LADY AND THE TRAMP II: SCAMP'S ADVENTURE | Movie Review

For this movie review, I will be taking an in-depth look at "Lady And The Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure", released back in the early months of 2001. Please pay attention to the fact that I have technically reviewed this movie before, but not on Deviantart. As I'm also on other sites such as Amazon or IMDB, to say that I haven't reviewed this film is putting it incorrectly. Any of the sites focusing on films are platforms that I have reviewed this movie on, but I find those reviews to be completely irrelevant at this point. It proves how big of a fan of this film I am however. I have stated many times that "Lady And The Tramp 2" is what officially set in stone my love for Disney as well as canine-centered films, including in a recent Q&A journal where someone asked how I became so passionate about the company in the first place. So in this review, I am going to go in depth on the film's content and how close I hold this movie to my heart. There are legions of people who highly enjoy the first "Lady And The Tramp" and consider it to be one of multiple classics in the Walt Disney Animated Features catalogue, and I definitely have to agree with that from a personal standpoint. However, I am among a very select few that prefers this movie over the original even though both films mean so much to me in an unconditional way. 

Let's begin by discussing my stance on the Disney sequels. If you're a Disney fan, you're already aware of the fact that for a period of a decade and a half, Disney kept releasing direct to video sequels based off of their classic properties. At first, the films were based off of newer films that just made a truckload of money for the studio such as "The Return Of Jafar" and "Belle's Magical World", but the real secret is that most of these films were either cheaply animated cash grabs or pilots to cartoon series waiting to air on the Disney Channel or Toon Disney. Some of these films had better production values to them like "The Little Mermaid 2" and the heavily overrated "Lion King 2: Simba's Pride", but for the most part, these films were downgrades from their original counterparts in terms of their animation style and their budget. This is part of the reason why the Disney sequels get so much hate from a general consumer, aside from the fact that most of the films were unnecessary as the originals ended perfectly without a true longing for a sequel to even take place. However, with that comes personal preferences on what Disney sequels actually are better ones that do have merit placed within, and "Lady And The Tramp 2" is one of my few choices where a sequel to a Disney animated film actually succeeds, and on a number of different levels. But why is it THIS movie that I like so much? As we examine the plot and other elements that make up this film, we will see why. 

First, a little backstory for those who are unaware of my experience with the film. I got into this film back in 2010 before my Deviantart tenure kicked off. I remembered having the VHS for it back when it was first put out in 2001, and sometimes I'd come home from kindergarten and watch this movie. Also what some people don't know is that the original film was the first Disney classic that I'd known about and one of the first Disney films to hold that honor aside from "Toy Story", and there was a preview at the end of the tape for "Lady And The Tramp" that teased this movie, and of course, our family owned both movies. Remembering that from my childhood and watching it again on YouTube restored my love for the film and for Disney in general along with the two "Bambi" movies. But, late in 2010, I distinctly remember looking at pictures of Scamp on the Internet as well as watching clips of the movie on YouTube (keep in mind that this was when the Disney movies were actually uploaded in full to YouTube and not just sped up or altered to avoid potential copyright issues). So, that was very intriguing to me, and on a day in early November of 2010, one of my aunts was staying over while my mother was away for a few nights on vacation, and she helped me purchase the movie on Amazon back in a day where I was new to ordering media online, it came in the mail that week, and for almost two years, I'd often pop it in a portable DVD player I owned and watch it every night before bed. I was completely and utterly obsessed with the movie, and I loved everything about it, and to this day I still really love this movie. So, now you know all about that, without further ado, let's begin our examination of the story and characters as well as the art direction, animation, and musical elements that appear in this movie. 

