“We must treat these dog characters with the same respect we show human characters… no condescension, no looking down, no breaking character for the sake of a gag.” And that, my friends, is part of the reason why Walt Disney’s legacy on film has stood the test of time. After the jump, find deleted scenes and a nifty video culling notes from Disney’s story meetings with collaborators on 1955’s Lady and the Tramp.
In newly released deleted scenes (found on the Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition DVD and Blu-ray, out today), envision what might have been via sketched storyboards for moments that didn’t make it into the final cut.
Scrapped from the final film, Russian wolfhound Boris was at one point to em-bark (groan!) in a love triangle with Lady and Tramp. At this point in development, the character of Tramp was called Homer.
Deleted Scene: “Boris meets Lady”
Lady’s troubles begin when owners Jim Dear and Darling find they’re expecting a baby and no longer can give her their full attention, but in this deleted scene Lady shares in her master’s excitement.
Deleted Scene: “Waiting for Baby”
Fascinating character development chat abounds in this dramatic recreation of Disney’s story meetings on crafting the character of Lady, based on original transcripts.
“Creating Lady”
And a brief peek inside the process of developing the Beaver character, envisioned as a near-sighted salesman caricature — “A satire on the 21st century and what they think up…”
“Creating Beaver”
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Lana Del Rey’s 15 minutes may be nearing their end (she did just postpone her tour after tanking on SNL), but she’s got one last charge towards relevance up her sleeve; just check out her new jam inspired by The Hunger Games called, simply, “Hunger Games.” So Lana. So Katniss. “This District smells like rat piss/My name is Katniss/I play the Hunger Gaaaaames…”
Okay, so it’s not technically Lana Del Rey. But isn’t Lana Del Rey herself more of an idea, really? One made of pouty lips and moody sunsets and Veronica Lake hair that belongs to us all? Well anyway, Second City’s Holly Laurent does an uncanny job smashing together these two zeitgeisty entities into one weirdly perfect package that boils down both the neophyte songstress and Suzanne Collins’ bestselling YA phenomenon to their essences.
[Thanks to @earnestp for the heads up]
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Chances are at least a few of your casual conversations about Bridesmaids have revolved around the scene in which Melissa McCarthy is forced to use a bridal shop sink as a toilet. The true beauty of that scene was Kristen Wiig’s Annie, sweat-drenched, trying to stay composed while she was berated over choosing a restaurant that caused some serious gastrointestinal horrors for the ladies. Not to suggest that McCarthy doesn’t deserve the praise; she’s a terrific actress (Sookie forever!).
Come Feb. 26, McCarthy will go up against fellow supporting actress Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer from The Help, Janet McTeer, playing a cross-dresser in Albert Nobbs, and Berenice Bejo of silent juggernaut The Artist. Though it’s highly unlikely the shot of McCarthy perched on a bathroom countertop will play on the big screen when her name is announced inside the Kodak Theatre, the image probably won’t be too far from viewers’ minds. The Bridesmaids scene-stealer is far from the only nominee in history who grabbed the attention of moviegoers and the Academy with a role that involved a squirm-inducing scene. Below are a handful of others.
Linda Blair, The Exorcist
Blair was barely a teenager when she took on the twisted role of Regan in the scariest movie of all time. As far as which scene is most revolting, take your pick: the crucifix-crotch-stabbing, the convulsions, the levitating, the pea soup projectile vomiting. The most enduringly troubling, though, was actually cut from the movie in 1973 but reinstated for the 2000 rerelease: the spider-walk staircase scene. Regan’s freakish contortion is spine-tingling, and seeing it made me wonder what possessed me to catch the rerelease in the theater, with…
Anticipating total Valentine’s Day box office domination by competitor The Vow — the Rachel McAdams-has-amnesia-and-can’t-remember-she’s-married-to-Channing Tatum weepie — Fox has shifted their McG-helmed spy love triangle action rom-com This Means War again back to Friday, Feb. 17 to avoid being slaughtered. The Reese Witherspoon/Chris Pine/Tom Hardy romp is still sneaking into theaters on Feb. 14 for a limited pre-opening run, but who are we kidding: Channing Tatum + tears + pining is the way to go, especially if there’s no shot at Hardy and Pine running off together in each others’ arms. [Deadline]
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