Lion Queen: Nala (The Lion King)
Name meaning: Swahili, “Woman”
With her buff-colored coat and aqua eyes, Nala is an elegant and spirited lioness. Simba’s best friend since childhood, she has been an accomplice in all of his adventures. When Simba runs away, Nala goes after him. She is loyal, both to her friends and to her pride. She refuses to let Scar run Pride Rock and its people into the ground. She is even more independent and headstrong in the Broadway version, where she fends off Scar’s lecherous advances and ventures far into the desert to forage for food for the starving lions. She is the voice of common sense in their group, in contrast to the smark-aleck Timon, dim-witted Pumbaa, and Simba’s stubbornness. She has a sense of humor, but is determined. When Simba takes his place as king of Pride Rock with her by his side, they have a daughter named Kiara. And the circle of life has come full circle.
Nala: Simba's gone back to challenge Scar.
Timon: Who?
Nala: Scar.
Pumbaa: Who's got a scar?
Nala: No, no, no. It's his uncle.
Timon: The monkey's his uncle?
Nala: No. Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king.
Timon, Pumbaa: Oh.
Nala: What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember.
Adult Simba: You're right, I'm not. Now are you satisfied?
Nala: No, just disappointed.
Adult Simba: You know you're starting to sound like my father.
Nala: Good. At least one of us does.
Young Simba: I... am a genius.
Young Nala: Hey, Genius, it was my idea.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Baby Mine: Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo)
Baby Mine: Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo)
Mrs. Jumbo is perhaps the greatest mother in the history of animation. She wants nothing but to protect her son, who due to the unfortunate size of his ears, is subject to ridicule from just about everyone who sees him. She is utterly maternal, and her pride sometimes demands retaliation for this treatment, slamming the elephant-cage door in the faces of the snide circus elephants who jeer and gossip cattily. Like hard-working blue-collar humans, Mrs. Jumbo is made to perform menial tasks in order to provide for her son. She is subjected to degrading circus performances which give new meaning to the phrase “working for peanuts”. When Dumbo is guffawed at by the circus spectators, an irate Mrs. Jumbo loses her patience. She goes on a rampage, scaring clowns and stomping flats. The circus officials rush in with ropes and proceed to tie her down like Kunta Kinte being captured by the slave traders. The anguished mother is caged in solitary confinement, torn from her baby and abused as a “mad elephant”. Timothy Q. Mouse, a brassy rodent in a shiny marching bandleader’s uniform, empathizes with the elephant calf hiding pathetically under a mound of hay and offers to help him see his mother. Thus comes what is one of the most moving scenes in filmdom, animated or live-action: Dumbo being rocked in his mother’s trunk to the croon of “Baby Mine”, a love song/lullaby so tear-jerking that Michael Crawford included a rendition of it on his CD of his personal favorite Disney songs. Like all unfairly-accused victims locked up and tied down, saddled with the epithet “mad”, Mrs. Jumbo is simply exerting her opinion and her rights when she frantically tries to keep her son with her. Her ‘crime’ was an act of passion, that of a mother protecting her child. Human or elephant, the instinct to shield and defend is second nature to parents, and should be revered.
Dumbo Quotes
Mr. Stork: Oh, one moment, please. This is still part of the service. [blows tuning whistle] Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear...uh--dear... Dear me, what's his name?
Mrs. Jumbo: Jumbo...Junior.
Mr. Stork: Oh, Jumbo Jr. Right, Jumbo Jr. [blows whistle again] Happy birthday, dear Jumbo Jr., happy birthday...to-hooo-oooo...[he is suddenly snagged on the mail hook at the train station and yanked off the train)...you!
Mrs. Jumbo is perhaps the greatest mother in the history of animation. She wants nothing but to protect her son, who due to the unfortunate size of his ears, is subject to ridicule from just about everyone who sees him. She is utterly maternal, and her pride sometimes demands retaliation for this treatment, slamming the elephant-cage door in the faces of the snide circus elephants who jeer and gossip cattily. Like hard-working blue-collar humans, Mrs. Jumbo is made to perform menial tasks in order to provide for her son. She is subjected to degrading circus performances which give new meaning to the phrase “working for peanuts”. When Dumbo is guffawed at by the circus spectators, an irate Mrs. Jumbo loses her patience. She goes on a rampage, scaring clowns and stomping flats. The circus officials rush in with ropes and proceed to tie her down like Kunta Kinte being captured by the slave traders. The anguished mother is caged in solitary confinement, torn from her baby and abused as a “mad elephant”. Timothy Q. Mouse, a brassy rodent in a shiny marching bandleader’s uniform, empathizes with the elephant calf hiding pathetically under a mound of hay and offers to help him see his mother. Thus comes what is one of the most moving scenes in filmdom, animated or live-action: Dumbo being rocked in his mother’s trunk to the croon of “Baby Mine”, a love song/lullaby so tear-jerking that Michael Crawford included a rendition of it on his CD of his personal favorite Disney songs. Like all unfairly-accused victims locked up and tied down, saddled with the epithet “mad”, Mrs. Jumbo is simply exerting her opinion and her rights when she frantically tries to keep her son with her. Her ‘crime’ was an act of passion, that of a mother protecting her child. Human or elephant, the instinct to shield and defend is second nature to parents, and should be revered.
Dumbo Quotes
Mr. Stork: Oh, one moment, please. This is still part of the service. [blows tuning whistle] Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear...uh--dear... Dear me, what's his name?
Mrs. Jumbo: Jumbo...Junior.
Mr. Stork: Oh, Jumbo Jr. Right, Jumbo Jr. [blows whistle again] Happy birthday, dear Jumbo Jr., happy birthday...to-hooo-oooo...[he is suddenly snagged on the mail hook at the train station and yanked off the train)...you!
