Lady and the Tramp (1998, VHS)

Lady and The Tramp is an endearing love story between two unlikely characters, a lady dog of comfort and a stray dog -- a tramp.

From the beginning, it is quite apparent that had circumstances been played out in a completely loving environment, Lady and the Tramp would have never met. Lady is owned by a couple who has had a baby recently after her arrival and is well cared for and loved. The only reason why she meets Tramp in the first place is that Lady is abused by a baby sitter who comes to take care of the baby in the absence of Lady's owners. (referred to in the movie as Jim Dear and Darling)

Because the sitter abuses Lady, she takes off and becomes friends with Tramp who does not have a home at all and is a free spirit. Most of the movie shows the romance of Lady and Tramp and the consequences of that relationship where Lady is eventually placed outside the home tied with a rope and muzzled longing for the day when her masters will return home.

In the end though Tramp shows an extreme amount of devotion to Lady and even the baby of Lady's owners by tackling a ferocious rat intent on biting the baby. This fight will determine both Lady and Tramp's future as either the unfair baby sitter will cause Tramp to be sent to the pound, or Lady's masters will come and discover the real truth about what has gone on.

Will Tramp be sent to the pound?
Will Lady be resigned to live outside like a common dog instead of the lady she deserves to be treated?
Will the sitter's story be believed by Lady's owners?

You'll have to watch the movie to find the answers to those questions and more.

Overall, the love story between Lady and Tramp is very cute and appealing to children, especially if they love dogs. The music is very romantic and the rescue of Lady by Tramp appeals to the viewer as a sense of justice considering that she was falsely accused by the sitter.

Because of this, I really believe that rather than allowing your child to watch this movie, that it should be discussed with the children as for the reality and reasons why things happened. I believe that the injustice of the actions of the sitter need to be pointed out and that if children encounter similar situations that they should feel safe to discuss these situations with a responsible adult instead of running away from home as Lady did. Even though Tramp is a very likable character, he is a stranger to Lady and this should be pointed out to children that to run away to a stranger is not a good idea for them to do.

Naturally, when I watch Lady and The Tramp I do so for the action rescue and romantic aspects of the movie which appeal to me. However, I believe that underlaying issues concerning the characters of this movie such as I have mentioned before need to be discussed with children so that they will act appropriately should similar issues come up in their own lives.

My son and I have talked extensively about the unfairness of the sitter and how Lady's owners should have specified from the beginning that Lady was welcome in the home, allowed in the baby's room, and that the sitter should have left her own pets (cats) at her own home. We've talked about how the sitter believed the actions of her own pets instead of Lady's protection of the baby and how this was wrong and biased.

Overall, I believe that Lady and The Tramp offers a great learning experience as well as entertainment for children and I do give this movie high recommendations. However, I believe that some kind of supervision and clarification needs to be discussed concerning the plot of this movie with children so that it would not be taken at face value.