Obviously, the film follows the son of Lady and Tramp, Scamp on his adventure to experience what it's like to become a wild dog, and along the way meeting pivotal characters such as Angel, the love interest, and Buster, the leader of the Junkyard Dogs and the villain of the story. The film borrows a little bit from the original film as well as "Oliver And Company" with the ragtag group of dogs that Scamp attempts to join, and even though this plot has been seen before where a character wants to run away from home in order to have a fabricated sense of independence, only to realize that their home and their family is essential to them, this idea is executed very well in this film and leaves an impact. This movie remains pretty straight forward with its story and is paced well from beginning to end without any lulls or unnecessary distractions that take you away from what's going on. That also includes the characters featured in this story, especially the main characters, as the ideas brought forth are vague enough for any viewer to understand them but they aren't pandering to an audience or just a lifeless retread of a plotline that's so familiar. These ideas reveal an emotional resonance with the characters and with the story because they let these moments sink in nicely, and it's well earned. 

With many animated films, the voice acting plays an intensely important part in enhancing the story and making the people, or animals, telling the story very believable and honest, and here in this film, the casting is great. Scott Wolf plays Scamp, and I have noticed a lot of flak about his performance in the film mainly revolving around the fact that he's an adult actor playing a much younger character. In my opinion, I cannot think of a better actor to play this part and to voice this character than Scott Wolf. I feel like Scamp is definitely a puppy character as he is written as a rambunctious character who often finds himself in trouble, at one point destroying his entire house after chasing a ball, but with an adult like Scott Wolf playing this part, there is a little bit more of a teenager dynamic brought in that most people overlook. Scamp is facing a rebellious stage in this film as he doesn't agree with the rules set in stone in his environment, which is what teens are depicted as going through. With all of this in mind, it definitely makes for a unique character even though this is an archetype that's not very hard to understand and very common in several genres of movies. I find Scott Wolf to be very believable in this part, and it may take some time for new viewers of the film to wrap their head around it, but if you look at the character in the perspective I do, you'll sort of get it. 

But, you also have the other characters that make up this story and effect Scamp's character arc, predominantly Angel, who is played by Alyssa Milano. Now, Milano seems like she'd be a perfect fit for the role because at one point in the 1990's, the two lead actors in this movie were engaged before breaking it off a year and a half later. But, Alyssa Milano fits perfectly as Angel for a slew of other reasons. Like in the case of Scott Wolf as Scamp, Milano really defines this character's personality with her voice. Though it's a bit tricky to pinpoint how Angel's backstory exactly works with as many families as she's been adopted into, Milano brings to life this character's personality of being a spunky and streetsmart character like Tramp was in the first movie, the difference being that there is a heartfelt longing for the home life which makes this character somewhat of a reversal of Tramp. And in my opinion, that's the reason I feel Angel is a special character, and it's what makes Scamp and Angel the perfect pair. Both of these characters have a believable amount of chemistry and the celebrity appearances don't feel shoehorned or phoned in just for a paycheck. It feels like there's a huge desire to make this couple as interesting as possible even though, again, you've seen this before even in the previous movie. The two characters that have different backgrounds and walks of life forging some kind of a plausible relationship with one another. That idea is executed fantastically, and the voices are just one of the reasons why as well as the story and the personalities. 

Scamp and Angel obviously aren't the only characters that make up this story. Buster, played by Chazz Palminteri, is one of those villains where you don't necessarily get the vibe of this being the bad guy immediately. He is the idol that Scamp wants to be most like as he leads the Junkyard Dogs, all of which have great actors behind them like Bill Fagerbakke and Mickey Rooney just to name a couple. This is also proof that they are staying true to the time period that the movie takes place in, which is the early 1910's, due to a few of these characters having old-fashioned New York gangster-like voices, particularly in Chazz Palminteri's delivery of the Buster character. There are also some talented voice actors in this film such as Jeff Bennett providing the voice of Tramp, who seems like a perfect replacement for Larry Roberts in the original film. Tramp has a lot of involvement in this story as it focuses a bit more on the relationship between father and son. Aside from Jeff Bennett, there are also side characters in the form of the three sisters played by Kath Soucie and Debi Derryberry who deliver some well-executed comic relief, and Jodi Benson as Lady who takes a big step out of the spotlight to focus more on Tramp, but whenever Benson is heard as the voice of Lady, there's no denying that she does a great job. 

