The 2019 movie season has been both a hit and miss for Disney live-action remakes of their classic animated counterparts. Tim Burton's
Dumbo opened to disappointing box office numbers and mixed reviews despite being one of his strongest works in years. Guy Ritchie's
Aladdin also received mixed reviews from critics despite receiving a much higher audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as making a huge splash at the box office grossing over $1 Billion domestically. The same trend continued with Jon Favreau's
The Lion King, which also raked in a billion dollars worldwide but largely disappointed in terms of being a worthy remake to its classic animated predecessor. Whereas Tim Burton and Guy Ritchie added different elements to their live-action films, they made them effective in terms of reintroducing their classic stories to today's generation of audiences. While The
Lion King looked appealing on a visual scale, it lacked the heart and soul of the original that made it an animated classic. With
Lady And The Tramp, the trend reverses as the new live-action remake is not only a worthy successor to the original, but possesses the heart and soul that
The Lion King lacked.
Based on Walt Disney's 1955 animated film of the same name and the first of the recent live-action remakes to not receive a theatrical release with it being released on Disney+,
Lady And The Tramp's story virtually remains the same with a sheltered upper-middle-class American cocker spaniel named Lady, and a street-smart, stray schnauzer called the Tramp, embark on an adventure that opens their eyes up to the world. The live-action version of
Lady And The Tramp does the complete opposite of Jon Favreau's
The Lion King remake. Rather than trying to do a scene by scene remake of the classic original. the new version of
Lady And The Tramp manages to be a faithful live-action adaptation of the original with the plot possessing a few key differences, that differentiate the remake from the original such as the audience being able to see the faces of Lady's owners in the film and getting to know them on a personal level, the changing of the "Siamese Cat Song" giving it an updated version that will either be a hit or miss with audiences, Lady owner's having a newborn girl instead of a boy, and Aunt Sarah being unfavorable with the immediate family in the newer version. The changes that the new film brings to the story are ones that are welcomed and effective such as Lady And the Tramp taking a trip together on a ferry boat as well as the Tramp getting a tragic backstory in the new version, making his character sympathetic to audiences. The new
Lady And The Tramp is a sweet and charming remake of the original film, that maintains to retain both its heart and spirit along with carrying strong voice acting performances from
Thor Valkyrie and
Creed's Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, the films likable human cast, and the appeal of the films live-action dogs.
Lady And The Tramp welcomes you into its world and wildly succeeds in terms of charming the pants off its audience, while restoring faith that live-action Disney remakes can actually work if done right.
One of the key elements that makes the remake work so well are both the performances from the animals as well as the human counterparts. In terms of voice acting roles, Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux work beautifully together and demonstrate strong chemistry, that makes both their characters and relationship appealing to audiences. Thompson is terrific as Lady, bringing both warmth and charm to her role. The audience not only instantly becomes connected with her character, but empathize with her once she realizes that she's taking a backseat in the family to their newborn child. Justin Theroux is equally good playing the Tramp with him perfectly conveying his characters tragic past as well as his cynical and carefree nature. Sam Elliot shines in a surprising voice role as the older neighborhood dog Trusty, with Ashley Jensen adding to the charm with her role as Jock. Other strong voice acting roles include Janelle Monae as Peg, Benedict Wong as Bull, and Clancy Brown as Isaac. As far as the human performances go, Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons both impress as Jim Dear and Darling. Despite the film not giving their characters a significant amount of screen time in comparison to the main leads, both actors breathe life into their roles, giving Lady's owners a warm and welcoming presence. Yvette Nicole Brown delivers a notable performance as Aunt Sarah, making the audience dislike her character from the start, especially with her treatment of Lady. Adrian Martinez is effective as Elliot, the dogcatcher who pursues the Tramp throughout the film. The cast does a great job of bringing their characters to life along with bringing some of the original films magic over to the remake. The talent of the cast beautifully compliments the films solid directing and writing, giving the impression that a great deal of care went into retelling this story for modern audiences.
