Yesterday we were very current, so I thought today we'd throw it back a bit to the Italy Pavilion at last spring's Flower & Garden Festival.
Disney’s Lady and the Tramp premiered in 1955—the 15th animated feature released by the company, it quickly became a classic. Lady was inspired by one of Walt’s own dogs, a Cocker Spaniel he’d given to his wife, Lillian, and Tramp by a real stray dog found on the streets of Disney’s hometown of Marceline, Missouri. (In fact, Walt gave Lillian the little female Cocker Spaniel puppy as a Christmas present back in 1930. He actually presented the puppy to her in a hatbox, which is exactly how Lady is gifted in the film. 🥹)
Crazy as it seems today, the iconic spaghetti-and-meatballs kiss—inspired by animator Frank Thomas’s own love of Italian food—almost didn’t make it into the movie. Walt wanted to cut it, thinking it wouldn’t work, but animators pushed for it and today it’s likely the first place your head goes anytime the movie is mentioned, making these most recognizable canines perfectly at home in EPCOT's version of Italy each year even though the movie itself takes place in small town U.S.A. Their topiary is always one of my favorites and I'm so glad it always gets such a prominent spot.
It just goes to show, sometimes even the most creative and insightful among us can’t guess what’s going to click. Good on the animators for holding their ground on this one. The result was one of the most improbably romantic scenes in film history.