La Belle et le Clochard 2 : L'Appel de la rue

"Lady and the Tramp II" is a direct to video film during an awful era at Disney, as the studio put nearly all its efforts into unnecessary sequels instead of coming up with new material. Eventually, this sort of remake would disappear...to be replaced by live-action remakes with nothing new to offer. If it sounds like I have a low opinion of these films...well, you're right.

Now this does not mean I hated "Lady and the Tramp II" or think it's not worth seeing. It's not a bad film...but it's surely an unnecessary one. On the plus side, the animation isn't bad...though it isn't exactly like the 1955 classic. The story itself is also okay and enjoyable. But on the minus side, the songs are mostly forgettable and the film really drags after a while. Yes, we know that Tramp's son, Scamp, longs to be like wild dogs. And, it's no surprise that eventually he realizes this wild life really stinks. It also lacks the charm in the original movie...and it's certainly not a film you'll remember for long. Worth seeing? Perhaps. But it's not exactly a must-see either.

To be fair I love Lady and the Tramp so I expected alot. But this story doesnt even come close to the magic of the original.

They very cheaply reuse bits of the original story right down to the infamous Spaghetti dinner. They created a former "best friend" for Tramp and didnt use any of his original gang. Rusty and Jacques are barely around. Not to mention that Tramp completely turned his back on his old ways. He even lied to his kids saying that he has been a house dog his whole life.

The premise is that the son wants to be a "wild dog". Basically he is like a defiant teenager. I have aleast two suggestions on what would have been a better story. I dread the Cinderella sequel!

My 5 year old nephew loves it but for anyone that grew up on the romance of Lady and her tramp.... skip it!

I remember the first time I saw Lady and the Tramp, it was one of the first Disney movies to make me cry as a child. It was one of the most romantic films I ever saw, lol, well, I was a kid, so, give me a break, it's still a good love story. So, I figured to go ahead and give the sequel a look and I watched it today and over all, it's a decent sequel that's worth a look. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Disney sequels that really are not worth your while and are pretty cheesy, Lady and the Tramp 2 is typical where as the plot is always the same for every Disney sequel. They always take the plot from the first film and reverse the situation to the kids wanting whatever the parent had in the first film, but Lady and the Tramp 2 has it's moments that are just very sweet.

Pidge and Tramp are living the high life with their masters and 4 kids. 3 kids are girls and they are loving the pampered life of baths, 3 meals a day in a bowl, and a healthy home to live in. But Scamp's the boy that stands out, he wants to be a junk yard dog so badly and be free an wild. Tramp doesn't want that life for him, and certainly to not end up in the pound. But Scamp goes off with a girl dog, Angel, and other junk yard dogs to prove that he's just as tough, but it's a tough world out there and he may not have the chops to survive.

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure is definitely worth a look, it's not a waste of a sequel. Is it necessary? No, not really, but it's all good clean fun. The animation is colorful and the songs are catchy along with a cute little story that may be predictable, but is always a safe route to go with the kids. It's a cute family movie and is a nice Disney sequel. I would recommend it if you are a fan of the original Lady and the Tramp and also for the kids, it's a good clean cut movie to watch.

5/10

Disney has a habit of re-hashing old movies and they don't generally work. Look at the videos in the Aladdin series. This time, however, they have successfully recaptured the characters from the original, and built an entirely new story around them. Granted, many of the voices from the original have passed on, but the new voices do pretty well.

PS -- the dogcatcher is NOT Don Knotts...

All in all, you could never really surpass the original Lady and the Tramp, one of Disney's best films ever. This movie seemed to lack charm. The music was good, but didn't feel like it belonged. The characters were nice, but the characterisation seemed a bit rushed. The voices were all done quite well by the likes of Mickey Rooney and Allysa Millano. The animation is of course superb. They were even able to throw some CGI in with traditional animation. I think it is probably a good thing this is a straight to video project, because that's where it belongs. If you are a true die hard Disney fan, you might enjoy this one, but most casual movie watchers will probably pass it up.