Rescuer: Miss Bianca (The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under)
Rescuer: Miss Bianca (The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under)
Name meaning: French, “White”
Miss Bianca, the Hungarian representative of the Rescue Aid Society is a sophisticated white mouse with a compassionate heart. Despite her elegant femininity, she is not afraid to get her paws dirty. She will arrive late to a meeting while hurriedly spritzing perfume, pack multiple, bulging suitcases with wardrobe changes (getting someone else to carry the load while she carries only a purse), refuse to fasten her seatbelt so that her dress won’t get wrinkled, yet she thinks nothing of running out of a fancy dinner for the sake of a mission and swapping lavender moiré and pearls for khaki shorts and hiking boots. She is a rodent bombshell straight out of Laren Stover’s Bombshell Manual of Style. She is soft-hearted, charming, and has a sense of humor about life—she is kind about Bernard’s triskaidekaphobia, makes friends with cats, kids, and ornery albatrosses alike, and loves the simple and the sophisticated in life equally. She finds adventure in plane flights and treks in the Australian outback. Bianca is the classiest of the Disney mice (can’t you just see her charming Roquefort from The Aristocats?), less saccharine than Minnie, and a hopeless romantic.
Miss Bianca Bites
Bianca: [watching Orville fly] Doesn't he fly beautifully?
Bianca: Well, after all, waking him up in the middle of the night. Wouldn't you be grumpy too?
Bianca: "I am... In a terrible... terrible trouble." Oh. Oh, dear. It's all watered out. "H-h-hurry! Help! Penny."
Bianca: Captain you fly beautifully. It's just like being on a roller scooter.
Bernard: He just went through a red light.
Bianca: I do that all the time, darling. Now come on, stop worrying.
Bernard: [about the seat belts] Miss Bianca, make sure it's fastened good and tight.
Bianca: I can't. It'll wrinkle my dress.
Bianca: Poor Evinrude. Your carburetor is all pooped out.
Bernard: [Climbing the steps to board Orville] …eleven, twelve...Oh no. There, there are thirteen steps on this ladder.
Bianca: [chuckles] Why don't you jump the last one?
Bianca: Oh, look! The little girl's treasures!
Miss Bianca: But you don't understand. A boy needs our help. He's in trouble!
Wilbur: Boy? You mean, little kid, kinda boy?
Miss Bianca: He was kidnapped!
Wilbur: Kidnapped? Oh! That-that's awful! Lockin' up a little kid. Kids should be free! Free to run wild through the house on Saturday mornings, free to have cookies and milk, and get those little white mustaches. You know -
[lividly]
Wilbur: Nobody's gonna take a kid's freedom away while I'm around! Nobody ain't! Hear me?
Miss Bianca: Does that mean you'll take us?
Wilbur: Storm or no storm, Albatross Airlines...[salutes] at your service!
Miss Bianca: I wasn't bluffing. You don't know Bernard like I do. He'll never give up.
Miss Bianca: Oh, Bernard. You are magnificent. You are absolutely hero of the day.
Bernard: Miss Bianca, before anything else happens...will you marry me?
Miss Bianca: Bernard! Of course I will!
Jake: Well done, mate.
Miss Bianca: No, just some khaki shorts and some hiking boots!
Name meaning: French, “White”
Miss Bianca, the Hungarian representative of the Rescue Aid Society is a sophisticated white mouse with a compassionate heart. Despite her elegant femininity, she is not afraid to get her paws dirty. She will arrive late to a meeting while hurriedly spritzing perfume, pack multiple, bulging suitcases with wardrobe changes (getting someone else to carry the load while she carries only a purse), refuse to fasten her seatbelt so that her dress won’t get wrinkled, yet she thinks nothing of running out of a fancy dinner for the sake of a mission and swapping lavender moiré and pearls for khaki shorts and hiking boots. She is a rodent bombshell straight out of Laren Stover’s Bombshell Manual of Style. She is soft-hearted, charming, and has a sense of humor about life—she is kind about Bernard’s triskaidekaphobia, makes friends with cats, kids, and ornery albatrosses alike, and loves the simple and the sophisticated in life equally. She finds adventure in plane flights and treks in the Australian outback. Bianca is the classiest of the Disney mice (can’t you just see her charming Roquefort from The Aristocats?), less saccharine than Minnie, and a hopeless romantic.
Miss Bianca Bites
Bianca: [watching Orville fly] Doesn't he fly beautifully?
Bianca: Well, after all, waking him up in the middle of the night. Wouldn't you be grumpy too?
Bianca: "I am... In a terrible... terrible trouble." Oh. Oh, dear. It's all watered out. "H-h-hurry! Help! Penny."
Bianca: Captain you fly beautifully. It's just like being on a roller scooter.
Bernard: He just went through a red light.
Bianca: I do that all the time, darling. Now come on, stop worrying.
Bernard: [about the seat belts] Miss Bianca, make sure it's fastened good and tight.
Bianca: I can't. It'll wrinkle my dress.
Bianca: Poor Evinrude. Your carburetor is all pooped out.
Bernard: [Climbing the steps to board Orville] …eleven, twelve...Oh no. There, there are thirteen steps on this ladder.
Bianca: [chuckles] Why don't you jump the last one?
Bianca: Oh, look! The little girl's treasures!
Miss Bianca: But you don't understand. A boy needs our help. He's in trouble!
Wilbur: Boy? You mean, little kid, kinda boy?
Miss Bianca: He was kidnapped!
