Disney’s made-for-home video sequels to its classic animated films have had an erratic history. For every worthy one (Bambi II, The Lion King 1 ½), there have been numerous misfires (The Little Mermaid II, Cinderella II). And, of course, since budgets for these sequels aren’t anywhere near what the original films enjoyed, the looks of these home video efforts is never quite rich or detailed enough to match what came before. Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure is one of the better of these efforts from the studio. The film boasts very good animation, some close voice matches to the original actors, and the use of many backgrounds from the original film giving this newer one a very comfortable and welcome familiarity.
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Directed by Darrell Rooney
Studio: Disney
Year: 2001
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 69 minutes
Rating: G
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 39.99
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Review Date: August 16, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
Young Scamp (Scott Wolf, singing by Roger Bart) with his unfettered friskiness gets in constant trouble with masters Jim Dear and Darling who expect him to obey house rules and to curb his rambunctiousness. Dad Tramp (Jeff Bennett) tries to be understanding remembering his own background on the street, but Scamp refuses to kowtow to rules and when his chain breaks free from his collar, he heads straight for the junkyard to become the “wild dog” he’s always wanted to be. The head junkyard dog since Tramp’s defection is Buster (Chazz Palminteri, singing by Jess Harnell) who puts Scamp through a series of tests before he’s accepted as part of the pack. One of the pack’s less likely members is Angel (Alyssa Milano, singing by Susan Egan) whom Buster claims as his girl friend but who actually takes a liking to Scamp. She wants a family, the thing Scamp was so quick to discard, and when Buster learns who Scamp’s father is, he’s determined to get even with Tramp for abandoning the pack for love by making sure Scamp is either killed by the neighborhood monster dog Reggie or is picked up by the always prowling dogcatcher.
It’s a tidy coming of age tale by Bill Motz, Bob Roth, Tom Rogers, Flip Kobler, and Cindy Marcus as Scamp learns firsthand the hardships of going it alone and life on the streets and the importance of having family to always be there in times of trouble. While the film isn’t as dark as portions of the original Lady and the Tramp, there’s a fair share of adventure and danger in this brief sequel and like its predecessor, there is a song score; here it's by Melissa Manchester and Norman Gimbel that features some melodious ballads, comic songs, and production numbers. Scamp’s wishful “World Without Fences” is great fun (with some neat segues from fantasy to reality) and “Junkyard Society Rag” is a lively set piece production number as the hounds show their stuff to neophyte Scamp. If Scamp and Angel’s love song “I Didn’t Know I Could Feel This Way” isn’t a match for the original couple’s “Bella Notte,” the revelatory “Always There” when Scamp finally wises up to the realities of what he wants versus what he has makes a wonderful turning point tune for that moment in the movie. The animators also do some terrific dissolves throughout the movie particularly when Buster relates the true saga of Tramp’s original life as a street dog which goes in and out of real time with startling effectiveness.
Scott Wolf makes an irresistible Scamp really capturing the essence of a frolicsome and stubborn young pup who needs a few life lessons. Tony-winning Roger Bart is an excellent vocal double for Scamp’s songs in the movie. Alyssa Milano is likewise a touching and yet capable street dog as Angel, her singing voice also admirably doubled by Susan Egan. As the film’s villain, Chazz Palminteri gets to show his stuff constantly in a superb vocal performance of arch bravado and later sinister treachery. But the film’s MVP has to be Jeff Bennett who serves as the voice of Tramp (catching perfectly the cadences and inflections of original Tramp Larry Roberts), the Scottie Jock and the bloodhound Trusty (both sound exactly like their original voices), and the dogcatcher (who sounds vaguely like Don Knotts). Jodi Benson doesn’t sound much like Barbara Luddy’s original Lady, but she has less to do in this sequel than Tramp. Among the junkyard pooches who pal around with Buster are dogs with voices provided by Mickey Rooney, Bronson Pinchot, and Cathy Moriarty.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film has been produced with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and it is presented in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Colors lean more toward pastels suggesting a bygone era rather than bright, splashy hues of other Disney pictures, but the color is always completely under control. Sharpness is excellent, and the lines are solid and never show any signs of artifacting. There is some minor banding occasionally, but otherwise the picture is thoroughly pleasing. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix isn’t particularly showy, but there is decent spread into the fronts and rears during the song sequences, and an episode with an approaching train and late in the film with some fireworks give the LFE channel something interesting to do in this mix. Dialogue has been well recorded and has been placed in the center channel.
Special Features
3.5/5
The audio commentary is contributed by director Darrell Rooney, producer and co-director Jeannine Roussel, and director of animation in Sydney Steve Trenbirth. They keep a steady stream of chatter going throughout the movie even if there is a bit too much describing what’s on the screen coupled with obvious psychological motivations. Still, fans will enjoy hearing about aspects of the original film which found their way into this sequel so many years later.
Puppy Trivia Tracks can be turned on before the feature starts. This brings a series of pop-up windows during the movie detailing facts about dogs and trivia about the original Lady and the Tramp.
The five songs are offered in sing-along motif with printed lyrics on the screen of the 1080p clips from the movie. They can be watched individually or in one 13 ½ minute grouping.
“The Making of Lady and the Tramp II” features director Darrell Rooney, producer and co-director Jeannine Roussel, and director of animation Steve Trenbirth talking about the film’s two and a half year production schedule while also discussing backgrounds from the original film used in the sequel, the use of computers to aid in the animation process, and the song score for the movie. Actors Scott Wolf, Chazz Palminteri, and Alyssa Milano also make a few brief comments. It runs 16 ½ minutes in 480i.
Three Pluto animated shorts are presented in 1080p. They are 1952’s Pluto, Jr. (7 ¼ minutes), 1940’s Bone Troubles (8 ¾ minutes), and 1945’s Pluto’s Kid Brother (6 ¾ minutes).
The disc offers promo trailers for Cinderella and Finding Nemo 3D.
The second disc in the set is the DVD version of the movie.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
A more than decent sequel to the original Lady and the Tramp, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure features a nice song score, some delectable animation, and more quality time spent with some of Disney’s most charming creations.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
