| Lady and the Tramp | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Charlie Bean |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on |
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| Produced by | Brigham Taylor |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Enrique Chediak[1] |
| Edited by | Melissa Bretherton |
| Music by | Joseph Trapanese[2] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million[4] |
Lady and the Tramp is a 2019 Americanmusical romance film directed byCharlie Bean and adapted byAndrew Bujalski and Kari Granlund. Alive-action/animated remake ofWalt Disney's traditionally animated1955 film, which was based on the 1945Cosmopolitan short story, "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" byWard Greene, it stars the voices ofTessa Thompson,Justin Theroux,Janelle Monáe, andSam Elliott with the human characters portrayed byThomas Mann,Kiersey Clemons,Yvette Nicole Brown,F. Murray Abraham,Adrian Martinez, andKen Jeong. It is dedicated to storyboard artistChris Reccardi, who died on May 2, 2019.
Lady and the Tramp was released on November 12, 2019 onDisney+, making it the first Disney remake not to be released theatrically, but instead only on a streaming service. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
On Christmas Day, Jim Dear gives his wife Darling, anAmerican Cocker Spaniel puppy as a present. The puppy, named Lady, grows up and befriends the neighbors' dogs: elderlyBloodhound Trusty and feistyScottish Terrier Jacqueline, AKA "Jock".
Meanwhile, aSchnauzer-mix named Tramp roams the streets, stealing food and causing trouble for localdogcatcher Elliot, who has labeled Tramp "vicious" and is intent on catching him. Tramp hides out in Lady's neighborhood. Having been shooed away from Darling'sbaby shower by Darling's aunt Sarah and not realizing why her owners are neglecting her, Lady mistakes Tramp's voice for Trusty's and confides in him. Tramp deduces that Darling is pregnant, and warns Lady that "when a baby moves in, a dog moves out". Upon discovering Tramp's identity, Lady sends him away and dismisses his claims. After the baby girl Lulu is born, the couple becomes busier than ever and Lady begins to wonder if Tramp was right.
Later, Jim Dear and Darling leave for an extended visit to Jim Dear's sister and ask Aunt Sarah to dog-sit. While Aunt Sarah is upstairs, her twoDevon Rex cats demolish the living room and pin the deed on Lady. Aunt Sarah immediately takes Lady to a pet store to fit amuzzle. Frightened, Lady escapes into an alley, and is confronted by vicious street dog Isaac, but Tramp saves her.
The two dogs spend the day around the city, and havespaghetti and meatballs for dinner at Tony's restaurant. Lady confesses she is doubtful whether her owners still want her, and Tramp reveals he once had owners, but wasdumped after they had a child. Their conversation is interrupted by Elliot, who accidentally captures Lady instead of Tramp, and takes her to thedog pound. Two dogs named Peg and Bull discuss Tramp's self-serving nature with Lady, causing her to question why he did not save her from Elliot. Jim and Darling find Lady at the pound and bring her home, kicking out Sarah and her cats and allowing Lady to bond with Lulu.
Learning that Peg and Bull have been adopted from the pound, and regretful that he could not do more to save Lady from Elliot, Tramp returns to Lady's house. Lady decides her place is with her owners, and Tramp leaves. A rat suddenly enters Lulu's nursery, and Lady starts barking frantically, just as Elliot arrives to warn Jim Dear that he has tracked Tramp to their house. Jim Dear locks Lady in a room, and Lady calls for Tramp, who returns and sneaks inside to the nursery. In the ensuing battle, Tramp is injured, but kills the rat. Lulu, whose crib was knocked over in the struggle, starts to cry loudly. Thinking that Tramp attacked Lulu, Jim Dear gives him to Elliot to beeuthanized.
After being released, Lady leads Jim Dear and Darling to the dead rat, then sets out with Jock and Trusty to rescue Tramp. Realizing the truth, Jim Dear and Darling follow in their motorcar. Elliot's frightened horses crash his cart when the dogs attack, and Tramp is injured. Jim Dear and Darling catch up and adopt Tramp as their own to protect him from Elliot. The family celebrates Christmas together, and Tramp receives his new collar and license. Outside in the yard, Trusty entertains Dodge and Ollie, two puppies adopted by Jock's owner, with the story of how he helped save "a poor stray with a heart of gold".
