LADY & THE TRAMP (DIAMOND EDITION)
Rating: G
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
MSRP: $39.99 but Amazon has the blu-ray for $24.99 and the blu-ray combo pack with digital copy for $27.99.
Running Time: 76 minutes
What’s Going On?
One of Walt Disney’s most enduring stories, this is the story of two dogs from different side of the tracks – literally. While Lady lives in the cradle of comfort with Jim and Darling Dear, Tramp is a dog with a devil may care attitude and lust for life that gets Lady’s attention when a new baby comes into the picture. Have a bella notte with this romantic classic.
Who’s In It:
This one one of the first Disney movies to feature celebrity voices, primarily Peggy Lee, who not only voiced Peg, Darling and the mischievous cats Si and Am, but was also a composer and lyricist on the film. Barbara Luddy and Larry Roberts provide the voices for Lady and Tramp, respectively.
If You Like…:
Any of Disney’s other romantic classics, spaghetti, dogs, pets, Christmas, and love, you’ll love this.
Special Features:
As per usual, Disney has filled this film to the gills with special features.
All of the classic DVD features are included, with a multi-part making of documentary called “Lady’s Pedigree”. It covers Walt’s inspiration for the film’s setting from his childhood in Marceline, Missouri, the original idea for the story coming from animator Joe Grant, the animation process and the animators (specifically Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson), the film’s score and music, and the voice talent.
There are also “The Siamese Cat Song: Finding a Voice for the Cats,” “Excerpts from Disneyland TV Shows” and two “Deleted Scenes.”
New to this blu-ray are “Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad”, in which she discusses memories of her father, specifically of their apartment above the fire station in Disneyland, which is decorated with Victorian furniture and decorations, which is a treat for any Disney fan.
There are three new deleted scenes on the blu-ray, the “Introduction of Boris”, a Russian dog that was supposed to be introduced as a contender for Lady’s affection but was ultimately scrapped. It’s more of a sequence than a scene, but it’s got some funny stuff and a little song, too. “Waiting for Baby” is a brief scene before the baby is born, in which Jim Dear is getting excited about all the new things his son could be and lastly “Dog Show”, a brief adventure during Lady and Tramp’s night on the town in which, you guessed it, the pair get caught up in a traveling dog show complete with dancing and other assorted hilarity.
There’s also a never before heard song called “I’m Free as The Breeze”, which was meant to be sung by Tramp, but was ultimately scrapped when Disney decided that Tramp would be a non-singing character. It reminded me of “Just Can’t Wait to be King” from THE LION KING, both in energy and in the way it illustrated the worldview of the character singing it. I thought it was cute, but agreed that it would be odd to see Tramp singing.
LADY AND THE TRAMP also takes advantage of the DISNEY SECOND SCREEN with added functionality during the film including insights into story meetings at Disney during the film’s production, as well as various art galleries and storyboards. Until Disney is kind enough to send me a shiny new iPad, I listened to the audio commentary, which is a staged version of “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” featured in the Second Screen app, only using a cast of actors talking the audience through the creation of the film and various aspects of production.
The Technical Gist
This is perhaps one of the best presentations of a film on blu-ray I’ve ever seen. Every frame of the film has been restored and the phrase “seeing the film for the first time” doesn’t even touch the experience I had with this film.
The sharpness and color of the film standout without being distracting and frankly, this sets the bar for any a restoration of any other film animated or otherwise. It lets the animators’ incredible work shine through and allows you to appreciate the film on a whole new level.
The Verdict
This is one of the most exceptional transfers of a film I’ve ever seen and that’s worth the price of admission alone. The fact that the disc is crammed with great special features makes it all the better. MUST BUY.
