I reallllllyyyyy liked this movie.
And let me caveat that by first saying; it won’t win any Oscars, but it did do exactly what it promised. It was a delightful and heart-warming re-imagining of a classic, and I think considering the numerous live action remakes we have seen over the years, it is up there with the best.
In general, I’m not a big fan of the live action remakes. (Sorry, I’m going off on bit of a tangent here, but I swear I’ll get back to Lady and the Tramp…) Of course, any fan of the source material is going to be protective of it, and the original animations are dear to any fan’s heart and childhood. So the idea of them being ‘remade’ always strikes fear into a Disney super fan’s heart. But I am not totally against it either. If you are going to do something different to the original story and put a new spin on a well known tale, then I’m all for it. I think anyone watching their favourite films has seen a character leave the room and thought ‘I wonder where they’re going…’, and a live action remake allows the filmmakers to answer those questions and expand the world.
But maybe that’s it, I like the idea of a ‘re-imagining’ but not the idea of a ‘re-make’. Because to me, what’s the point in a remake? If you’re just going to make the exact film again shot for shot but with ‘life-like’ animation, what does the audience gain from that? **cough**Lion King**cough**. Sorry, just how I feel. 😂
But live-action re-imaginings that I DID really enjoy were Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, Dumbo, and most recently the new Christopher Robin, for the simple reason that they took the story somewhere new. Adding new characters and giving it a twist, whilst still retaining the essence of the original. And it’s that treatment that I really enjoyed about Lady and the Tramp (see, I told you I’d get back there eventually 😜). This film had all of the nostalgia and delight of the original, but updated for a modern audience.
And to be fair, this film did need some updating in areas. The ‘Siamese Cats’ that invade Lady’s household for one. They are an outdated caricature for sure. Their design, voices and the song they sing all typify cliches and stereotypes. The original Lady and the Tramp was first released in 1955 and while this by no means makes this OK, it was a product of its time. And we can all agree, that didn’t age well. Disney undoubtably has a few films in its repertoire with this issue and there is no perfect way to handle it. But the core of this story is not about that and is so loved by people for reasons that are not connected with these negative elements at all (the Siamese cats only appear for one short lived song). People don’t remember the cats. Ask anyone what Lady and the Tramp is about and they will say ‘two dogs that fall in love and eat spaghetti’. It makes sense for Disney to ‘amend’ these characters to fit with where we are today, and as it should have been in the first place so that everyone can enjoy a simple love story between two pups. (But I am totally up for a conversation on this whole issue, DM me your views on how Disney handles older films with outdated stereotypes like this, I’d love to get your opinion.)
So the cats have been updated to a pair of streetwise sneaks, with a different creepy song entirely. Not really a focus, but a necessary change.
Most noticeable also was the gender flip of Jock the Scottish Terrier (shortened from Jacqueline in this updated version.) And why not? The gender of the character is not a driver of the story and it makes sense as both male and female, so why not open it up and flip this for a bit more balance? And let’s be honest, look at this dog, can you tell it’s gender? Does it matter? No. 😅
On that note, if anyone from Disney ever happens upon this post and wants some ideas, how about a few more gender flips to re-vamp a well-known fairy tale? Maybe a female version of Peter Pan? Or a gender swap in Beauty and the Beast? Why not! If you’re going to have fun re-imagining a story then why not really go for it?!
We also have a lot more ethnic diversity in the casting of this film (not that you can tell particularly with a lot of this being dog voice work 😂, but progress nonetheless!) and that is always a good thing. And always good to see Disney showing awareness of this as a continuing issue for progress.
So all in all I guess what I trying to say is with the addressing of issues with older films, gender flips and more diverse casting, this film to me is quietly making really positive changes. Or at least in my opinion, let me know yours!
On a totally different note…
Another thing I feel I really need to point out is how crazy good the animation was in this re-make, it was honestly unbelievable! The film uses a mix of real live action footage of actual dogs as well as animation and this is so seamless I honestly couldn’t tell difference.
I mean, look at these 2 images below, could you tell which is real and which is Digital? Because I was fooled!! Go on, give it a guess….answer below….
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Were you right?! Because I wasn’t! I mean seriously, the level of animation skill these days is amazing.
If I’m honest I was a bit worried when I saw the trailer for this film as I am not really on board with animals talking when they are live action, it just freaks me out ok! And I know a few people who feel like this so I am not alone! 😂 I’m normally more of a fan of how they handle it in Homeward Bound, with no mouths moving but almost as if they are ‘thinking’ to each other. But despite my reservations, I actually got over that and didn’t mind it!
I also really love that this film was released directly to Disney+ and not in the cinemas. This movie was absolutely meant for home release and not the cinema. It was the perfect film to cosy up to in your own home with a big old blanket and some chocolate in the evening and be delighted by. Such a cute small screen experience and I think a big screen viewing might have spoiled that somewhat.
So if you’re looking for a lovely little film to watch of an evening with some cute little doggos on an adventure, then this is for you. Harmless and heart warming. Everything Disney does best. ☺️
On Cloud Katy 