Lady and the Tramp (2019 film)

Official release poster

***Lady and the Tramp*** is a 2019 American live-action/CGI musical romance film directed by Charlie Bean and written by Andrew Bujalski and Kari Granlund, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is a live-action and CGI adaptation of Walt Disney's 1955 animated film of the same name, based on the 1945 *Cosmopolitan* magazine story of "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" Ward Greene. The film stars Tessa Thompson, Justin Theroux, Janelle Monáe, and Sam Elliott with the human characters portrayed by Thomas Mann, Kiersey Clemons, Yvette Nicole Brown, F. Murray Abraham, Adrian Martinez, and Ken Jeong. Disney dedicated the film to storyboard artist Chris Reccardi, who died on May 2, 2019.

Disney released *Lady and the Tramp* on November 12, 2019, on Disney+, making it the first Disney remake not released in theatres but on a streaming service. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its performances and voice acting, but criticism for its visual effects, screenplay and pacing.

## Plot

On Christmas Day, Jim Dear gives his wife Darling a female American Cocker Spaniel as a gift. Darling names her Lady, and she fits right in. Lady grows and becomes friends with her neighbour dogs, the elder Bloodhound, Trusty, and the feisty Scottish Terrier, Jock. Meanwhile, a nameless Schnauzer-mutt, Tramp, spends his days wandering the streets of New Orleans searching for food and causing trouble for the dog catcher Elliot. After freeing his friends, Bull and Peg, from Elliot's carriage, he runs away and ends up in the Dears' backyard. After being ignored by the adults, Lady, beside herself, finds Tramp and tries to give away his position until he points out that Darling is having a baby. He warns her that her owners will start to ignore her, but she does not believe him. Jim and Darling have a girl, Lulu, and devote their lives to her.

Jim and Darling take Lulu out and leave Darling's Aunt Sarah to house sit. As she goes upstairs to practise her singing, her two cats, Devon and Rex, begin to create a mess with Lady caught in the middle. Believing Lady to be the cause of it all, Aunt Sarah takes Lady to the pet store and has a muzzle placed on her. Lady escapes but is threatened in an alley by a dog, Isaac. Luckily, Tramp saves her and helps remove her muzzle with a statue before taking the "scenic route" back to Ladies house, to avoid Elliot, as Lady lost her collar. They grow close and eat at a restaurant. Afterwards, Tramp reveals that he once had owners but was abandoned once they had a child. Elliot finds and chases them, catching Lady in the process. Tramp hesitates before escaping. Lady meets the other pound dogs who talk about Tramp and his exploits. The next morning, Jim and Darling pick up Lady and kick Aunt Sarah out. Lady begins to bond with Lulu.

Tramp discovers that Peg and Bull have been adopted, causing him to regret leaving Lady behind. He goes to her house to apologize, which she appreciates, but does not want to see him. However, a rat plaguing the home sneaks into Lulu's room. Lady is put away as Elliot arrives to interview Jim and Darling. Lady manages to call Tramp, who sneaks into the house and kills the rat but is caught by Jim. As Elliot takes Tramp away to be euthanized, Lady uncovers the rat and proceeds to chase down the carriage with Trusty and Jock's help. The dogs overturn the carriage, rescuing Tramp. The Dears arrive and decide to adopt Tramp. By Christmas, Tramp has been entirely accepted into the Dear household while Jock's owner has adopted two young puppies, Dodge and Ollie. Lady and Tramp happily spend the holidays with their family.

## Cast

* Thomas Mann as Jim Dear, a man who is the owner of Lady.
* Kiersey Clemons as Darling, the wife of Jim Dear.
* Yvette Nicole Brown as Aunt Sarah, the aunt of Darling who dislikes dogs and prefers cats as pets.
* Adrian Martinez as Elliot, a dog catcher that targets Tramp.
* F. Murray Abraham as Tony, the owner of a restaurant that Tramp visits.
* Arturo Castro as Joe, a chef who works for Tony.
* Ken Jeong as Doctor, an unnamed doctor that visits Jim and Darling.
* Kate Kneeland as Jock's Owner, the unnamed owner of Jock who has Jock model for her portraits in dog sweaters.
* Darryl W. Handy as Trusty's Owner, the unnamed owner of Trusty.
* Parvesh Cheena as Pet Shop Owner, an unnamed owner of a pet store who provides Aunt Sarah with a muzzle for Lady.

