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The Ratings

Mo: 4.3

BLuv: 4.7

The Facts

Lady and the Tramp was released in theaters on June 22, 1955. 

15th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics Series. 

Tramp (the cynical main character) had various names during film development, including Homer, Rags and Bozo before “Tramp” was chosen. The production team first thought “Tramp” would be unacceptable due to the sexual connotations of the word, but the name got Walt’s approval and so was used in the film.

Mary Blair was originally designated to be the background illustrator but left the project to work on a children’s book. Then Claude Coats took on the project and was later joined by Eyvind Earle, the art director for Sleeping Beauty, who was also a major contributor to the film. 

Due to growing interest in widescreen films at that time, Walt filmed two versions of the movie, full screen and wide screen, to accommodate the demand for widescreen but also be able to screen in theaters that did not yet have the technology. 

LATT was recently released in the Blue Ray format in 2012. 

FILM SURVEY RESULTS- Lady and The Tramp

Did the film…

(Yes or No)                                                              Mo               B      

Make you laugh?                                                      Y                 Y

Make you cry?                                                          N                  Y

Inspire singing/whistling/humming?                        Y                  Y

Disgust you?                                                            N                  N

Scare you (or your inner child)?                                N                  N

Surprise you (even if you’ve seen it before)              Y                   Y

Make you wish you were a character in the film?      Y                   Y

Would you care to watch it again?                            Y                   Y

(on a scale of 1-5, or N/A)                                        Mo             B

How evil was the villain?         (Believable?)                   1               2               

How pretty was the princess/female protagonist?        4               4

How handsome was the prince/male protagonist?       4               3

How powerful is the main character(s)?                        3.9            4

Quality of music and sounds?                                       4.8           4.8

Quality of artistic rendering?                                          5             4 

Quality of costuming?                                                     4.7         4        

Captivating plotline?                                                       4.5        4.5

Pertinence of the moral? (Love knows no class??)             5           5

Darkness of the story?                                                     1           1           

Strength of the central relationship?                                4            4

Traumatizing moments? (deaths)                                     1.5         2

Pace of the film? Consistent until the end?                        4.3         4

Who was your favorite character? Mo: The Italians  B: Jacque & Trustee (yes, both)

Who was your least favorite character? Mo & B in accord: Aunt Sarah

What was your favorite song? Mo: We Are Siamese  B: He’s A Tramp

From the perspective of a loyally faithful dog-lover, it just doesn’t get much better than this. Lady and The Tramp opens with a dedication- the only Disney film to include such homage. The dedication reads, “In the whole history of the world there is but one thing that money can not buy… to wit- the wag of a dog’s tail.” (quote by Josh Billings)

I could not agree more, and it touches my heart to realize that Walt was most likely what we call a ‘dog person’ (you know who you are).

For someone one on the canine team, LATT really has it all. You’ve got your Cocker Spaniel, your Scottish Terrier, your Bloodhound, and your always loveable mutt. Scenes of whining puppies and lolling tongues, bone-hoarding in the garden and chasing the hunt during a mid morning nap on the porch; these are the moments I can authentically appreciate. These are the snapshots from real life, small insignificant tidbits that all come together into one big mashed, slobbery ball of intense love for our four-legged friends.

The songs in this film are world class, with American legend Peggy Lee behind two of its most memorable numbers, ‘We are Siamese’ and ‘He’s a Tramp’. In addition, ‘Belle Notte,’ with its Italian accordion and honey sweet lyrics, is enough to make any little lady swoon. With starry eyes and a wistful sigh, no doggy date has ever been more romantic in the history of the world. In fact, I would wager no human date (that I’ve participated in, anyway) has been nearly romantic enough to pull off the whole ‘oops, we slurped up the same piece of spaghetti and now we’re accidentally kissing!’ scenario.

I wish.

