''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 2019 American

musical romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey through dat ...

directed by Charlie Bean and adapted by

Andrew Bujalski Andrew Bujalski (; born April 29, 1977) is an American film director, screenwriter and actor, who has been called the "godfather of mumblecore." Life and career Bujalski, born in Boston in 1977, is the son of artist-turned-businesswoman Sheil ...

and Kari Granlund. A live-action/ animated

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's ''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...

'', which was based on the 1945 ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'' short story, "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" by Ward Greene, it stars the voices of

Tessa Thompson Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. She began her professional acting career with the List of Theatre Communications Group member theatres, Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica ...

Justin Theroux Justin Paul Theroux ( ; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film '' Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film ''Inland Empire'' (2006). He al ...

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

, and

Sam Elliott Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. With a career spanning over five decades of film and television, he is recognized for his deep sonorous voice. Elliott has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors ...

with the human characters portrayed by

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

Kiersey Clemons Kiersey Nicole Clemons (born December 17, 1993) is an American actress. She is known for her role in the 2015 comedy-drama film '' Dope'', playing Cassandra "Diggy" Andrews. Subsequently, she went on to co-star in '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ...

Yvette Nicole Brown Yvette Nicole Brown (born August 12, 1971) is an American actress. She starred as Shirley Bennett on the NBC sitcom ''Community'', as Dani in the 2015 reboot of '' The Odd Couple'' on CBS, and as Dina Rose on the ABC sitcom '' The Mayor''. Br ...

, F. Murray Abraham, Adrian Martinez, and

Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong ( ; ; born July 13, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' ...

. It is dedicated to storyboard artist

Chris Reccardi Christopher Joseph Reccardi (November 24, 1964 – May 2, 2019) was an American animator, artist, writer, producer, director, and musician. He worked on numerous animated television series, including ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', '' Samurai Jack'', ...

, who died on May 2, 2019. ''Lady and the Tramp'' was released on November 12, 2019 on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

, 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.

Plot

On Christmas Day, Jim Dear gives his wife Darling, an

American Cocker Spaniel The American Cocker Spaniel is a breed of sporting dog. It is a spaniel type dog that is closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel; the two breeds diverged during the 20th century due to differing breed standards in the US and the UK. In the ...

puppy as a present. The puppy, named Lady, grows up and befriends the neighbors' dogs: elderly

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...

Trusty and feisty

Scottish Terrier The Scottish Terrier (; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a dog breed, breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of ''Skye Terrier'', it is one of five br ...

Jacqueline, AKA "Jock". Meanwhile, a

Schnauzer A Schnauzer ( , ; plural , ; ) is a dog breed type that originated in Germany from the 14th to 16th centuries. The term comes from the German word for "snout" and means colloquially "moustache",

- mix named Tramp roams the streets, stealing food and causing trouble for local

dogcatcher An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals, including wild animals, dangerous animals, and animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once kn ...

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's

baby shower A baby shower is a party to celebrate the Childbirth, delivery or Pregnancy, expected birth of a child. Practices vary greatly by culture, but it is often a rite of passage that celebrates through Gift, giving gifts and spending time together. Wh ...

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 two

Devon Rex The Devon Rex is a tall-eared, short-haired breed of cat that emerged in England during the late 1950s. The breed is known for its atypical appearance, with an oddly shaped head, large eyes, and the short and wavy coat. History Origin Beryl Co ...

cats demolish the living room and pin the deed on Lady. Aunt Sarah immediately takes Lady to a pet store to fit a muzzle. 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 have

spaghetti and meatballs Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian American cuisine, Italian American pasta dish made with spaghetti, tomato, and Meatball, meatballs. Originally inspired by similar dishes from Southern Italy, the modern version of spaghetti 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 was dumped after they had a child. Their conversation is interrupted by Elliot, who accidentally captures Lady instead of Tramp, and takes her to the

dog pound An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of the agricultural communities, where stray livestock ...

. 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 be

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

. 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".

Cast

as Jim Dear, a musician who is married to Darling. *

as Darling, who is married to Jim Dear. *

as Aunt Sarah, Darling's aunt who dislikes dogs and prefers cats. * F. Murray Abraham as Tony, the owner of Tony's Restaurant. * Adrian Martinez as Elliot, a

dog catcher An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals, including Wildlife, wild animals, dangerous animals, and animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity w ...

that targets Tramp. *

as the doctor who delivers Jim Dear and Darling's baby. * Arturo Castro as Joe, a chef who works for Tony. * Kate Kneeland as Jock's owner, an avid painter and photographer. * Darryl W. Handy as Trusty's owner. *

Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Singh Cheena is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gupta in the TV series ''Outsourced'' and as Sunil Odhav on ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. He also voices Bodhi in '' T.O.T.S.'' and Blades in '' Transformers: Rescue Bots'' ...

as the pet shop owner who sells Aunt Sarah a muzzle.

