Lady and the Tramp is the latest classic Disney animated movie sacrificed on the alter of the dolla dolla bills, y’all. Most of the efforts have ranged from terrible to awful, but this one… I would say that it rates as a ‘not bad’ which, for a live action remake of a Disney cartoon is high praise.
Yes, it’s Lady and the Tramp, now with 78.3 percent less racism. You know this movie: A spoiled little cocker spaniel meets a scruffy stray dog and they fall in love thanks to a couple of Italian cooks who would rather serenade animals than serve their customers. The movie, like the cartoon, is a simple love story with talking dogs. No major antagonists, no big action set pieces, and only a couple of songs… just a very simple movie.
Lady and the Tramp 2019 doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, opting to embrace the simplicity and, at the same time, changes things up just enough to be mildly surprising if you’re a fan of the classic film. Admittedly, I haven’t seen the classic movie in years, so perhaps you can just chalk that up to my failing memory, but as I said… it was fine.
I have to admit, though, I went from being curious to how they were going to deal with the racist Siamese Cats and I’m happy to say, I really enjoyed how they changed both the characters and the song. It was actually quite catchy.
Now, if you will indulge me for a moment:
It’s obvious that this movie has a much lower budget than your run of the mill Disney blockbuster. Yeah, it was made for the Disney+ streaming service, so Disney wasn’t going to plunk a hundred million bucks on it.
Now, here’s my question: Why is it that the animals in this movie are so much more expressive and emotive than the animals in The Lion King remake? How is it that a movie can have a budget of 200 million dollars and crank out a bunch of dead-eyed, emotionless zombie characters and Lady and the Tramp does the same thing so much better with just a fraction of the cash?
Sorry I can’t let it go, but The Lion King deserved better than the creepy remake.
Getting back in the vicinity of the original topic, Lady and the Tramp isn’t ambitious, but it didn’t try to be. It’s not breathtaking or amazing, but it didn’t try to be those things either. What it sets out to be is a comforting and simple film, a temporary escape that feels like wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket. Is is a classic? No… and I have a feeling that it’s going be largely forgotten in a couple of years with the original film retaining the staying power.
That being said… it’s fine. As far as live action remakes go, this is definitely in the upper tiers which, given my opinions of the remakes, isn’t high praise, but I was entertained and didn’t feel insulted as a fan of the original movie.
That is high praise.
Jason Gaston 