Wilbur: Kidnapped? Oh! That-that's awful! Lockin' up a little kid. Kids should be free! Free to run wild through the house on Saturday mornings, free to have cookies and milk, and get those little white mustaches. You know -
[lividly]
Wilbur: Nobody's gonna take a kid's freedom away while I'm around! Nobody ain't! Hear me?
Miss Bianca: Does that mean you'll take us?
Wilbur: Storm or no storm, Albatross Airlines...[salutes] at your service!
Miss Bianca: I wasn't bluffing. You don't know Bernard like I do. He'll never give up.
Miss Bianca: Oh, Bernard. You are magnificent. You are absolutely hero of the day.
Bernard: Miss Bianca, before anything else happens...will you marry me?
Miss Bianca: Bernard! Of course I will!
Jake: Well done, mate.
Miss Bianca: No, just some khaki shorts and some hiking boots!
A High-Born Lady of Quality: Maid Marian (Robin Hood)
A High-Born Lady of Quality: Maid Marian (Robin Hood)
Name meaning: Variant of Mary Ann. Mary: “Bitter Sorrow”, Ann: “Grace”
Maid Marian, the niece of the neurotic Prince John, is an utter romantic. She has had a crush on Robin Hood since childhood, when they pledged their troth as kids, carving a heart with their initials on a tree in the courtyard. She keeps his wanted poster tacked to the inside of her wardrobe. She is loyal and unconcerned with wealth, unlike her uncle. She likes children, inviting Skippy, his sisters, and Toby Turtle inside when they sneak in to retrieve a mis-fired arrow, and together they act out Robin Hood, with Marian’s handmaiden Lady Cluck playing Prince John in all his comic, ear-tugging, thumb-sucking glory, albeit with a Scottish accent. She recognizes Robin at the archery contest, despite his stork costume, and when he is unmasked she begs Prince John to spare him. Her faith in him is so that he takes a childlike delight, unconcerned, in the ensuing antics of the guards battling Robin and Little John, Lady Cluck body-slamming the rhinos, she herself pitching pies like a Keystone Kop. As he engages in Errol Flynn-esque swordplay, kicking the guards away, they make plans to honeymoon in Spain and have six-plus children (“Six? Oh, a dozen, at least!”) The Merry Men escape into Sherwood Forest, where they put on a sock-puppet play proclaiming Prince John “The Phony King of England”. They dance around the bonfire, the ale flowing, the merriment ensuing. Robin and Marian slip away, Robin showing her the secret passage behind the waterfall and slipping a ring made out of a water lily onto her finger. They embrace in the moonlight. The final scene (the battle between Robin, Prince John and the Sherriff of Nottingham to be discussed on Robin’s page) is Robin and Marian’s wedding, Marian in white lace, Robin in a green jerkin, the church mice throwing rice, the residents of Nottingham cheering. The honeymoon carriage is draped with a “just married” banner, with a heart pierced by Skippy’s celebratory arrow. And King Richard, as he tells Friar Tuck, now has “an outlaw for an in-law.”
Maid Marian quotes
Clucky: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Marian: Or forgetful.
Prince John: I sentence you to sudden, instant, and even immediate death!
Marian: Oh, no. Please. Please, sire. I beg of you to spare his life. Please have mercy.
Prince John: My dear, emotional lady, why should I?
Marian: Because I love him,Your Highness.
Prince John: Love him? And does this prisoner return your love?
Robin Hood: Marian, my darling, I love you more than life itself.
Marian: Oh, he's probably forgotten all about me.
Skippy: Oh, not Robin Hood! I bet he'll storm the castle one day, fight the guards, rescue ya, and drag you off to Sherwood Forest.
Robin Hood: [after just swinging her to safety, he kneels and takes her hand] Marian, my love, will you marry me?
Marian: Oh, of course! [Moves behind Robin Hood so he can continue to fight the Sherriff's men] And you couldn't have chosen a more romantic setting!
Robin Hood: For our honeymoon: London! Paris!
Marian: Yes!
Robin Hood: Sunny Spain?
Marian: [laughs] Why not?
Marian: Oh, Clucky, surely he must know how much I really love him.
Clucky: But of course, my dear. Believe me, someday soon, your Uncle King Richard will have an outlaw for an in-law!
Name meaning: Variant of Mary Ann. Mary: “Bitter Sorrow”, Ann: “Grace”
Maid Marian, the niece of the neurotic Prince John, is an utter romantic. She has had a crush on Robin Hood since childhood, when they pledged their troth as kids, carving a heart with their initials on a tree in the courtyard. She keeps his wanted poster tacked to the inside of her wardrobe. She is loyal and unconcerned with wealth, unlike her uncle. She likes children, inviting Skippy, his sisters, and Toby Turtle inside when they sneak in to retrieve a mis-fired arrow, and together they act out Robin Hood, with Marian’s handmaiden Lady Cluck playing Prince John in all his comic, ear-tugging, thumb-sucking glory, albeit with a Scottish accent. She recognizes Robin at the archery contest, despite his stork costume, and when he is unmasked she begs Prince John to spare him. Her faith in him is so that he takes a childlike delight, unconcerned, in the ensuing antics of the guards battling Robin and Little John, Lady Cluck body-slamming the rhinos, she herself pitching pies like a Keystone Kop. As he engages in Errol Flynn-esque swordplay, kicking the guards away, they make plans to honeymoon in Spain and have six-plus children (“Six? Oh, a dozen, at least!”) The Merry Men escape into Sherwood Forest, where they put on a sock-puppet play proclaiming Prince John “The Phony King of England”. They dance around the bonfire, the ale flowing, the merriment ensuing. Robin and Marian slip away, Robin showing her the secret passage behind the waterfall and slipping a ring made out of a water lily onto her finger. They embrace in the moonlight. The final scene (the battle between Robin, Prince John and the Sherriff of Nottingham to be discussed on Robin’s page) is Robin and Marian’s wedding, Marian in white lace, Robin in a green jerkin, the church mice throwing rice, the residents of Nottingham cheering. The honeymoon carriage is draped with a “just married” banner, with a heart pierced by Skippy’s celebratory arrow. And King Richard, as he tells Friar Tuck, now has “an outlaw for an in-law.”