On February 8, 2018, it was announced thatWalt Disney Pictures was developing alive-action adaptation of the 1955 animated filmLady and the Tramp. The film was expected to premiere onDisney+, Disney's streaming service that launched in late 2019.[6] On March 19, 2018, it was announced that film was set to be directed byCharlie Bean from a screenplay by Andrew Bujalski with Brigham Taylor serving as a producer.[7]
In July 2018, it was announced thatAshley Jensen,Justin Theroux, andSam Elliott had been cast in the voice roles of Jock, Tramp, and Trusty, respectively. Additionally, it was reported thatKiersey Clemons was in talks for the live-action role of Darling, Lady's human owner.[8][9][10] In August 2018, it was reported thatTessa Thompson andBenedict Wong had been cast in the voice roles of Lady and Bull, respectively, and thatThomas Mann had been cast in the live-action role of Jim Dear.[11][12] In September 2018, it was announced thatYvette Nicole Brown andAdrian Martinez had been cast in the live-action roles of Aunt Sarah and the dog-catcher Elliot, respectively.[13][14] In October 2018, it was announcedArturo Castro had been cast in the live-action role of Marco and thatJanelle Monáe had been cast in the voice role of Peg.[15][16]
The production utilized real dogs to portray the film's titular characters with a dog named Rose portraying Lady in the film. About three months prior to the start of filming, the animals started their training for the film.[17] Tramp is physically portrayed by Monte, a rescue dog, while Jackie was renamed Jock shortly before filming began.[18]
Voice work for the film began in July 2018[19] with principal photography of the film's live-action externally filmed portions lasting from September 10, 2018 to November 18, 2018 inSavannah, Georgia. Locations were set to includeJohnson Square,Wright Square and TheCathedral of St. John the Baptist.[20][21] Filming on an indoor soundstage took place through December 2018.[22]
The film was going to feature a new version of "The Siamese Cat Song", performed byJanelle Monáe.[23] The song was to be re-written byNate "Rocket" Wonder,Roman GianArthur, and Monáe due to both its modern-day perceived racist connotations and to fit the characters' depictions in the film.[23] The song was ultimately reworked as ablues song titled "What a Shame".[24] Monáe also performed two new songs for the film.[23] On August 23, 2019,Joseph Trapanese was revealed to be composing the film's score.[3][2] The soundtrack, featuring Trapanse's score, as well as songs from the original film performed by the remake's cast, was released on November 12, 2019.[25]
On August 23, 2019, a firsttrailer was released.[26][3] On October 14, 2019, a second trailer featuring new footage as well as the song "He's a Tramp" was released.[27] On November 6, 2019, a featurette which presented each of the dogs chosen to portray the main characters and how they were all rescued from animal shelters and foster homes was released.[28]
Unlike Ward Greene, a tie-in novelization of the film written by Elizabeth Rudnick was published byDisney Publishing Worldwide on January 28, 2020.[29]
Lady and the Tramp was released on November 12, 2019 exclusively as part of the launch content library for Disney's streaming service,Disney+.[30]
On the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 66% based on 71 reviews and an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lady and the Tramp's cute dogs and likable cast work well enough, but the live-action update lacks some of the magic that made the original 1955 film such a delight."[31] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[32]
In a mixed review, Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune wrote, "The worst of this new Lady and the Tramp comes when the script piles on the strenuous comic action, followed by ill-advised dark shadows."[33]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imagen Foundation Awards | 2020 | Best Actor - Feature Film | Adrian Martinez | Nominated | |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | 2020 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR for Non-Theatrical Feature Film Broadcast Media | Andrew DeCristofaro, Darren 'Sunny' Warkentin, David Esparza, Kelly Oxford, Michael Payne, Matthew Wilson, David Stanke, Geordy Sincavage, Alexander Jongbloed, Tara Blume, Monique Reymond, Vincent Guisetti, Bryan Lawson, Erica Weis | Nominated | |
| MovieGuide Awards | 2020 | Genesis Award | Nominated | ||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | January 29, 2020 | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode | Robert Weaver, Christopher Raimo, Arslan Elver, Michael Cozens, Bruno Van Zeebroeck | Nominated | [34] |
| Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project | Thiago Martins, Arslan Elver, Stanislas Paillereau, Martine Chartrand(For "Tramp") | Nominated |
