kind of growth throughout the 1950s that no other studio had before or has since. The release of Cinderella in 1950 reinvigorated the studio’s animation department. Alice In Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953) followed and before you know it, Disney has suddenly conquered the television medium and was preparing to open Disneyland. However, the animation department was still the cornerstone of the studio and what they were making was a hit; a film that Disney could confidently open up his innovative theme park behind. It was 1955’s Lady and the Tramp, easily the most romantic film to come out of the studio and it doesn’t matter that the main characters are dogs.
Lady and the Tramp tells the simple story of an upper class Cocker Spaniel named Lady who falls in love with a mutt that is simply known as the Tramp. Lady leads a peaceful life with a young couple, Jim Dear and Darling until their baby comes along. The baby changes the dynamics, but eventually, Lady gets used to the baby’s presence. However, when the couple goes on a trip, they leave her and the baby with the obnoxious Aunt Sarah, who has no patience for dogs. She has a pair of Siamese cats who are just as annoying. Aunt Sarah puts a muzzle on Lady, who struggles and runs away. Thankfully Tramp is there to help and they fall for each other, despite their backgrounds.
Of course, as with any great Disney movie, the trick is filling a 75-minute run time without any filler or slow moments. It only takes a few minutes to tell anyone what Lady and the Tramp is about, but the gags and the extra characters that shape the film that keep people of all ages engrossed. Characters like Lady’s friends Jock and Trusty act as window’s into the main character’s worlds. There is more character development squeezed into this film than your standard romantic comedy. Every character has an arc, even Jock and Trusty, who are at first wary about the Tramp, but learn to like him. The story by the legendary Joe Grant proves that what keeps Disney’s films like Lady and the Tramp great nearly 60 years later is the ability for everyone to connect with characters who, more often than not, are animals.
The film is also a triumph of animation. The animators used the full wide Cinemascope frame like experts, especially during the fight with the rat at the very end of the film. After years of perfecting that art of filling the square 1:33.1 Academy ration, the Disney crew moved on to perfect the extremely wide Cinemascope ratio. Sure, the artwork in Sleeping Beauty was made with this ratio in mind, but Lady and the Tramp, the first animated film ever made in the ratio, looks just as fantastic.
Another key part in Disney films is the music and songs. Lady and the Tramp features the great “Bella Notte,” as well as a couple of Peggy Lee tracks. Her “Siamese Cat Song” is still a little hard to listen to, but that tune is hard to get out of your head. Plus, “He’s A Tramp” is another great one.
Disney released the film in their Diamond Edition line of Blu-rays last month. It truly looks fantastic and every time I see a Disney Blu-ray, I feel like I’m seeing the film for the first time.
Lady and the Tramp belongs in the list of the greatest films produced by the Disney studio. The film manages to be just as timeless as Disney’s fairy tale films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella, despite its turn-of-the-century setting. Lady and the Tramp is a great film from start to finish, so let’s member the film for more than the singular image of the dogs eating spaghetti.