However, what really endears me to this film is the commentary on the place of dogs in our lives and of dog ownership. We meet The Tramp, a homeless mutt, and soon find out from a few simple lines how our treatment, or mistreatment, of these amazing creatures carries so much power. Lady, Jacque and Trusty are from well-to-do upper class families whose owners adore and care for them as if they were children. Truly, these dogs are portrayed as members of the family. The Tramp’s attitude towards humans leans on the patronizing side of the fence. When Jacque claims, “Why, everyone knows a dog’s best friend is a human”, Tramp simply rolls his eyes, lets out a cackle of laughter, incredulously exclaiming, “Oh, you haven’t fallen for that old verse, have you?”

This line says everything. Never knowing love and companionship himself, he sees no truth in those age-old words, going so far as to pity the dogs belonging to a family. He views his life on the run from the pound as ‘fancy free,’ but fails to see the immense perks of belonging to one family. It pains me to delve into this simple fact; those who are mistreated and left on their own cannot grasp a bond of deep love and affection and, furthermore, can hardly believe it is real and not a figment of story and imagination. The Tramp is a classic case of the cynical mistrusting wanderer, claiming to live life to it’s fullest but not admitting the lack of the most important thing on earth: love. 

Lady And The Tramp is so sweet it’s like chocolate. The sounds of this film, like those of Cinderella, are ‘old school Disney’ at their best. They just don’t make ‘em with that look or those sounds anymore. The backgrounds are water colored wonders, with subtleties that only come from the hands of well practiced and gifted artists. The story line is uncomplicated, and the main characters are dogs, which are animals that are most dear to my heart.

Although L&TT (Lady And The Tramp) and their fuzzy friends are all anthropomorphic, this film reminds me of how very much and how very truly, I love my two dogs. Lucky and Sweet Pea (or Sweet Meat as she’s been dubbed) are my two very well behaved wild ladies. They give me so much friggin’ joy, it’s like they are the living dessert to my every day life.

The relationship I have to my dogs—that people have to dogs— is one that’s been bred into our human culture, just as much as it has been bred into these animals. Dogs love to love us, protect us, and want desperately to be our partners in both work and play. They are loyal and true. Unlike humans, they do not waver in their resolve. Nor do they break their promises. Like other animals, they teach me so many lessons. 

Sweet Meat is my 13 pound Dichotomous Wonder. She could have been a circus act with her athleticism, obedience, and love of attention. She has a serious attitude and thinks she’s 200 pounds when she’s feels feisty. She’s also the most athletic little dog I’ve ever seen and she can outrun my bike going down hill as fast as I can ride it. She is in heaven when held and is highly entertaining in her quirkiness. And she loves clothes. I had no idea about small dogs, until she came into my life. She does this celebratory dance thing after I put an outfit on her. And if she doesn’t like the outfit, she tucks her tail under and moves in super-slow motion. She’s quite expressive. She also needs her affection limited, or else she gets naughty.

Lucky, my chocolate-eyed companion, is my ‘cosmic girl.’ When she looks into my eyes, I can feel what true love is. There is no messiness and nothing is obscured between us. The loyalty and the unconditional love we share is palpable. She and I, we will go beyond this world together. One night, I asked the Universe for her and the next morning she appeared. She has a peace sign on the top of her head, for god’s sake. She’s pretty and she’s smart. Lucky would die defending my honor. She is gentle, except when she temporarily loses her mind for walks and when people come to the door. I love her something fierce.

I love both both my girls real fierce for that matter. They are good girls, just like I asked for. In actuality, I manifested both of them. I asked the universe for them (with very specific qualities) and found them without a hitch. I’ve heard that some people think and even preach that dogs don’t have souls. All I have to say is those people are idiots and their hearts must be the size of a pin prick. In truth, they are closer to being without soul than animals. Mostly, what those folks could use is a swift kick in the ass, then perhaps, the cloud around their hearts would open wide enough for them to experience the unmistakable gift of a human/dog relationship.