Lady and the Tramp (DVD)

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Additionally, for those viewers who want to fill up their standard-sized television screens, there is a pan-and-scan version of the movie available on the same side of the disc. Just choose your screen format at start-up. I would caution you, however, that the P&S version does lop off close to half the image left and right; and I would also warn you that if you elect to go with Disney's "Fast Play," it will default automatically to the P&S setting.

Audio:
The movie's original stereo sound was adequate for the purpose, and the disc also includes it, but now we also get a complete Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, which Disney calls their "Enhanced Home Theater Mix." The sound is nicely opened up in the front channels, and the rear-channel signals now add more musical ambience and assorted ambient noises, like thunder and rain, to the blend. More important, the new mix sounds clearer than before, closer to a modern 5.1 soundtrack. Not bad for 1955.

Extras:
The previous DVD edition of "Lady and the Tramp" had no bonus items to speak of; so, in honor of the movie's fiftieth anniversary, this new Platinum Edition adds quite a few things. Disc one contains both standard and widescreen movie presentations; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; English captions for the hearing impaired; Sneak Peeks at eight other Disney titles; twenty-two scene selections; and a preview of bonus material on the second disc.

Disc two contains the bulk of the extras, some of them aimed squarely at kids and a few made for the adult in mind, as well. First, there are a couple of never-before-seen deleted scenes, "Turning the Tables," three minutes, and "The Arrival of the Baby," six minutes, each in storyboard, with introductions by Disney animator Eric Goldberg. Next, there are two music items, a new "Bella Notte" video with singer Steve Tyrell and "The Siamese Cat Song: Finding a Voice for the Cats." After those items, there are several pieces strictly for children: "Disney Dog Trivia," a virtual board game for one player, multiple players, or teams; "Your Inner Bark," a personality profile quiz that shows which "Lady and the Tramp" character you most resemble; "PuppyPedia: Going to the Dogs," containing much dog trivia; and a DVD-ROM feature called "Disney Virtual Puppy," which I did not explore.

The final section of disc two is more for grown-ups. The first and most important is a fifty-two-minute documentary, "Lady's Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp." It is divided into seven chapters and covers practically every facet of the movie's creation. It was a great pleasure for me seeing Stan Freberg again, a favorite of mine since youth. The second item is a thirteen-minute featurette, "Finding Lady: The Art of the Storyboard." The third item is a twelve-minute, 1943 original storyboard version of the film, very different in concept from the finished product many years later. The fourth segment is a collection of excerpts from the old "Disneyland" TV show, circa 1954-55. The fifth segment is a series of still-frame and slideshow galleries of artwork and production photos from the movie. And the final section is a trio of theatrical trailers from 1955, 1972, and 1986. The original trailer is in widescreen, but the re-release trailers are in pan-and-scan.

The two discs come housed in a double, slim-line keep case; with an attractive cardboard slipcover; and a booklet insert that includes chapter selections and a complete navigational guide to the contents of both DVDs.

Parting Thoughts:
"Lady and the Tramp" is one of Disney's happiest, cuddliest, most-romantic concoctions. Its lovable characters, satisfying melodies, radiant colors, and widescreen panoramas place it firmly in the studio's upper tier of animated features, just THAT close to the top. The new, two-disc Platinum Edition does up the movie proud.

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