Lady and the Tramp is the latest Disney live action reboot, based on the original 1955 animated film and directed by Charlie Bean. It stars Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux as the classic characters of Lady, an American cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a street-smart, stray schnauzer, as they embark on an adventure together. Interestingly enough, while it is now regarded as a classic, the original Lady and the Tramp wasn’t initially well received by critics.
Firstly, Lady and the Tramp is an excellent choice to remake and debut as a part of the Disney+ launch. It is a beautiful film that manages to look high budget while also looking like a mix between a TV film and a theatrical release. It’s perfect for the family couch viewing experience and the small scale adventure does not warrant a big screen adaptation. However it’s still basically the exact same story, with very few deviations from the original, but you can also say that about 90% of Disney’s live action slate. Thompson and Theroux were well cast and really work to maintain their characters’ charm and classic feel, just like in the original. Sam Elliot was also the perfect casting for Trusty, an elder Bloodhound. One new thing Tessa Thompson’s portrayal of Lady adds to to film is a small amount of spunkiness to Lady’s character, which was not present in the original. This particular change was both believable and easy to embrace.
While the filmmakers did use real dogs combined with a little CGI on their faces when they talked, every time they spoke, it just seemed too weird. During every dialogue sequence, every dog looks at whoever they’re interacting with, then away from the camera, and then back again. It is unnatural and repetitive, and gets to a point where you don’t want to see these dogs on camera anymore, let alone their awkward mouth movements whenever they speak. It would’ve been better if Disney had used CGI to capture the animals’ full body movements, especially when speaking, to avoid the unnatural and repetitive nature of the dialogue sequences. The main human protagonists of the film (Kiersey Clemons and Thomas Mann) were fine portraying Darling and Jim Dear, but they also were ultimately unimportant due to their short screen times, which makes them seem like a talking shadow that the audience only sees for a little bit before immediately forgetting.
The story is very familiar and though it’s not great when they attempt to add new styles to shake it up, it’s a good first viewing with Disney+. It doesn’t add much in the way of new and doesn’t boast anything that makes it a worthwhile watch, but if you want to take a few hours out of your day to watch some cheap entertainment, it couldn’t hurt. Being the first Disney live action not to have a theatrical release, and besides the pacing issues, animal voice-overs, and the human appearances, this film was cute, fun, and a completely inoffensive take on the original film.
2.5/5 STARS