Lady and the Tramp

As the 15^th Disney animated film, Lady and the Tramp is considered one of Disney’s most beloved films today (the spaghetti kiss scene is one of the most famous Disney scenes ever); however, when this film was first released, it got mixed reviews from critics as they seemed to think that it was too cheesy.  Audiences strongly disagreed, though, and they received the movie positively and it ended up becoming one of the highest grossing movies of 1955.  I hope that everyone loves this movie as much as I do!  Whatever your thoughts I’d love to hear from you!

Lady and the Tramp (fun fact: Walt Disney got the idea of the movie from a short story in Cosmopolitan magazine) is about a cocker spaniel named Lady who lives with her owners, “Jim Dear” and “Darling.”  Soon after they get Lady, Darling has a baby, which is confusing to Lady.  More confusion erupts when Lady’s owners’ mean Aunt Sarah comes to stay and thinks Lady is a vicious creature and tries to get her muzzled!  Scared and hurt, Lady runs away and gets to know Tramp, a stray dog who roams the streets, and Lady then goes on a journey she never dreamed of having.  This movie has some good messages (like how people are not always what they seem) and of course has lots of cute dogs (when I was younger, I used to want a cocker spaniel just because of Lady).  However, there are some scenes that could frighten younger kids (like when Aunt Sarah puts a muzzle on poor Lady); and there are Siamese cats in the movie that seem to represent certain stereotypes of Asian people.  At first, I didn’t notice this about the cats but my very good friend (T.H.) who watched the movie with me pointed it out.  Also, the word “tramp,” which obviously has a different meaning these days, might need to be explained to kids so they understand not to use it.   So, I would caution parents of young kids due to the couple of frightening scenes and the portrayal of the Siamese cats.  One of my very favorite messages from the film is how we need to not forget dogs who don’t have homes; Lady ends up in a shelter where she meets lots of dogs waiting for families, and one homeless dog in the movie ends up finding a family in the end (but I won’t spoil the story by saying any more than that).

“I may be small but I am mighty!” Jock (from the live-action movie where Jock, who was a male in Disney’s original, was turned into a female character)