Disney classic to celebrate 50th birthday
SAN FRANCISCO — The American Film Institute ranks it as one of its 100 greatest love stories of all time.
It’s not Casablanca or From Here to Eternity — although those are also on the list. It doesn’t feature any famous tough guys or leading ladies. The stars of this movie are animated and of the four-legged variety.
If you haven’t yet guessed the film, we’ll throw you a bone: In its most famous scene, two dogs share a piece of spaghetti that ends in a kiss that is pure movie magic.
Lady and the Tramp, the adorable tale about a classy cocker spaniel named Lady and a mutt from the wrong side of the tracks named Tramp, is celebrating its pending 50th anniversary.
To mark the milestone, Disney is releasing the classic tale, restored on Blu-ray and DVD, on Feb. 7. The bonus features include previously unreleased scenes, and a look at the making of Lady and the Tramp.
Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, shared some of her favourite memories of the movie with Postmedia News recently at the Disney Family Museum, on a brisk San Francisco day.
The museum — a non-profit organization that’s not affiliated with Disney Studios — is only a couple of years old and is situated in The Presidio, a park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
The museum houses an extraordinary history of Walt Disney — from original sketches of Mickey Mouse and Snow White, to antique film cameras and a detailed, early model of Disneyland.
Dressed in a grey pantsuit, colourful scarf and funky heels, the soft-spoken Miller shows off a bunch of the original pencil and coloured drawings from Lady and the Tramp, most of which had to be bought back from Disney Studios.
Lady and the Tramp was released in 1955, the same year Disneyland opened in California. During the making of both the movie and the theme park, Miller’s father and mother, Lillian, lived in a Victorian-style apartment above a small firehouse at Disneyland, which still stands today.
When Lady and the Tramp was released, Miller was 21 and a firsttime mother. Her father was 54 and relishing, not just his success, but also being a grandfather.
“I just accepted it as another wonderful thing. You would hear about these projects for such a long time,” said Miller.
“(Lady and the Tramp) was different. It wasn’t a fairy tale. It was a warm film and it was a love story.”
When asked if she had a favourite character, Miller just smiled and shook her head: “I love them all.”