### Voices

* Tessa Thompson as Lady, an American Cocker Spaniel.
* Justin Theroux as Tramp, a Schnauzer-mutt hybrid.
* Sam Elliott as Trusty, an old Bloodhound.
* Ashley Jensen as Jock (Jacqueline), a feisty Scottish Terrier.
* Janelle Monáe as Peg, a Lhasa Apso who is friends with Tramp.
* Benedict Wong as Bull, a Bulldog who is friends with Tramp.
* Clancy Brown as Isaac, a brutal and territorial street dog that attacks Lady.
* Nate Wonder as Devon, a Devon Rex owned by Aunt Sarah. He serves as a replacement for Si from the original film
* Roman GianArthur as Rex, a Devon Rex owned by Aunt Sarah. He serves as a replacement for Am from the original film.
* James Bentley as Chance, a dog who is friends with Tramp. He serves as a replacement for Boris from the original film.
* Jentel Hawkins as Dame, a dog who is friends with Tramp. She serves as a replacement for Toughy from the original film.
* Ara Storm O’Keefe as Dodge, a street puppy.
* Aemon Wolf O’Keefe as Ollie, a street puppy.

## Production

### Development

On February 8, 2018, Walt Disney Pictures announced that they're developing a live-action adaptation of the 1955 animated film *Lady and the Tramp*. Disney expected to premiere the movie on Disney+, Disney's streaming service that launched in late 2019. On March 19, 2018, Disney announced that Charlie Bean would direct the film with Andrew Bujalski as screenwriter and Brigham Taylor as a producer.

### Casting

In July 2018, Disney announced that Ashley Jensen, Justin Theroux, and Sam Elliott would voice Jock, Tramp, and Trusty, respectively. Additionally, Disney reported that Kiersey Clemons was in talks for portraying Darling, Lady's human owner, and in August 2018, they said that Tessa Thompson and Benedict Wong would voice Lady and Bull, respectively that Thomas Mann will portray Jim Dear. In September 2018, Disney announced that Yvette Nicole Brown and Adrian Martinez would portray Aunt Sarah and the dog-catcher Elliot. In October 2018, Disney announced that Arturo Castro and Janelle Monáe would join the film as Marco and Peg.

The production utilized real dogs to portray the film's titular characters, with a dog named Rose portraying Lady. About three months before filming started, the animals began training for the film. Tramp is physically portrayed by Monte, a rescue dog, while they renamed Jackie to 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 last from September 10, 2018, to November 18, 2018, in Savannah, Georgia. Locations include Johnson Square, Wright Square and The Cathedral of St. John's the Baptist. Filming on an indoor soundstage took place through December 2018.

### Music

Main article: Lady and the Tramp (2019 film)/Soundtrack
The film was going to feature a new version of "The Siamese Cat Song," performed by Janelle Monáe. The song was to be re-written by Nate "Rocket" Wonder, Roman GianArthur, and Monáe due to its modern-day perceived racist connotations and to fit the characters' depictions in the film. They ultimately reworked the song as a blues song titled "What a Shame." Monáe also performed two new songs for the film. On August 23, 2019, Disney revealed that Joseph Trapanese would compose the film's score. The soundtrack, featuring Trapanse's score and songs from the original movie performed by the remake's cast, was released on November 12, 2019.

## Marketing

On August 23, 2019, Disney released the first trailer. On October 14, 2019, a second trailer featuring new footage and the song "He's a Tramp" was released. On November 6, 2019, Disney released a featurette that presented each of the dogs chosen to portray the main characters and how they rescued them from animal shelters and foster homes.

### Novelization

Disney Publishing Worldwide published a tie-in novelization of the film written by Elizabeth Rudnick on January 28, 2020.

## Release

Disney released *Lady and the Tramp* on November 12, 2019, exclusively as part of the launch content library for their streaming service, Disney+.

## Reception

### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 65% and an average rating of 5.90/10, based on 66 reviews. 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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

In a mixed review, Michael Phillips of the *Chicago Tribune* 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

 Motion Picture Sound Editors
 MovieGuide Awards
 Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project