Lady and the Tramp (June 22, 1955)

Another one of my favorites. I mentioned this film during my review of The Aristocats as I believe Lady and the Tramp is the superior animal love story (and not because it features dogs instead of cats!) The movie tells the story of a female American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives a posh life in a gated neighborhood and a stray mutt named Tramp who meet and slowly fall in love. It is based on the 1945 Cosmopolitan magazine story, “Happy Dan, The Cynical Dog” by Ward Greene. This film features great music that creates a sweet ambiance- most notably “Bella Notte”. There is, however, the unfortunately racist song, “The Siamese Cat Song.” The animation is a slight step up from the previous film, Peter Pan with cleaner lines and brighter colors but both have great backgrounds. I enjoy the cinematography being at the dog’s level with only the occasional views of a person’s face. This film is also notable for being the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen film process. There are not many locations in the film but it somehow still manages to make the world feel interesting a lived in- a small turn of the 20th century midwestern American town The dogs in this film also feel more like normal pups instead of animals attempting to act like people. The voice actors are also giving each character a distinctive voice and personality. And the characters, the stars of the show are the dogs (though Lady’s owners are a wonderful couple who have a baby and Tony and Joe are funny Italian restaurant owners with a soft spot for Tramp)- Lady, Tramp, Jock and Trusty (a Scottish terrier and bloodhound respectively who are Lady’s closest friends), and a few additional dogs from the pound- and they are all likable (except the Siamese cats but that is intentional). Lady and the Tramp is truly a classic, spaghetti scene and all. It is well worth watching as a simple and sweet puppy love story with great characters and songs.

Final Rating: 8.5/10