When I watched “Lady and the Tramp” as a child, nothing scared me more than the Siamese cats. They’re diabolical little sneaks, who trick their owner into thinking poor Lady has attacked them and wreaked havoc on the house. While spreading their chaos, they sing the most annoyingly catchy song Disney ever created: “The Siamese Cat Song.” Most Americans, whether born before or after the film came out in 1955, should recognize the chorus: “We are Siamese if you please/ We are Siamese if you don't please.” The cats speak in broken English — “We are former residents of Siam/ There are no finer cat than I am” — and are drawn with exaggerated Asian stereotypes, including squinty eyes. It's annoying with a side of distasteful. The song and the cats’ illustration don’t quite add up to Mickey Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany's,” but it's easy enough to see why Disney scrapped the song from its upcoming live-action remake . Still, it’s a little odd that in addition to having rhythm and blues singer Janelle Monáe create new music for the film, Disney will also change the characters so they’re no longer Siamese cats. An insider told Variety the cats would appear in the remake as something else. But would it really be so hard just to have some nonracist Siamese cats? Apparently, Disney is too afraid of controversy to test out a less overtly stereotypical iteration of the iconic duo. Will they try another type of cat, maybe Burmese? Wait, that could be offensive. A Bengal cat? No, no. A Persian cat? Oh, dear. Representing any race, whether in cartoon cat form or not, has its risks. But that doesn’t mean Disney has to forget it ever created a storyline around Siamese cats. Disney shouldn’t be so scandalized by its own past that it has to scrub away all memory of its problematic characters. It would be more progressive to do in the remake what Disney should’ve done in 1955: represent Southeast Asia without descending into ridiculous caricatures.<doc-sep>Disney is to drop the Siamese cat characters from its forthcoming remake of Lady and the Tramp and revamp their infamous song, The Siamese Cat Song. This follows previous decisions to delete and edit controversial content from their Disney Plus streaming site, such as the 1946 film Song of the South and the Jim Crow scene in Dumbo (1941). According to Variety, Janelle Monáe has been commissioned to produce two new songs for the film’s soundtrack, as well as take a voice role. Monáe’s collective, the Wondaland Arts Society, has also been asked to reinvent The Siamese Cat Song, long notorious for its depiction of Asian characters as duplicitous and vicious. Variety also reports that the characters are no longer Siamese cats. In the original film, released in 1955, the song is performed by Peggy Lee, in the voices of cats Si and Am. The pair are responsible for conspiring to trick the human characters into thinking gentle cocker spaniel Lady is dangerous. Disney announced a live action remake of the film in 2018, with Tessa Thompson voicing Lady and Justin Theroux as Tramp. Lego Ninjago Movie joint director Charlie Bean will direct. The film is due to release exclusively on Disney Plus, as part of the efforts of the studio to attract audiences to the new streaming service, which will launch in the US in November.<doc-sep>Disney will scrap the twin Siamese cat characters from its forthcoming remake of Lady and the Tramp, and has commissioned Janelle Monae to produce two brand new songs for the film. According to Variety, Monae was asked to reinvent the “Siamese Cat Song”, which is notorious for its racist depiction of the Siamese cats. In a 2013 analysis of the song on culture blog Flavorwire, one author found the depiction of Si and Am to be a result of a post Second World War anxiety that America had about the foreign “other”. “They have no individuality; their innocent blue eyes bend into a sinister glare as they cave at the slant,” author Marcus Hunter wrote. “They are jaundiced and sly; sick and feral; domesticated, though nevertheless propelled by their mischievous, impish nature to deceive and intimidate.” The 30 best Disney films Show all 30 1 /30 The 30 best Disney films The 30 best Disney films 30. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) Although the film may feel relatively slight compared to the other titans of animation on this list, there is something so wonderfully zen about this Pooh, filtering the wise words of AA Milne through the slow, thoughtful tones of Sterling Holloway. The 30 best Disney films 29. Bambi (1942) Bambi isn’t exactly the most action-packed Disney film around, and it’s hard to imagine many people are getting a kick out of the singalong version to “April Showers”. But is there any bigger shock to the system for a child at the movies than the sudden, ruthless slaughtering of Bambi’s mother? Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 28. Pocahontas (1995) Of the Disney Renaissance offerings, Pocahontas stumbles in its messy handling of history, since turning any interaction between white colonisers and indigenous people into a fluffy romance arguably whitewashes the brutal reality of what happened. But there are plenty of positives to be found, since Pocahontas was such a huge influence in Disney’s later portrayals of strong, independently minded women. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 27. The Aristocats (1971) The film may be relatively light on story (it’s basically Lady and the Tramp, but there’s an added kidnap element), but who cares, when the film features the hottest party of the entire Disney franchise? It’s true what they say: “Everybody wants to be a cat.” Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 26. Robin Hood (1973) In a way, Robin Hood is the ultimate Disney film of the 1970s. It’s a folksy, low-key entry into the canon that’s all about keeping the peace and spreading good vibes. Just ignore the fact that it recycled several pieces of animation from the likes of Snow White and The Jungle Book. