With Disney set to release a remake of its classic animated movie, “The Lion King” in cinemas in the summer of 2019, Disney+ is also getting its own animated classic live action remake, based on the “Lady and the Tramp.”

The movie is being directed by Charlie Bean and will see Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux voicing the roles of Lady and the Tramp. The movie also sees Ashley Jensen, play the role of Scottish Terrier, Jackie, who was originally known as “Jock” in the original animated feature, but Disney have decided to swap the genders of this character.

Recently Collider interviewed actor Thomas Mann about his new film, Maine, and asked about the new live-action version of the “Lady and the Tramp”, which he plays the role of Lady’s owner.

Check out the interview below:

Collider: You went from doing something so sparse like Maine, to doing something like Lady and the Tramp. What’s it like to be on a set when you are one of the only human characters?

THOMAS MANN: Thank you for asking about that because it is very strange. Obviously, Lady and the Tramp is a little more comedic, for my character, at least. I get to be little more broad because of its period. That was actually something that was very, very different for me, whereas Maine is a character that’s the closest to myself that I’ve ever played.

There is such an interesting trend with these Disney classics, like Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, The Lion King and now Lady and the Tramp, where we’re getting to see them in a different way. What most excites you about the way that you’re telling the story of Lady and the Tramp?

MANN: I really think it’s an enhanced version of the world that you saw before. Obviously, the human characters are a little more flushed out. They’re not these passing faces that you barely get a glimpse of. You get to know them a little bit better. And also, there are real dogs. Who doesn’t want to see two real dogs kiss over a plate of spaghetti? That is the main draw for me. You get the charisma of real dogs in there. Lady and the Tramp came out in 1955. I understand people who are like, “Don’t mess with the original,” but they aren’t re-animating it. It’s a live-action remake. So, why not?

Did you actually get to act with dogs, or were they not there?

MANN: The dogs were there. We shot with the dogs, every day. They were on set and they weren’t even trained. They found these dogs and started training them about three months before. They just wanted to find the perfect dogs. The main dog’s name was Rose, who played Lady. It was crazy because they didn’t know they were working, so they would run off in the middle of a take, and then come back over. You have to be extra patient because you have to be good every time for when they are good once. It was a lot of fun. It was so cute, every day, to just have a bunch of dogs to play with. It made the job a lot less stressful.

I’m excited about it because I love that story, but I also think it will be really interesting to see what’s done with it because it does feel like there are so many possibilities.

MANN: It’s a little more dramatic, too. I wouldn’t say that it’s a full-on drama or anything, but it’s a little more grown up, in its own way, and a little more sophisticated. It looks beautiful, in the few things that I’ve seen, from the way it was shot. The production design, alone, is pretty immaculate.

That’s so cool! I cried with the Dumbo trailer, so I’m excited to see what Lady and the Tramp looks like, as well.

MANN: Just wait! It will be amazing! These dogs are movie stars.

It was originally unclear if the movie was going to have animated dogs, but now we know they use real dogs, it is going to be a little interesting if they use computer graphics to animate the dog’s mouths, or if will just be able to hear their voices like in the classic, Homeward Bound.  This second option would also be a cheaper way of Disney making this movie, which is going to be exclusive to Disney+.

Are you excited to see real dogs used in the new Lady & The Tramp remake?

 

 

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Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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