How much of an animation geek am I? I spent last night watching Lady and the Tramp, including most of the “making of” extras.
I’d read that the new DVD release of Lady and the Tramp is like a new film. And they were right; the transfer is beautiful, and it’s so perfectly cleaned that it looks like it was made yesterday. And the animation is so good that I could believe it was made yesterday.
It’s a startingly taut little film, too. The story just moves along at a rapid clip, steadily increasing in intensity until climaxing with that wonderful chase to stop the dog catcher.
I discovered that it took about two decades for Lady to finally make it to the big screen. During most of that time, there was no Tramp; the initial concept was just to show Lady being pushed aside by the arrival of a human baby. Walt never felt satisfied with that story, so it languished for years, occasionally
And, in retrospect, it’s exactly what the movie needs. Without Tramp, the movie would have easily devolved into a series of quaint domestic scenes as Lady dealt with the new baby—probably entertaining, but not gripping drama. Tramp arrives just in time to make Lady really wonder about her role, and more importantly, give her an option. She refuses that option almost
Comments:
| Cantnever | Lady and the Tramp was a favorite for me as a child. I never knew why — I just loved it. It’s a sweet film. I agree about adding TRAMP; it made the ‘new baby in the house’ a secondary plot. Interesting to see your analysis, and the surrounding events of its conception. Walt Disney was a neat guy!!!
How were your sugar cookies? Ever taste sour cream/milk sugar cookies? They’re soft, fat, and delicious. |
| Brent | The cookies were pretty terrible. I was trying out a recipe, and I think the dough should have been pressed out into flat cookies instead of made into rounds. Ah well. |
| Brent | Haven’t had sour cream or milk sugar cookies. I have had sugar cookies with cream cheese, though, and they were great. |