Lady and the Tramp (2-Disc Special Edition) (DVD)

Can you believe it has been 50 years since Lady and the Tramp was on the big screen? I can't, since I was only born 29 years ago, but nevertheless this is a timeless classic from a studio that at one time truly knew what it meant to make an animated classic. Tell me, someone, is there a reason studios have abandoned the art of story-telling with animated films? While watching the special features for Lady and the Tramp you will learn that it took 20 years for this film to make it to the big screen... 20 YEARS!!!! Imagine if studios took that kind of time and care with their films these days. What a world that would be.

Enough of that however, how does this Disney classic translate to the studio's signature Platinum Collection? Perfectly, this DVD set is a perfect follow-up to last year's release of Bambi as it continues the lessons in animation, this time it pays particular attention to the art of the storyboard and how it is used in not only laying out the look of the film for the filmmakers but telling the story altogether.

The storyboard features go from showing you a complete rundown of the storyboards that were used to make the film you will see here, but also the original storyboards from 1943 giving you a much different look at Lady and the Tramp than the one that was finally released. This is just one of the examples of the patience taken in making sure this film was done right and ultimately released 12 years after those initial storyboardswere made.

The second thing to pay particular attention to regarding the special features is just how much Peggy Lee you are in for, and by how much, I mean A LOT! This woman went Lady and the Tramp crazy as she not only played the voice of Darling (the mother), Peggy (one of the pound pooches) and most notably the voice of both Siamese Cats, Si and Am. Peggy Lee's involvement doesn't stop there as she worked hand-in-hand with Sonny Burke to bring you all the original songs in the film, my favorite of course being "Siamese Cat Song".

Beyond those goodies there are the traditional Disney DVD game features including a fun little game for kids where they get to adopt a virtual puppy and then a board game and a little personality test to see which Lady and the Tramp character you most closely resemble. I am Jock for those interested.

Finally, the film istelf. Once again a Disney feature is given a complete makeover. The sound and visuals get the 21st century treatment and it astonishes as always. Watching this 1955 film in 2006 makes it seem as if it was made only yesterday, the colors pop and the sound is brilliant.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this title to anyone that isn't afraid to admit they love Disney animated classics. I for one eat these movies up and only hope that Disney can once again return to what they used to do so well while other studios insist on shoving CGI animated features down our throats. Granted this request is most likely to fall on deaf ears but at least I am putting it out there.