The Setting of the Live-Action 'Lady and the Tramp' Remake Brings in Both Value and Problem

Lady and the Tramp is the last of the four live-action remakes of classic Disney animated films that have been slated for 2019.  However, what makes this one unique from all the other such movies is that it wasn’t given a theatrical release, but was instead debuted in Disney+, the new streaming service of the House of Mouse.

Just like its 1955 animated source material, the 2019 Lady and the Tramp is a love story centered on two dogs coming from different backgrounds – Lady (voiced by Tessa Thompson), an American Cocker Spaniel who’s much adored by the upper-middle-class young couple (Thomas Mann and Kiersey Clemons) that has her as pet, and Tramp (Justin Theroux), a street-smart stray Schnauzer-mutt who revels being solo and independent.

The story is essentially the same as the original’s, although it does some things differently here and there.  Many of these tweaks make its narrative feel more thoughtful and mature.  The romance, particularly, feels to have more depth as a result.  It can even be argued that the iconic spaghetti scene is stronger in this remake.  On the other hand, there are changes made that are obviously motivated by political correctness (e.g. the Siamese cat twins are replaced by a pair of Devon Rexes) and forced inclusion of diversity and representation (e.g. making the couple an interracial one, which actually doesn’t make sense – more on this in the next paragraph).

The classic animated feature is set around the first decade of the 20^th century in an unnamed town.  The live-action remake, meanwhile, is set in that same time period, but the place is clearly established to be New Orleans.  The costume and set design superbly bring this about, and the film is given a colorful, stylish, well-realized look and an immersive, cozy ambiance.

However, this becomes somewhat problematic in retrospect when we put Lady’s owners into consideration.  You see, the film decides to portray the man as white, but his wife black.  Interracial marriage in such time and place may not be impossible, but it’s extremely unlikely.  New Orleans is still pretty much the Jim Crow South at that moment in history.  If the point is to have its setting be this quaint, idealized, alt-history version of New Orleans – a sort of a “fantasy land” for the “fairy tale” it’s telling – then all’s fine, I guess.  But it still feels weird and confusing nonetheless.

In the end, I like the live-action Lady and the Tramp.  It’s not great.  But it’s not an entirely needless remake either.  It does enough to be arguably fresh in its own right.  It has charm and entertainment value.  Most importantly, with its cast of adorable dogs (yep, the animals are legit, not CGI like in Lion King), it’s impossible not to feel warm and fuzzy inside while watching this movie.