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 25. Zootopia (2016) It may not have spawned the same level of craze as Frozen did, but Zootopia doesn’t deserve to become another forgotten Disney film. Although it’s as funny as you’d hope from a film about animals with jobs, it also offers parents an easy entry point to talk to their kids about racism and xenophobia. And that’s something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 24. Dumbo (1941) Dumbo demonstrates the two gifts of early Disney films. There’s the capacity for moments that are pure and heartwrenching, as seen in “Baby Mine” (a scene that’s almost impossible to watch without welling up). Then there’s the ability to descend into the totally bizarre, as characterised by the downright scary “Pink Elephants on Parade” sequence. The 30 best Disney films 23. Tangled (2010) Tangled finds fun, humour, and adventure in its reimagining of the Rapunzel tale, but what’s crucial to its success is how it anchors the entire film around a single, showstopping sequence: “I See the Light”, where Rapunzel watches hundreds of paper lanterns float up into the skies. It’s, quite simply, a beautiful piece of filmmaking. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 22. Princess and the Frog (2009) Disney’s brief return to traditional animation reminded us what had been lost in the switch to 3D animation. There’s a wonderful sense of artistry to how The Princess and the Frog renders New Orleans during the Jazz Age, especially in the Art Deco stylised number “Almost There”. And a Disney princess working hard to make her dreams come true? That’s something to celebrate. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 21. Cinderella (1950) Although Cinderella is a central member of the Disney princesses, her film hasn’t aged quite as well as the rest of the early Disney films. There’s an odd amount of time spent on Lucifer the cat, and relatively little time spent at Cinderella’s magical soiree. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 20. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) Cruella de Vil may have committed attempted puppy murder, but there’s still something irresistibly delightful about her “Patsy from Ab Fab” combination of luxury goods and frightening taste. Only Cruella could answer a simple “How are you?” with the line: "Miserable darling, as usual, perfectly wretched.” Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 19. Lady and the Tramp (1955) One of several films on this list containing problematic material, Lady and the Tramp certainly isn’t a faultless film. However, given that the central courtship is between two dogs, the film boasts a surprisingly elegant love story. Not only is there the famous “Bella Notte” scene and its accidental spaghetti kiss, but the crooning Pekingese, voiced by Peggy Lee, is simply sublime. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 18. Moana (2016) Disney took the straightforward path to making a hit musical for today: they hired Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilton composer and lyricist is a maestro when it comes to cranking out the hits. Opetaia Foa'i helped create the soundtrack’s South Pacific touches, while Dwayne Johnson even wheeled out some light rapping for his performance as the demigod Maui. Moana tells a culturally specific story with spirit, heart, and humour – more of this in the future please, Disney. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 17. The Emperor's New Groove (2000) The Emperor’s New Groove never quite got the appreciation it deserved when it was first released, largely because, like Lilo & Stitch, it’s been tossed aside as another forgettable post-Disney Renaissance entry. Not so fast: though it may not have the epic scale of Mulan or Beauty and the Beast, The Emperor’s New Groove is a funny, endlessly quotable (“Pull the lever, Kronk!”) Disney film that – most importantly – finally let Eartha Kitt voice a Disney villain. Disney The 30 best Disney films 16. Frozen (2013) It may be every modern parent’s least favourite Disney film, but Frozen is actually pretty great if you’ve not been forced to watch it five times a day, seven days a week. On top of a moving central story about self-acceptance and sisterly love, Idina Menzel’s rendition of “Let it Go” is a showstopper tune that demands to belted at least once at every karaoke night. Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 15. Peter Pan (1953) A flight of fancy that celebrates the power of imagination, JM Barrie’s Peter Pan was always an obvious fit for Disney. The film presents an uplifting and limitless world to younger audiences, while letting the adults pretend miserable things like taxes and divorce don’t exist for a precious hour and a bit. Plus, Tinker Bell seems like a vicious gossip and the ideal person to go for a drink with, even if she doesn’t quite speak our language. The 30 best Disney films 14. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) It’s the film that started it all. Although Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has since been overshadowed by its successors to some degree, it still has its fair share of magical moments. There’s the small army of birds and rodents that come to Snow White’s aid during “Whistle While You Work”, and the Evil Queen, gone full Joan Crawford, delivering her oft misquoted line: “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all.” Rex Features The 30 best Disney films 13.<doc-sep>
When Disney announced its reboot of the 1955 cartoon Lady and the Tramp, my mind immediately wondered two things: 1) How creepy the noodle kiss scene will look with CGI dogs, and 2) What's going to happen with the racist Siamese Cats characters and their song, full of horribly offensive Asian stereotypes? The second point, it seems, is being addressed, as Variety have announced that Janelle Monáe and her musical collective Wondaland will work on the reboot's soundtrack, which will include a new version of "The Siamese Cat Song." ADVERTISEMENT Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur of Wondaland will work on the song for the cats – Variety reports that the breed of the characters in the reboot will not be Siamese. Monáe herself will contribute two original songs for the soundtrack, and the Wondaland collective may also retool the original song "He's A Tramp." At the 2019 MUSEXPO Creative Summit, Disney's VP of Creative Music and Soundtracks Kaylin Frank expressed confidence that Wondaland and Monáe could remake "The Siamese Cat Song" for a more sensitive age. “We’re dealing with Wondaland, her team of incredibly creative writers and producers that she works with. So our director has engaged with her in terms of what the storytelling [of] the song needs to be.” ADVERTISEMENT Janelle Monáe's 2018 album Dirty Computer was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2019 Grammys. She recently inked a production deal with Universal Pictures, and will play Gloria Pitman Hughes in the Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias: A Life On The Road.