Maid Marian quotes
Clucky: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Marian: Or forgetful.
Prince John: I sentence you to sudden, instant, and even immediate death!
Marian: Oh, no. Please. Please, sire. I beg of you to spare his life. Please have mercy.
Prince John: My dear, emotional lady, why should I?
Marian: Because I love him,Your Highness.
Prince John: Love him? And does this prisoner return your love?
Robin Hood: Marian, my darling, I love you more than life itself.
Marian: Oh, he's probably forgotten all about me.
Skippy: Oh, not Robin Hood! I bet he'll storm the castle one day, fight the guards, rescue ya, and drag you off to Sherwood Forest.
Robin Hood: [after just swinging her to safety, he kneels and takes her hand] Marian, my love, will you marry me?
Marian: Oh, of course! [Moves behind Robin Hood so he can continue to fight the Sherriff's men] And you couldn't have chosen a more romantic setting!
Robin Hood: For our honeymoon: London! Paris!
Marian: Yes!
Robin Hood: Sunny Spain?
Marian: [laughs] Why not?
Marian: Oh, Clucky, surely he must know how much I really love him.
Clucky: But of course, my dear. Believe me, someday soon, your Uncle King Richard will have an outlaw for an in-law!
Perfectly Beautiful Little: Lady (Lady and the Tramp)
Perfectly Beautiful Little: Lady (Lady and the Tramp)
Name meaning: English, "A woman of high culture."
Lady, the pretty cocker spaniel of Jim Dear and Darling’s, is a naïve yet classy canine. Living in turn-of-the-century America, Lady was adopted by Jim Dear and given to Darling for a Christmas present, in a beribboned hatbox. Lady is befriended by the neighborhood dogs: Jock, whose real name in Heather Lad O’Glen Cairn, a blue-ribbon Scottish terrier and speaks with a brogue, Trusty, a bloodhound who is blissfully unaware of the fact that, tragically, he has lost his sense of smell: “'Tis time you knew the truth, lassie. It shouldn't have happened to a dog, but... well, Trusty has lost his sense of smell…Aye, but we must never let on that we know, lassie. It would break his poor heart.”
Lady receives her first collar with license for her first birthday, a canine rite of passage. Soon after, she is puzzled by the strange behavior of her humans. The reason: Darling is pregnant. As Darling goes through quirky cravings (chop suey and watermelon), picking out baby names, and knitting a layette, Lady is puzzled by all these changes. To make matters worse, Jim Dear’s Aunt Sarah moves in to help keep house, and brings along her mischevious Siamese cats, Si and Am, who proceed to shred the curtains, break a vase, scoop the goldfish out of its bowl, and blame it all on Lady. Outraged, Aunt Sarah outfits Lady with a muzzle. Terrified by this treatment, Lady flees and is met by Tramp, who takes her to the zoo and cons a beaver into removing the muzzle by telling him it is a log-puller, and it’s free. Tramp takes Lady out for a night on the town, explaining his method of procuring free meals, at a different house every night like Henry Miller; culminating in a spaghetti dinner for two at Tony’s, where they are serenaded by chef and sous-chef. The next scene is unquestionably the most romantic scene in all of animated filmdom: To the strains of “Bella Note”, as sung by Tony on the mandolin and Joe with an accordion, Tramp offers Lady the last meatball, and the pasta comes out in a single long strand. They meet in the middle and kiss. They go for a moonlit stroll where Tramp tries to convince Lady to leave her owners and live ‘footloose and fancy free’ as he does. But Lady’s loyalty is too strong. Like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she knows that duty is more important than love. Lady is caught by the dogcatcher. At the pound, she meets a band of strays who, despite their matted fur and collarless condition, they are kind-hearted and try to make her feel at home. However, she overhears their gossip: they fill her in on Tramp who, unbeknownst to her, has a reputation as a hound, pun intended:
Boris: Ah, but remember, my friends. Even Tramp has his Achilles heel.
Pedro: Pardon me, amigo. What is this chili deal?
Boris: Achilles heel, Pedro. This is meaning his, uh, weaknesses.
Toughy: Oh! Oh, the dames. Yeah.
Bulldog: He has an eye for a well-turned paw, he has. Let's see, there's been Lulu...
Toughy: Yeah, and Trixie...
Dachsie: Und Fifi...
Pedro: And my sister, Rosita Chiquita Juanita Chihuahua. I think.
When Lady is released from the pound, she is chained to her doghouse, depressed. When Tramp comes by to see how she’s doing, she tells him off. He betrayed her. Jock and Trusty back her up, berating him for hurting Lady. Tramp leaves, dejected, tail literally between his legs. As he walks away, a sinister black rat sneaks into the yard and dashes in the house. Lady strains her lead and barks wildly for help. Tramp comes to her aid, goes in after the rat, and fights with it, the battle reflected in shadow on the nursery wall. Aunt Sarah hears the scuffle and rushes in. The dead rat is hidden. She assumes Tramp was attacking the baby, and furiously shuts him into the basement while she calls the pound. When Jock and Trusty find out what really happened, they attempt to head off the carriage from the pound, coming to take Tramp away. In the confusion, Jock scares the horses, causing the driver to lose control of the reins, and the carriage crashes, collapsing on Trusty. All seems lost, then we hear a soft whimper—Trusty’s still alive. Jim Dear and Darling arrive home in the confusion. Lady leads them into the house. Despite Aunt Sarah’s warnings, they know Lady and Tramp would never hurt the baby. The rat is discovered, and Tramp is forbidden. Sometime later, Jock and Trusty arrive at Lady’s house, skidding on the ice, Jock in a new plaid sweater, Trusty with his broken leg bandaged, for the family Christmas party. Tramp is there, bedecked in a new collar and license, a member of the family. This year, instead of a hatbox, a carton of puppies sits under the tree—three miniature Ladys and a Tramp lookalike who, true to form, is busy unraveling Jock’s new sweater.