Voices

as Lady, an

. *

as Tramp, a

- mix. *

as Trusty, an old

. *

Ashley Jensen Ashley Jensen (born 11 August 1969) is a Scottish actress and narrator. She is best known for her roles as Maggie Jacobs in '' Extras'' (2005–2007, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award), Christina McKinney in ''Ugly Betty'' (2006� ...

as Jock, a feisty

. *

as Peg, a

Lhasa Apso The Lhasa Apso ( ) is a non-sporting list of dog breeds, dog breed originating in Tibet. Traditionally the breed has been used as an interior watchdog. Etymology Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and ''apso'' is a word from the Standard ...

. *

Benedict Wong Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971) is an English actor. He began his career on stage before starring in the film '' Dirty Pretty Things'' (2002), which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination, and the BBC sitcom '' 15 Storeys High ...

as Bull, a

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

. * Nate "Rocket" Wonder and

Roman GianArthur Roman GianArthur is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B musician, singer, songwriter and record producer known for his collaborations with artists Janelle Monáe and Jidenna. He is a member of Monae's Wondaland Arts Collective, and was featured ...

as Devon and Rex, Aunt Sarah's

cats. *

Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...

as Isaac, a vicious

mastiff A mastiff is a large and powerful Dog type, type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short Coat (dog), coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephal ...

-mix that Tramp saves Lady from. * Jentel Hawkins as Dame, a street dog. * James Bentley as Chance, a street dog. * Ara and Aemon O'Keefe as Dodge and Ollie, two con-artist puppies.

Production

Development

On February 8, 2018, it was announced that

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

was developing a live-action adaptation of the 1955 animated film ''

''. The film was expected to premiere on

, Disney's streaming service that launched in late 2019. On March 19, 2018, it was announced that film was set to be directed by Charlie Bean from a screenplay by Andrew Bujalski with Brigham Taylor serving as a producer.

Casting

In July 2018, it was announced that

, and

had been cast in the voice roles of Jock, Tramp, and Trusty, respectively. Additionally, it was reported that

was in talks for the live-action role of Darling, Lady's human owner. In August 2018, it was reported that

and

had been cast in the voice roles of Lady and Bull, respectively, and that

had been cast in the live-action role of Jim Dear. In September 2018, it was announced that

and Adrian Martinez had been cast in the live-action roles of Aunt Sarah and the dog-catcher Elliot, respectively. In October 2018, it was announced Arturo Castro had been cast in the live-action role of Marco and that

had been cast in the voice role of Peg. 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. Tramp is physically portrayed by Monte, a rescue dog, while Jackie was renamed Jock shortly before filming began.

Filming

Voice work for the film began in July 2018 with principal photography of the film's live-action externally filmed portions lasting from September 10, 2018 to November 18, 2018 in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Locations were set to include Johnson Square, Wright Square and The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Filming on an indoor soundstage took place through December 2018.

Music

The film was going to feature a new version of "The Siamese Cat Song", performed by

. The song was to be re-written by Nate "Rocket" Wonder,

, and Monáe due to both its modern-day perceived racist connotations and to fit the characters' depictions in the film. The song was ultimately reworked as a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

song titled "What a Shame". Monáe also performed two new songs for the film. On August 23, 2019,

Joseph Trapanese Joseph Trapanese (born 7 August 1984) is an American composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for films, television, records, theater, concerts, and interactive media. Early life and education Raised in Jersey City ...

was revealed to be composing the film's score. 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.

Marketing

On August 23, 2019, a first trailer was released. On October 14, 2019, a second trailer featuring new footage as well as the song "He's a Tramp" was released. 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.

Novelization

Unlike Ward Greene, a tie-in novelization of the film written by Elizabeth Rudnick was published by

Disney Publishing Worldwide Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints include Disney Edition ...

on January 28, 2020.

Release

''Lady and the Tramp'' was released on November 12, 2019 exclusively as part of the launch content library for Disney's streaming service,

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 66% based on 71 reviews and an average rating of . 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." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. In a mixed review, Michael Phillips of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' 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."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady and the Tramp 2019 films 2010s romance films Remakes of American films American romance films Children's comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films Disney film remakes Live-action films based on Disney's animated films Disney+ original films Films about dogs Films about pets Films based on adaptations Films directed by Charlie Bean (filmmaker) Films scored by Joseph Trapanese Films set in 1909 Films shot in Savannah, Georgia Walt Disney Pictures films 2010s American films Lady and the Tramp Films produced by Brigham Taylor English-language romance films