Lady and the Tramp

Director: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson
Year Released: 1955
Rating: 3.5

Without a doubt one of the sweetest - but not sickeningly so - film I've seen in an eternity about the relationship between a domestic dog (Lady) and a wandering vagabond with no real connection to anything (Tramp). Intriguing that this came out after the boom of the Beatnik movement; it goes against that core belief system, asserting that an aimless, capricious life is not as purposeful as a rooted one, with children, commitments and love. But oh, don't mind me: it's a splendid cartoon for children, and the famous pasta-eating scene, where a chubby Italian serenades Lady and Tramp with an accordion, is innocent and heartwarming. The aging Scottish terrier - who is Lady's friend and "father figure" - steals the show.