I've spent a lot of time analyzing the characters and the story, so let's take a look at the technical side of the movie with the backgrounds made for the film as well as the animation. There is a sense that they're treating the predecessor with respect and being faithful and true to it, but in some areas, I feel like this movie is somewhat different. Yes, there are several locations that were digitally recreated for this movie, and the interior of the house that Jim Dear and Darling live in looks exactly like the house in the first film, with all of the wallpaper patterns and colors. There are homages to such as the alleyway that Lady gets trapped in and the vehicle that the dogcatcher used in the first one now being in the junkyard, not to mention the iconic spaghetti scene. But, there are those differences in between the first film and this one that make it stand out in a different way. For one, "Lady And The Tramp 2" has some beautifully painted backgrounds inspired by those found in "Sleeping Beauty", notably in the "World Without Fences" sequence when Scamp is standing on top of a cliff and the camera backs up to show a wide shot with vivid green and blue colorings as well as mountains in the background and trees and lakes among other things, and it's probably the best proof I have of the art direction being different from the original but beautiful nonetheless. Also notable is that the character animation is excellent. The facial expressions drawn and the way the characters interact, move, and behave is awe-inspiring for a Disney sequel. So, that pretty much speaks for itself. 

Another thing to look at is the music in this film. Not necessarily the music score, which I do love, but the musical numbers themselves. Unlike the first film which had a few songs in it but wasn't necessarily considered a musical in my eyes, I feel like this is a much more musical picture, so much so that it borders on Renaissance styled Disney films like "Beauty And The Beast". The first song you hear, "Welcome Home", builds up as the film opens and shows our main characters as they're walking back home, some of them even singing the song as well, and it works very well. There are other songs here that fit very well with this film's time period like the "Junkyard Society Rag", which takes on a ragtime 1910's piano vibe, and while I believe that song is the closest the movie gets to having a song that represents its time period, there are other songs featured like "A World Without Fences" and "I Didn't Know That I Could Feel This Way" that describe what these characters are going through and experiencing at that point in the film, those feelings being a longing to be free and run wild in the previous and the relationship between Scamp and Angel in the former. However, the song that I feel represents the film' theme the best is "Always There", which plays as Scamp is going to the pound. This song explains that family is always by your side no matter what, and it's the real emotional meat of the entire movie because you also have parts in this sequence where Angel is watching other families and their pets, as well as Lady and Tramp looking out a window longing for their son to come back. Nevertheless, all of these songs fit with the film perfectly and are executed phenomenally. 

If you have never seen this movie and are reading my review for the first time, this is a film that I highly recommend. Yeah, it does have its shortcomings such as a generic scene where Scamp gets knocked out in the climax, and of course Tramp has to wake him up, but even this is done well and there is context behind what happens in the scene. Other than that, I love this movie. I have for a very long time, and once again, I can't stress enough the idea that this film is what officially made me the person that I am now. And that is odd to think about for many people who probably gravitate toward the first one more, or even other Disney Animation titles such as "The Lion King", "Bambi", or even "Zootopia" as helping them get into being massive Disney fans. However, it's this movie and yet another Disney sequel, that being "Bambi 2", that contributed the most into me loving Disney and modeling what I do heavily after the characters in those movies. It's hard to believe that seven years have rapidly gone by since the day I got into this movie, and with this review I feel like I've proven why it is that this movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. In short, if you haven't seen this movie, or any other reviews that are floating around that are more optimistic like Doug Walker's review for Disneycember 2016, I can't give this a bigger recommendation. I don't know how many of you will necessarily consider this just as good if not better than its predecessor as I do, but it's definitely worth a try. 

RATING: 10/10