Live-Action 'Lady and the Tramp' Reboot to Revamp Controversial Song From Original Movie
The upcoming live-action reboot of "Lady and the Tramp" won't include a controversial song from the 1955 original.
Disney is bringing in Janelle Monáe's artist collective Wondaland to "reinvent" the "Siamese Cat Song," according to Variety. The original tune featured the characters duo Si and Am singing the lyrics, "We are Siamese if you please / We are Siamese if you don’t please." The song has long been criticized for its offensive Asian stereotypes.
In the new movie, the two characters are not Siamese cats. Wondaland contributors Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur are working on "a different take for the pair." The Wondaland collective may also retool the song "He's a Tramp."
Monáe is set to contribute two original songs for the soundtrack, as well as voicing Peg, the wise-cracking friend of Lady (Tessa Thompson). Disney says while the film is set in 1910 with a blues-ragtime vibe, "Monae’s personal sound will be represented."
"Lady and the Tramp" will premiere on Disney+ after the streaming service launches this fall.