Overview
In Disney's non-stop quest to not only remake its animated hits, but to make them look as lifelike as possible, the Mouse House has already brought Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King back to our screens so far this year alone. But it's not done yet, with the company's new streaming platform set to welcome another high-profile do-over before the end 2019: a live-action version of Lady and the Tramp.
To answer the question you've all been wondering, yes, it'll feature real spaghetti and meatballs. In all seriousness, the film does actually star real dogs — not photo-realistic canines cooked up by a special-effects team. The adorable pooches have still be given human voices, as the first trailer showed a few months back, with Tessa Thompson lending her tones to everyone's favourite pampered pupper and Justin Theroux doing the honours for her street-smart love interest.
Playing an American cocker spaniel and a schnauzer, Thompson and Theroux aren't the only big-name talents going to the dogs. A Star Is Born's Sam Elliott gets gravelly as a bloodhound, Catastrophe's Ashley Jensen is a Scottish terrier, Avengers: Endgame's Benedict Wong voices a bulldog and Janelle Monae pops up as a pekingese. They're joined by a few cast members who are sticking with their two-legged forms, including Hearts Beat Loud's Kiersey Clemons, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl's Thomas Mann, and Community co-stars Yvette Nicole Brown and Ken Jeong.
Story-wise, the film wags the same tale, as the upper middle-class Lady crosses paths with, eats pasta with and learns to appreciate the whole wide world with a downtown stray called Tramp. In the just-dropped second trailer, viewers can get a glimpse of more of their antics — and more of the other cute canines they interact with on their action-packed journey.
Directed by The Lego Ninjago Movie's Charlie Bean and co-written by US indie filmmaker Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, Results, Support the Girls), Lady and the Tramp will sport a few changes when it drops on Disney+ upon the service's November launch, however. Monae is reworking 'The Siamese Cat Song' to remove the original's offensive connotations, and will also perform two new tunes for the soundtrack.
Check out the latest trailer below:
The live-action Lady and the Tramp remake will be available on Disney+ when it launches Down Under on November 19.