Lady Language
Lady: What's a baby?
Jock: Well, they...they resemble humans.
Trusty: But I'd say a mite smaller.
Jock: Aye, and they walk on all fours.
Trusty: And if I remember correctly...they beller a lot.
Jock: And they're very expensive. You'll not be permitted to play with it.
Trusty: But they're mighty sweet.
Jock: And very, very soft.
Tramp: Just a cute little bundle...of trouble!
Beaver: Gotta get this log movin', sonny. Gotta get it moving. Think the cuttin' takes the time? It's the doggone haulin'.
Tramp: [sees the loop at the end of Lady's leash] The hauling! [Sees the large bit of branch on the log] Exactly! [To the Beaver] Now, what you need is...
Beaver: [regarding the log] I'd better bisect this section here. [Starts chewing]
Tramp: What you need is a log puller. I SAID A LOG PULLER!
Beaver: I ain't deef, sonny. There's no need to…Did you say log puller?
Tramp: And by a lucky coincidence, you see before you, modeled by the lovely little lady, the new, improved, patented, handy-dandy, never-fail little giant log puller. The busy beaver's friend.
Beaver: You don't say?
Tramp: Guaranteed not to tear, wear, rip or ravel. Turn around, sister, and show the customer the merchandise. And it cuts log-hauling time sixty-six percent!
Beaver: Sixty-six percent, eh? Think of that! Well, how's it work?
Tramp: Why, it's no work at all. You merely slip the ring over the limb like this, and haul it off.
Beaver: Say, you mind if I try it on for size?
Tramp: Help yourself, help yourself.
Beaver: Okay, don't mind if I do. [Pulls on the muzzle] How do you get the consarned thing off, sonny?
Tramp Glad you brought that up, friend. Glad you brought that up. To remove it, simply place the strap between your teeth...
Beaver: Like this?
Tramp: Kee-rect, friend. Now bite hard.
(The beaver bites the strap hard and removes the muzzle from Lady)
Tramp: You see?
Lady: It's off!
Beaver: [holding the muzzle] Say, that is simple.
Tramp: [preparing to leave] Well, friend, we'll be on our way now, so...
Beaver: Uh-uh-uh! Not so fast, sonny. [Puts on the muzzle] I'll have to make certain it's satisfactory before we settle on a price.
Tramp: Oh, no. It's all yours, friend. You can keep it.
Beaver: I can, eh? [Excitedly] I can?
Lady: Uh-huh. It's a free sample.
Beaver: [very pleased] Well, thanks a lot. Thanks ever so… [He slips and falls, dragging the log along; they land in the pond, where the log fits neatly over the dam spillway] Say! It works swell!
Lady: Haven't you a family?
Tramp: One for every day of the week. The point is, none of them have me. Now take the Schultzes here. Little Fritzy--that's me, Pige - makes this his Monday home.
Lady: Monday home?
Tramp: [German accent] Ach, ja! Mondays is Mama Schultz cooking der wiener schnitzel. Mmm-mmm. Delicious. [Irish accent] Now, O'Brien's here is where little Mike--sure, that's me again, Pige-Comes ev'ry Tuesday.
Lady: Ev'ry Tuesday?
Tramp: Begorra, and that's when they're having their darlin' corned beef. You see, Pige, when you're foot loose and collar-free, well, you take nothing but the best.
This movie is one of my all-time favorites. I have loved it since childhood—I even had a stuffed Lady and Tramp. Trusty’s accident gave me nightmares for years—the look on his face when he is laying in the street is heart-wrenchingly sad. Interestingly enough, it is also a favorite of the great Paul McCartney, particularly another of my favorite scenes—the beaver with the log-puller.
Name meaning: English, "A woman of high culture."
Lady, the pretty cocker spaniel of Jim Dear and Darling’s, is a naïve yet classy canine. Living in turn-of-the-century America, Lady was adopted by Jim Dear and given to Darling for a Christmas present, in a beribboned hatbox. Lady is befriended by the neighborhood dogs: Jock, whose real name in Heather Lad O’Glen Cairn, a blue-ribbon Scottish terrier and speaks with a brogue, Trusty, a bloodhound who is blissfully unaware of the fact that, tragically, he has lost his sense of smell: “'Tis time you knew the truth, lassie. It shouldn't have happened to a dog, but... well, Trusty has lost his sense of smell…Aye, but we must never let on that we know, lassie. It would break his poor heart.”