In terms of the films directing, Charlie Bean does a fine job of bringing the story to life in live-action form. Bean gives the film a beautiful aesthetic look to it with the film looking stunning for its 1900 timeline in Savannah Georgia. The films CGI for the most part is solid, though there's times where it come across as shaky, breaking from the realism of seeing live animals on the big screen. The story is relatively steady in terms of pacing with the main characters all receiving their share of on screen development, along with Lady and the Tramps relationship feeling both natural and believable. The iconic Spaghetti scene from the original film is well-directed and will please fans of the original as it packs a powerful nostalgic punch with the exact shot of the dogs touching lips when eating the Spaghetti being redone in live-action form. In regards to the films historical accuracy regarding Lady's owners being an interracial couple in the 1900's with them openly publicizing their relationship, Bean isn't concerned about being true to history as the film is mean't to be an enchanting fairy tale, that invites audiences into a world with a different look to it that's void of many of the issues that today's world carries (Or that particular time period for that matter). While the added subplot involving the main owners interracial romance may take some audiences out of the movie due to the lack of realism given the films time period (Anyone criticizing the film for that element in terms of realism, but excuse the fact that the film is full of talking animals, is looking at the movie with a different agenda), it does nothing to harm the rest of the film which is extremely well-crafted and carries with it a large dose of heart. In terms of directing, Bean aims for young children with this movie and creates a live-action world, that instantly draws them in and makes them emotionally invested in these characters and story. The films soundtrack by Joseph Trapanese works very well given that Trapanese was faced with the task of writing new music to fit the story while incorporating pieces of the original score by Oliver Wallace. Considering how demanding of a task that was, he succeeds in pulling it off as well as helping to bring the story to life and keeping it timeless.
The films screenplay by Andrew BuJalski and Kari Granlund does a solid job of updating the original story while maintaining the same narrative structure. The remake feels like a traditional Disney movie with some of the original films elements switched around to make the story appear more fleshed out such as the Dogcatcher receiving a more significant role in this version with his constant pursuit of the Tramp. Another major change in the story is the character of the Tramp being written as being way more sympathetic of a figure with the flashback showing him being abandoned by his owner. It is the character of Lady that helps the Tramp become a better dog by rejecting his previous notions that humans will stop caring for their pets and ultimately abandon them, with her getting him to see that just because his owner mistreated him doesn't mean all dog owners are the same. The story ends with the Tramp in this version becoming apart of Lady's family, though they don't breed together compared to them having multiple puppies together at the end of the animated film. It seems that the writers wanted to place more emphasis on the rescuing of the Tramps character by showing him becoming apart of Lady's family rather than focusing on the concept of breeding. The screenplay also makes the relationship between Lady and the Tramp appear to be even more significant and romantic by erasing the subplot from the original that involved the Tramps character being a womanizer, ultimately erupting into an argument with Lady. The remake also feels like it leans towards being female-oriented in comparison to the original with the gender swap of Jim Dear and Darling's baby being a girl instead of a boy, along with Jocks character being switched from male to female. These are changes that help give the remake a life of it's own rather than just remaking the original scene by scene in live-action form. Theres no question watching the new film that the spirit of the original film is intact and the filmmakers honor the legacy of the original while packing on the nostalgia. The writers deserve props for attempting to change up the story to fit modern audiences despite the films time setting, while staying true to the themes and concepts of the first film. Whereas characters and genders are swapped around in the remake, the heart and emotions of the first film still remain intact.
In the end,
Lady And The Tramp proves to be a genuine and welcomed surprise in terms of showing that live-action remakes of classic Disney films can actually work as their own films, while retaining some of the magic of their predecessors.
Lady and The Tramp is charming, heartfelt, enchanting, nostalgic, and carries with it a strong message regarding friendship, love, acceptance, and healing old wounds. The film proves to be a fun adventure for the family while reimagining the classic original for today's generation of young audiences. The film is well-acted, and beautifully shot in a way that gives it an enchanting atmosphere. As far as the Disney live-action remakes go, the film is the best since Jon Favreau's
The Jungle Book and
Beauty And The Beast along with marking a significant upgrade from some of the films released this year. While it can be debated on whether audiences needed a remake to this classic tale as well as the rest of the recent live-action Disney films, the remake more than justifies its existence as being a worthy successor to the originals legacy while working on it's own terms. Anyone that's a Disney fan or those who grew up watching the original film, should absolutely give this film a chance and decide for themselves whether they feel it's a worthy remake to the animated film. The only condition that should be set, is that audiences suspend disbelief at the door in regards to criticizing the historical accuracy of the films time period shown. This is a story that's meant to take the audience out of reality and bring them into a world that not only feels magical, but shows that anything is possible, whether it's interracial relationships, talking dogs, unexpected friendships, and romances. The story of
Lady And The Tramp at it's core has always been about love and acceptance. The filmmakers of the 2019 remake stay true to those themes and produce a rich and extremely satisfying remake, that should be the standard for what live-action Disney remakes can be. Whereas
The Lion King failed in terms of maintaining the heart and spirit of it's animated masterpiece, the remake of
Lady And The Tramp not only rises to the occasion but shows audiences how it's done, which is through a well- balance of solid storytelling and impressive visuals that compliment the story.
Final Verdict: For Disney fans and fans of the original, the remake of
Lady And The Tramp is a must see.
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