Lady and the Tramp 2019 | Movie Review

October 13, 2020January 2, 2021

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8096832/

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🎥 Cinematography by Enrique Chediak

👗 Costumes by Colleen Atwood & Timothy A. Wonsik

🎬 Directed by Charlie Bean

🎞 Edited by Melissa Bretherton

🎼 Music by Joseph Trapanese

📋 Produced by Brigham Taylor

📝 Screenplay by Andrew Bujalski & Kari Granlund

🌟 S T A R R I N G

🧔🏻 Adrian Martinez as Elliot

🐶 Aemon Wolf O’Keefe as Ollie

🐶 Ara Storm O’Keefe as Dodge

👦🏻 Arturo Castro as Joe

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ashley Jensen as Jacqueline (Jock)

🐶 Benedict Wong as Bull

🐶 Clancy Brown as Isaac

🧔🏾 Darryl W. Handy as Trusty’s Owner

🧔🏽 F. Murray Abraham as Tony

🐶 James Bentley as Chance

🎶 Janelle Monáe as Peg

🐶 Jentel Hawkins as Dame

🐕 Justin Theroux as Tramp

📸 Kate Kneeland as Jock’s Owner

🏥 Ken Jeong as Doctor

👩🏾 Kiersey Clemons as Darling

🐈 Nate Wonder as Devon

👦🏽 Parvesh Cheena as Pet Shop Owner

🐈 Roman GianArthur as Rex

🤠 Sam Elliott as Trusty

🎀 Tessa Thompson as Lady

👨🏻 Thomas Mann as Jim Dear

👵🏾 Yvette Nicole Brown as Aunt Sarah

The next movie on my review list is Lady and the Tramp from 2019. This was the first remake released on Disney Plus, but it still had a huge budget so I’m not lowering my standards for quality. This was my first viewing:

• ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • S P O I L E R S • A H E A D • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ • ⚠️ •

• The opening credits start as an illustration & transform into the first scene, a charming town decorated for Christmas. This is a nod to the original movie which starts the exact same way. The closing credits show the town decorated for Christmas one year later, & then transform into an illustration. Gotta love those bookend credits!

• Kiersey & Thomas have fantastic chemistry as Darling & Jim Dear. They make an adorable onscreen couple, & their newborn daughter Lulu is an absolute doll. Miss Clemons shows off her singing chops with some beautiful lullabies for the baby. Seriously, I’m about to put them on a playlist for myself. 🎶

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUiQefKs9ds

• Unlike the other animal-led remakes, this movie took on the challenge of using real dogs. All the canine costars are adorable, but I have to give a special shout-out to Monte who played Tramp. He was a rescue from New Mexico, adopted by the film’s animal trainer Mark Forbes. Street dogs are adoptable too!

• I can imagine using special effects to make real dogs talk was no small task. However, I have to be fair because this movie had a big budget despite not being released in theaters. For the most part the dog mouths weren’t too bad, but there were some rough parts, especially with Lady.

• Tessa & Justin did a great job as the respective voices of Lady, an American cocker spaniel, & Tramp, a Schnauzer-mutt. The leading dogs were equally as adorable as their human voices, but I have to give my full allegiance to the side characters because they truly won my heart. Sam Elliott was perfectly cast as the voice of Lady’s bloodhound neighbor Trusty. My Scottish queen Ashley Jensen voiced Jock, now a female Scottish terrier with the full name Jacqueline. The two of them were incredible &, dare I say, stole the show. 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

• I love Yvette Nicole Brown so much! Aunt Sarah is a more serious character than I’m used to from her, but the gramophone scene was absolutely hilarious. Classic Yvette humor! Let’s just say her arms demonstrate how passionate she is about opera. 😂

• The Siamese cats scene was changed to avoid the offensive cultural stereotype from the original film. Si & Am are now Devon & Rex, two cats from the Devon Rex breed. The new song What a Shame is jazzy & a new Disney jam to enjoy. I dare you to listen & not snap your fingers!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZVIZin767E

• The Bella Notte scene is adorable with real dogs. Also, round of applause for Arturo Castro & F. Murray Abraham who brought chef Joe & Tony to life. They did a wonderful job with such a beautiful & classic Disney song. Bravissimo!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avcEEiDYNV0

• Tramp once had a family. When the couple had a baby, the husband drove him to a park, threw a ball to distract him, & drove away, leaving him to fend for himself. Why would you do something like that as a pet owner?? At least take the time to find him a new home! Hearing that story broke my heart. 💔

• Janelle Monáe voiced Peg, the Lhasa Apso dog who sings He’s a Tramp in the pound. Obviously she killed it! It has the same jazzy feel as Devon & Rex’s song What a Shame. There’s something very soothing about the songs in this film. Surprisingly, out of all the remakes, this is the soundtrack I’m definitely adding to my Disney playlist.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgI9QrD22cc

💬 Closing Thoughts: I have to be blown away to stay engaged with an animal-led film. This movie was good, but I did zone out a few times. The charming city & sweet story are anchored by a strong cast, but they were let down by a movie stretched far too long. It would’ve made a bigger impact if the story had been trimmed to match the original movie which was 21 minutes shorter. All that being said, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, especially after my second viewing.

🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 65% Critics | 51% Audience

❓ Original or Remake: Lady and the Tramp is not one of my favorite Disney movies, but I’m willing to rewatch either version without hesitation. Since this decision is a toss up, I’ll consult my rankings. By one spot the winner is the . . . original!