Lady receives her first collar with license for her first birthday, a canine rite of passage. Soon after, she is puzzled by the strange behavior of her humans. The reason: Darling is pregnant. As Darling goes through quirky cravings (chop suey and watermelon), picking out baby names, and knitting a layette, Lady is puzzled by all these changes. To make matters worse, Jim Dear’s Aunt Sarah moves in to help keep house, and brings along her mischevious Siamese cats, Si and Am, who proceed to shred the curtains, break a vase, scoop the goldfish out of its bowl, and blame it all on Lady. Outraged, Aunt Sarah outfits Lady with a muzzle. Terrified by this treatment, Lady flees and is met by Tramp, who takes her to the zoo and cons a beaver into removing the muzzle by telling him it is a log-puller, and it’s free. Tramp takes Lady out for a night on the town, explaining his method of procuring free meals, at a different house every night like Henry Miller; culminating in a spaghetti dinner for two at Tony’s, where they are serenaded by chef and sous-chef. The next scene is unquestionably the most romantic scene in all of animated filmdom: To the strains of “Bella Note”, as sung by Tony on the mandolin and Joe with an accordion, Tramp offers Lady the last meatball, and the pasta comes out in a single long strand. They meet in the middle and kiss. They go for a moonlit stroll where Tramp tries to convince Lady to leave her owners and live ‘footloose and fancy free’ as he does. But Lady’s loyalty is too strong. Like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, she knows that duty is more important than love. Lady is caught by the dogcatcher. At the pound, she meets a band of strays who, despite their matted fur and collarless condition, they are kind-hearted and try to make her feel at home. However, she overhears their gossip: they fill her in on Tramp who, unbeknownst to her, has a reputation as a hound, pun intended:
Boris: Ah, but remember, my friends. Even Tramp has his Achilles heel.
Pedro: Pardon me, amigo. What is this chili deal?
Boris: Achilles heel, Pedro. This is meaning his, uh, weaknesses.
Toughy: Oh! Oh, the dames. Yeah.
Bulldog: He has an eye for a well-turned paw, he has. Let's see, there's been Lulu...
Toughy: Yeah, and Trixie...
Dachsie: Und Fifi...
Pedro: And my sister, Rosita Chiquita Juanita Chihuahua. I think.
When Lady is released from the pound, she is chained to her doghouse, depressed. When Tramp comes by to see how she’s doing, she tells him off. He betrayed her. Jock and Trusty back her up, berating him for hurting Lady. Tramp leaves, dejected, tail literally between his legs. As he walks away, a sinister black rat sneaks into the yard and dashes in the house. Lady strains her lead and barks wildly for help. Tramp comes to her aid, goes in after the rat, and fights with it, the battle reflected in shadow on the nursery wall. Aunt Sarah hears the scuffle and rushes in. The dead rat is hidden. She assumes Tramp was attacking the baby, and furiously shuts him into the basement while she calls the pound. When Jock and Trusty find out what really happened, they attempt to head off the carriage from the pound, coming to take Tramp away. In the confusion, Jock scares the horses, causing the driver to lose control of the reins, and the carriage crashes, collapsing on Trusty. All seems lost, then we hear a soft whimper—Trusty’s still alive. Jim Dear and Darling arrive home in the confusion. Lady leads them into the house. Despite Aunt Sarah’s warnings, they know Lady and Tramp would never hurt the baby. The rat is discovered, and Tramp is forbidden. Sometime later, Jock and Trusty arrive at Lady’s house, skidding on the ice, Jock in a new plaid sweater, Trusty with his broken leg bandaged, for the family Christmas party. Tramp is there, bedecked in a new collar and license, a member of the family. This year, instead of a hatbox, a carton of puppies sits under the tree—three miniature Ladys and a Tramp lookalike who, true to form, is busy unraveling Jock’s new sweater.
Lady Language
Lady: What's a baby?
Jock: Well, they...they resemble humans.
Trusty: But I'd say a mite smaller.
Jock: Aye, and they walk on all fours.
Trusty: And if I remember correctly...they beller a lot.
Jock: And they're very expensive. You'll not be permitted to play with it.
Trusty: But they're mighty sweet.
Jock: And very, very soft.
Tramp: Just a cute little bundle...of trouble!
Beaver: Gotta get this log movin', sonny. Gotta get it moving. Think the cuttin' takes the time? It's the doggone haulin'.
Tramp: [sees the loop at the end of Lady's leash] The hauling! [Sees the large bit of branch on the log] Exactly! [To the Beaver] Now, what you need is...
Beaver: [regarding the log] I'd better bisect this section here. [Starts chewing]
Tramp: What you need is a log puller. I SAID A LOG PULLER!
Beaver: I ain't deef, sonny. There's no need to…Did you say log puller?
Tramp: And by a lucky coincidence, you see before you, modeled by the lovely little lady, the new, improved, patented, handy-dandy, never-fail little giant log puller. The busy beaver's friend.
Beaver: You don't say?
Tramp: Guaranteed not to tear, wear, rip or ravel. Turn around, sister, and show the customer the merchandise. And it cuts log-hauling time sixty-six percent!
Beaver: Sixty-six percent, eh? Think of that! Well, how's it work?
Tramp: Why, it's no work at all. You merely slip the ring over the limb like this, and haul it off.
Beaver: Say, you mind if I try it on for size?
Tramp: Help yourself, help yourself.
Beaver: Okay, don't mind if I do. [Pulls on the muzzle] How do you get the consarned thing off, sonny?
Tramp Glad you brought that up, friend. Glad you brought that up. To remove it, simply place the strap between your teeth...
Beaver: Like this?
Tramp: Kee-rect, friend. Now bite hard.
(The beaver bites the strap hard and removes the muzzle from Lady)
Tramp: You see?
Lady: It's off!
Beaver: [holding the muzzle] Say, that is simple.
Tramp: [preparing to leave] Well, friend, we'll be on our way now, so...
Beaver: Uh-uh-uh! Not so fast, sonny. [Puts on the muzzle] I'll have to make certain it's satisfactory before we settle on a price.
Tramp: Oh, no. It's all yours, friend. You can keep it.
Beaver: I can, eh? [Excitedly] I can?
Lady: Uh-huh. It's a free sample.
Beaver: [very pleased] Well, thanks a lot. Thanks ever so… [He slips and falls, dragging the log along; they land in the pond, where the log fits neatly over the dam spillway] Say! It works swell!
