Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (Dir: Darrell Rooney, 2001). 

46 years after Walt Disney’s original Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1955) comes this belated straight-to-video sequel. 

Lady and Tramp’s only son Scamp rebels at life on a leash, runs away from home and hooks up with a gang of tough junkyard dogs. Clashing with gang leader Buster and falling for fetching young pup Angel, Scamp eventually must choose between his family or freedom. 

You would be forgiven for not remembering Scamp from the original Lady and the Tramp. Appearing in the final scene as one of Lady and Tramp’s four pups, his screen time lasts mere seconds, although he would become a popular character in Disney comics. Where comic book Scamp was a lovable mischievous pup, his feature film incarnation is a rebellious, argumentative, kinda annoying teenager. If the original Lady and the Tramp was the canine equivalent of the 1950s teen romance then this new movie is the doggy update of the juvenile delinquent flick. Think Rebel without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955) or The Young Stranger (John Frankenheimer, 1957) with four legs and a tail and you have the idea. 

Those expecting the return of favourite characters from the first movie will be disappointed; most are relegated to cameo appearances and are more or less dispensed with after their appearance in the opening number, the movie focusing instead on Scamp and his junkyard cohorts. 

Indeed, even in their own movie Lady and Tramp are demoted to co-star status. Lady, in particular, is so underwritten that her only discernible characteristic is worrying about her son. While Tramp fares slightly better, he has become uncharacteristically ultra-conservative, constantly ragging on Scamp for wanting to be a wild dog. 

Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation (lately DisneyToon Studios) on a much smaller budget than a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature, resulting in a markedly less polished production than that of its sister studio. The character animation is flat and cartoony, replacing the original movie’s studied realism. The backgrounds, likewise, lack the depth and detail of the first movie, while a homage to Lady and the Tramp’s famous spaghetti sequence and a train dodge scenario lifted from The Aristocats (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970) are a reminder of how superior those movies are. 

Among the cast you may recognise the familiar voices of Disney’s own little mermaid Ariel Jodi Benson as Lady and Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney as Scamp’s pal Sparky. While certainly perfunctory, none of the voice actors make much of an impression. Some serviceable but forgettable songs punctuate the soundtrack, none coming close to Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke’s majestic originals. Here lies the problem with Lady and the Tramp II; it is simply weaker than the first movie in all departments. 

In truth, there are worse movies than Lady and the Tramp II. There are probably even worse Disney straight-to-videos sequels. But I honestly do not understand why you would watch this film instead of the masterful original. Even if used as a babysitting aide, there are a countless number of better movies you could sit your children in front of that would provide them with a far richer viewing experience. 

Lady and the Tramp endures as one of Walt Disney’s greatest animated features. Sadly, this cannot be said about its sequel; a pale imitation of the original and a soulless, artless exercise in exploitation.