In honor of its 50th anniversary, a new two-disc special edition of Disneys beloved LADY AND THE TRAMP comes to DVD Feb. 28, 2006 (Walt Disney Home Ent., $29.99). Like BAMBI and CINDERELLA, a 4K scan of the Technicolor negative was made, finally offering the entire CinemaScope image with brilliant resolution and clarity. Assisting the Technology Film Restoration team headed by Theo Gluck was John Lowrys group at DTS Digital Images. They scanned 4.2 miles of film and removed 30 million pieces of dust and dirt.
LADY AND THE TRAMP, originally released in June 1955, was the first Disney animated feature to be filmed in CinemaScope. Directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson, the film follows the adventures of a young cocker spaniel from a respectable house, and her romantic escapades with Tramp, a devil-may-care mutt from the wrong side of the railroad tracks. The film features several enchanting songs by Peggy Lee (who voices the conniving Siamese cats, Si and Am, as well as the characters Darling and Peg) and Sonny Burke including "Bella Notte," "He's a Tramp" and "The Siamese Cat Song."
Bonus features include:* A story reel presentation of the deleted scene, Turning the Tables, in which Tramp describes what it would be like if dogs were the masters and people their pets.* A story reel presentation of an alternate version of the preparations for the babys arrival, with dialog and a verse of La La Lu not heard in the final film.* A recently discovered version of The Siamese Cat Song performed by two male singers prior to the signing of Lee.* Ladys Pedigree: The Making of LADY AND THE TRAMP: Includes a glimpse of Walt Disneys hometown and rare footage from the Disney archives of Disney touring the small town of his youth.* Finding Lady: The Art of Storyboards: A glimpse into the storyboard process and Disneys contributions to the tool.* Original 1943 storyboards: A unique presentation of the recently discovered original 1943 storyboards for the film, revealing the first conception.* Excerpts from the DISNEYLAND TV shows
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