Lady: Haven't you a family?
Tramp: One for every day of the week. The point is, none of them have me. Now take the Schultzes here. Little Fritzy--that's me, Pige - makes this his Monday home.
Lady: Monday home?
Tramp: [German accent] Ach, ja! Mondays is Mama Schultz cooking der wiener schnitzel. Mmm-mmm. Delicious. [Irish accent] Now, O'Brien's here is where little Mike--sure, that's me again, Pige-Comes ev'ry Tuesday.
Lady: Ev'ry Tuesday?
Tramp: Begorra, and that's when they're having their darlin' corned beef. You see, Pige, when you're foot loose and collar-free, well, you take nothing but the best.
This movie is one of my all-time favorites. I have loved it since childhood—I even had a stuffed Lady and Tramp. Trusty’s accident gave me nightmares for years—the look on his face when he is laying in the street is heart-wrenchingly sad. Interestingly enough, it is also a favorite of the great Paul McCartney, particularly another of my favorite scenes—the beaver with the log-puller.
Lead Dog: Jenna (Balto)
Lead Dog: Jenna (Balto)
Name meaning: Variant of ‘Jennifer’: Welsh, “White”
Jenna, the dog-next-door heroine of Balto, is first and foremost an optimist. She is caring, and values honesty and loyalty over the pretty-boy sultriness of the arrogant husky Steele. She adores her human family, and eagerly plays sled dog to her owner Rosie. When Rosie comes down with diphtheria, she is worried, spying on the humans in the infirmary through a secret passage Balto shows her. The outcast husky-wolf mix lifts her spirits by reminding her that beauty exists in unlikely places, if you look at things differently. By positioning colorful shards of broken glass, he produces a facsimile of the Northern lights. Jenna knows that Balto is misunderstood, kind-hearted and creative. She believes in him, and that he will retrieve the antitoxin in time. She gives him her red bandana for luck—after all, a knight never rides into battle without a trinket of his lady love’s.
Jenna Quotes
Jenna: Steele's lying. Balto's alive. He's coming home.
Balto: See this? It's the Polar Ice Caps?
Jenna: Balto, those are broken bottles, and they're not half-empty, they're all empty.
Balto: The sun, and to the north
Jenna: Oh, Balto. It's beautiful.
Balto: Yeah, beautiful.
Jenna: What? Polar bears who can't *swim*?
Jenna: Steele, stop being such a glory-hound!
Jenna: Is that a new collar, Dixie?
Dixie: What, this old thing? Nah. Do you think Steele will notice?
Jenna: The only way Steele notices anyone is if they're wearing a mirror.
Jenna: Steele, it doesn't matter who's on the team, as long as the medicine gets through.
Name meaning: Variant of ‘Jennifer’: Welsh, “White”
Jenna, the dog-next-door heroine of Balto, is first and foremost an optimist. She is caring, and values honesty and loyalty over the pretty-boy sultriness of the arrogant husky Steele. She adores her human family, and eagerly plays sled dog to her owner Rosie. When Rosie comes down with diphtheria, she is worried, spying on the humans in the infirmary through a secret passage Balto shows her. The outcast husky-wolf mix lifts her spirits by reminding her that beauty exists in unlikely places, if you look at things differently. By positioning colorful shards of broken glass, he produces a facsimile of the Northern lights. Jenna knows that Balto is misunderstood, kind-hearted and creative. She believes in him, and that he will retrieve the antitoxin in time. She gives him her red bandana for luck—after all, a knight never rides into battle without a trinket of his lady love’s.
Jenna Quotes
Jenna: Steele's lying. Balto's alive. He's coming home.
Balto: See this? It's the Polar Ice Caps?
Jenna: Balto, those are broken bottles, and they're not half-empty, they're all empty.
Balto: The sun, and to the north
Jenna: Oh, Balto. It's beautiful.
Balto: Yeah, beautiful.
Jenna: What? Polar bears who can't *swim*?
Jenna: Steele, stop being such a glory-hound!
Jenna: Is that a new collar, Dixie?
Dixie: What, this old thing? Nah. Do you think Steele will notice?
Jenna: The only way Steele notices anyone is if they're wearing a mirror.
Jenna: Steele, it doesn't matter who's on the team, as long as the medicine gets through.
It’s All So Magical: Jasmine (Aladdin)
It’s All So Magical: Jasmine (Aladdin)
Name meaning: Persian, “Flower”
Jasmine is my second-favorite Disney princess (the first being Ariel) and is, in my opinion, the prettiest. I love her sleek, flowing hair, her big eyes, (“She’s got these eyes that just…and her hair, wow…”) her jewel-toned outfits (though my favorite is the red harem girl ensemble), her elegance. Jasmine is a self-possessed woman with definite opinions and no qualms about airing them. She scoffs at Prince Ali’s showy procession, refuses Jafar’s smarmy advances, and sends Prince Achmed off missing a big chunk of his pants (inadvertently displaying his heart-print undies) courtesy of her Bengal tiger Rajah. She can pole vault rooftops at a single attempt, indeed being “a fast learner.” She may have been naïve in the Marketplace, but she is savvy, a good judge of character, which, if you ask the Sultan, runs in the family. She can tell immediately that Aladdin is trustworthy, just as she could tell when he lied. She is headstrong, independent, and yearns for adventure, bored with the routine protocol and binding laws of palace life. She loves to travel and is a romantic, dreamy and unwilling to marry anyone she doesn’t love. Like Elizabeth Bennet, she is “determined that nothing but the deepest love should induce (her) into matrimony.” She is adventurous and kind, befriending beggars and strangers. She is willing to fight for what she believes in—and can she fight! In one episode she is held captive by a band of Xena-esque female warriors, and learns their skills to perfection, using them to outwit and defeat them. She’s a pretty good actress, too. She and Aladdin are a perfect match. They share a compassion for adventures and people, selflessly coming to their aid. Jasmine’s largesse and grace inspires him and enables Aladdin to live well, instead of “scraping for food and ducking the guards”. They each long for a soul mate who will accept them for themselves alone—he wants someone who can see “there’s so much more to me”, that he’s not just a street rat, and she is looking for someone who doesn’t love her for her looks, money, or position, who would love her if she was a street rat.
