2019 has certainly been a successful year for Disney. From producing the current highest-grossing film of all time, “Avengers: Endgame,” to the highest-grossing animated film, “The Lion King,” the studio has proven that it is far from decreasing in popularity. With the recent release of the streaming service Disney+, the Mouse House has only furthered its winning streak by making its expansive collection of films and television programs, in addition to a new selection of original content. One specific exclusive, “Lady and the Tramp,” is the first of many remakes which will be available only on the service. Though the film is far from the best offering that the studio has offered in its lineup of remakes, it nonetheless honors its source material as a well-intended, sweet adaptation, while also acting as a positive indicator that the service’s future originals may be something to look forward to.

Like the 1955 classic, the film oversees the unlikely romance between two lovable canines, the sophisticated house pet, Lady (Tessa Thomson, “Men in Black: International”) and the street-smart stray, Tramp (Justin Theroux, “Bumblebee”). Unlike most of the Disney remakes, the film mostly refrains from introducing new characters, instead keeping to those found in the original. As for characters such as the Bloodhound, Trusty (Sam Elliot, “A Star is Born”) and the Scottish Terrier, Jock (Ashley Jensen, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World), each received second chances to become memorable, while the performances of their respective actors create the right conditions for this to happen. However, for those such as the Bulldog, Bull (Benedict Wong, “Avengers: Endgame”) and the Lhasa apso, Peg (Janelle Monáe, “Harriet”), they were characters who felt underused or uninteresting compared to the original film, with the performances of the human characters feeling especially phoned-in.

Like the recent remake “The Lion King,” the film utilizes computer-generated imagery in order to depict the expressions of animals. As such, the emotional aspects of the film face a slight setback due to the lack of expression shown in the animals’ faces, though one still cannot deny the chemistry shared between Thomson and Theroux as the titular characters. However, the film used this factor to its advantage, as this allowed it to make timely changes to the Siamese cats who appeared in the original and who have long been looked back on due to the blatant stereotypes that they conveyed. As such, the cats were still able to appear in the film, though now in a sensible fashion.

Love it or not, the sea of Disney remakes is far from ebbing. Especially with the launch of Disney+, the studio now has gained an outlet through which it may produce them simultaneously with those released in theaters, thus allowing for even more to be conceived and released in the new future. However “Lady and the Tramp” proves that, though they may not always be perfect, the remakes can still be enjoyable, nostalgia-provoking experiences and that the notion of more coming in the future is not necessarily one to be discouraged about.

Image from Walt Disney Studios via YouTube