During the early 1950s Disney was making some excellent animated features with 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Peter Pan', Lady and the Tramp followed those films and proved to be another good film from the studio. After the very large and fantasy orientated feel of those two films, Lady and the Tramp moves towards a much more grounded style which benefits the film as well as Disney's output by adding a little more variety to their work at the time. I don't think it is quite as good in Disney terms as some of their other features.
The plot centres on Lady who is a pampered Cocker Spaniel adored by her owners. Things start to change for her when the couple have a baby and she begins to fall out of favour in the household. At the same time she comes across a mongrel named Tramp, despite not getting along at firs the two build up a strong bond and he shows her what life would be like if they lived free. The story is about as straight forward as it gets. I think that takes some of the impact out of the story as you kind of know where it is going to go and how things are going to end up. But in fairness I like how laid-back the story was, it wasn't trying to do anything but tell a charming story and it succeeds in doing that to be fair.
There is a lot of good things about the film. The animation for a start is fantastic, as you would expect from Disney. The film has a very soft look and uses very bright colours that give the upper class housing areas a rich gleam. It a good choice as this fits the films aims more than some of the more vivid animation that Disney had been using prior to it. The softer colours also work for the night scenes in making some beautiful looking scenery.
The characters are very enjoyable. I was worried that Lady would be presented as being too full of herself, but they do a good job in making her likable. Her plight is something that is understandable and you begin to feel for her, her soft and sensitive nature really does win you over quickly. Tramp comes off well as more of a lovable rogue type. He has all the great features needed for a good lead seeing as he's caring, witty and has the right amount of street smarts. Jock is very amusing, he's excellently voiced by veteran Bill Thompson doing a great Scottish accent and him constantly calling Lady 'Lassie' is quite funny. Trusty was another very fun supporting role, always forgetting what he is talking about and reciting stories of old. He comes off as a reassuring elderly figure and that makes him quite endearing. Jim and Darling were okay, but nothing special but then again they aren't the focus.
The film does contain some differences to the formula that make it enjoyable. I really like the fact that Lady and Tramp don't get along straight away, it gets rid of the clichés like love at first sight and it is nicely more real in how they spend more time together before deciding they're meant to be with each other. I also think that having these things from the dogs perspective is very smart, like the fact Lady thinks her owners are 'Jim Dear' and 'Darling as that's what they call each other or her confusion at how worked up Jim is getting over the birth of the baby. There were some exciting scenes too, Tramp's fight with a rat and the climax itself are very well done pieces.
As noted I do like the more laid-back tone as it allows for more time to be invested into the characters and makes sure that the story itself isn't rushed. I think this made the characters more engaging and made you want to know what was going to happen. The music is also very good. The 'We Are Siamese' song is known by everyone and rightly so as it is a fun tune. The song 'Bella Notte' in particular is very pleasant, and of course the image of Lady and Tramp eating the Spaghetti accompanying it is now seen as iconic.
I think that the films biggest weakness is the fact that it lacks anything that memorable. As said the story is somewhat obvious, even if it makes changes to the norm, and there isn't really anything that you haven't seen before. Although I do like the more laid-back tone, at times you can feel that the film is affected by the lack of a villain and the lack of any big set-pieces taking place which takes any edge of proceedings. I think that the film can come off as a series of moments due to the way it is told and though most of it is interesting, it isn't as gripping as say the moments in 'Alice in Wonderland' so it's more liable to become a little dull in some areas.
On the whole I'd say Lady and the Tramp is another entertaining film from Disney. It does have a lot of charm to it and the story is told in a fairly smart fashion in that it at least tries to make a rather tried idea fresh. As usual there are plenty of amusing pieces, the characters are very fun and the animation looks fantastic. There are certain areas where it lacks somewhat, but never enough to harm the overall quality of the film too much. It isn't a Disney film that I will be watching over and over, but taken for what it is worth and it is an effortlessly enjoyable film.
The plot centres on Lady who is a pampered Cocker Spaniel adored by her owners. Things start to change for her when the couple have a baby and she begins to fall out of favour in the household. At the same time she comes across a mongrel named Tramp, despite not getting along at firs the two build up a strong bond and he shows her what life would be like if they lived free. The story is about as straight forward as it gets. I think that takes some of the impact out of the story as you kind of know where it is going to go and how things are going to end up. But in fairness I like how laid-back the story was, it wasn't trying to do anything but tell a charming story and it succeeds in doing that to be fair.
There is a lot of good things about the film. The animation for a start is fantastic, as you would expect from Disney. The film has a very soft look and uses very bright colours that give the upper class housing areas a rich gleam. It a good choice as this fits the films aims more than some of the more vivid animation that Disney had been using prior to it. The softer colours also work for the night scenes in making some beautiful looking scenery.
The characters are very enjoyable. I was worried that Lady would be presented as being too full of herself, but they do a good job in making her likable. Her plight is something that is understandable and you begin to feel for her, her soft and sensitive nature really does win you over quickly. Tramp comes off well as more of a lovable rogue type. He has all the great features needed for a good lead seeing as he's caring, witty and has the right amount of street smarts. Jock is very amusing, he's excellently voiced by veteran Bill Thompson doing a great Scottish accent and him constantly calling Lady 'Lassie' is quite funny. Trusty was another very fun supporting role, always forgetting what he is talking about and reciting stories of old. He comes off as a reassuring elderly figure and that makes him quite endearing. Jim and Darling were okay, but nothing special but then again they aren't the focus.
The film does contain some differences to the formula that make it enjoyable. I really like the fact that Lady and Tramp don't get along straight away, it gets rid of the clichés like love at first sight and it is nicely more real in how they spend more time together before deciding they're meant to be with each other. I also think that having these things from the dogs perspective is very smart, like the fact Lady thinks her owners are 'Jim Dear' and 'Darling as that's what they call each other or her confusion at how worked up Jim is getting over the birth of the baby. There were some exciting scenes too, Tramp's fight with a rat and the climax itself are very well done pieces.
As noted I do like the more laid-back tone as it allows for more time to be invested into the characters and makes sure that the story itself isn't rushed. I think this made the characters more engaging and made you want to know what was going to happen. The music is also very good. The 'We Are Siamese' song is known by everyone and rightly so as it is a fun tune. The song 'Bella Notte' in particular is very pleasant, and of course the image of Lady and Tramp eating the Spaghetti accompanying it is now seen as iconic.
I think that the films biggest weakness is the fact that it lacks anything that memorable. As said the story is somewhat obvious, even if it makes changes to the norm, and there isn't really anything that you haven't seen before. Although I do like the more laid-back tone, at times you can feel that the film is affected by the lack of a villain and the lack of any big set-pieces taking place which takes any edge of proceedings. I think that the film can come off as a series of moments due to the way it is told and though most of it is interesting, it isn't as gripping as say the moments in 'Alice in Wonderland' so it's more liable to become a little dull in some areas.
On the whole I'd say Lady and the Tramp is another entertaining film from Disney. It does have a lot of charm to it and the story is told in a fairly smart fashion in that it at least tries to make a rather tried idea fresh. As usual there are plenty of amusing pieces, the characters are very fun and the animation looks fantastic. There are certain areas where it lacks somewhat, but never enough to harm the overall quality of the film too much. It isn't a Disney film that I will be watching over and over, but taken for what it is worth and it is an effortlessly enjoyable film.