Princess Jasmine: [to Jafar] At least some good will come of my being forced to marry. When I am Queen, I will have the power to get rid of *you*.
Princess Jasmine: Let him go.
Razoul: Looky here, men. A street *mouse*. [throws her down]
Princess Jasmine: Unhand him, [pulls off the hood of her cloak] by order of the Princess.
Razoul: Princess Jasmine.
Aladdin: The Princess?
Razoul: What are you doing outside the palace? And with this street rat?
Princess Jasmine: That's not your concern. Do as I command. Release him.
Razoul: Well, I would, Princess, except my orders come from Jafar. You'll have to take it up with him.
Princess Jasmine: Believe me, I will.
Princess Jasmine: Please, try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own. I've never had any real friends.
[Rajah grumbles]
Princess Jasmine: Except you, Rajah. I've never even been outside the palace walls.
Sultan: But, Jasmine, you're a princess.
Princess Jasmine: Then maybe I don't wanna be a princess anymore.
Princess Jasmine: How dare you? All of you! Standing around deciding my future. I am not a prize to be won!
Princess Jasmine: Oh, father. Rajah was just playing with him. Weren't you, Rajah? You were just playing with that over-dressed, self-absorbed Prince Achmed, weren't you?
Princess Jasmine: It all so magical.
Aladdin: Well, a prince walking around the marketplace? Sounds a little strange, doesn't it?
Princess Jasmine: Not that strange.
Man in market: She said she knew the sultan.
Aladdin: She thinks the monkey is the sultan.
Princess Jasmine: [bowing to Abu] Oh, wise sultan, how may I serve you?
Name meaning: Persian, “Flower”
Jasmine is my second-favorite Disney princess (the first being Ariel) and is, in my opinion, the prettiest. I love her sleek, flowing hair, her big eyes, (“She’s got these eyes that just…and her hair, wow…”) her jewel-toned outfits (though my favorite is the red harem girl ensemble), her elegance. Jasmine is a self-possessed woman with definite opinions and no qualms about airing them. She scoffs at Prince Ali’s showy procession, refuses Jafar’s smarmy advances, and sends Prince Achmed off missing a big chunk of his pants (inadvertently displaying his heart-print undies) courtesy of her Bengal tiger Rajah. She can pole vault rooftops at a single attempt, indeed being “a fast learner.” She may have been naïve in the Marketplace, but she is savvy, a good judge of character, which, if you ask the Sultan, runs in the family. She can tell immediately that Aladdin is trustworthy, just as she could tell when he lied. She is headstrong, independent, and yearns for adventure, bored with the routine protocol and binding laws of palace life. She loves to travel and is a romantic, dreamy and unwilling to marry anyone she doesn’t love. Like Elizabeth Bennet, she is “determined that nothing but the deepest love should induce (her) into matrimony.” She is adventurous and kind, befriending beggars and strangers. She is willing to fight for what she believes in—and can she fight! In one episode she is held captive by a band of Xena-esque female warriors, and learns their skills to perfection, using them to outwit and defeat them. She’s a pretty good actress, too. She and Aladdin are a perfect match. They share a compassion for adventures and people, selflessly coming to their aid. Jasmine’s largesse and grace inspires him and enables Aladdin to live well, instead of “scraping for food and ducking the guards”. They each long for a soul mate who will accept them for themselves alone—he wants someone who can see “there’s so much more to me”, that he’s not just a street rat, and she is looking for someone who doesn’t love her for her looks, money, or position, who would love her if she was a street rat.
Princess Jasmine: [to Jafar] At least some good will come of my being forced to marry. When I am Queen, I will have the power to get rid of *you*.
Princess Jasmine: Let him go.
Razoul: Looky here, men. A street *mouse*. [throws her down]
Princess Jasmine: Unhand him, [pulls off the hood of her cloak] by order of the Princess.
Razoul: Princess Jasmine.
Aladdin: The Princess?
Razoul: What are you doing outside the palace? And with this street rat?
Princess Jasmine: That's not your concern. Do as I command. Release him.
Razoul: Well, I would, Princess, except my orders come from Jafar. You'll have to take it up with him.
Princess Jasmine: Believe me, I will.
Princess Jasmine: Please, try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own. I've never had any real friends.
[Rajah grumbles]
Princess Jasmine: Except you, Rajah. I've never even been outside the palace walls.
Sultan: But, Jasmine, you're a princess.
Princess Jasmine: Then maybe I don't wanna be a princess anymore.
Princess Jasmine: How dare you? All of you! Standing around deciding my future. I am not a prize to be won!
Princess Jasmine: Oh, father. Rajah was just playing with him. Weren't you, Rajah? You were just playing with that over-dressed, self-absorbed Prince Achmed, weren't you?
Princess Jasmine: It all so magical.
Aladdin: Well, a prince walking around the marketplace? Sounds a little strange, doesn't it?
Princess Jasmine: Not that strange.
Man in market: She said she knew the sultan.
Aladdin: She thinks the monkey is the sultan.
Princess Jasmine: [bowing to Abu] Oh, wise sultan, how may I serve you?
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