February 14, 2012
Pap the
Disney Gamer's Highlights
Lady and the Tramp Week:
Finding Lady and the Tramp
in Kingdom Hearts
Oh this is
the night, it's a beautiful
night, and we call it bella
notte...
Disney's
Lady and the Tramp is,
simply put, a wonderful
film. It lacks the
heartrending drama of
Beauty and the Beast and
the hopeful ideals of The
Little Mermaid, sure,
but it is a lush and
beautifully told romantic
comedic, the type that used
to be so common in the early
days of film. Not only that,
it has forever established
itself as a landmark film in
all of cinema with just one
scene: the Bella Notte
scene.
There is a
very good chance that even
if you have never fully seen
the movie, you know what I
am talking about. The Bella
Notte scene (or the
spaghetti kiss scene as some
have called it) has Lady and
the Tramp enjoying a simple
but enchanting Italian
dinner, all accompanied by
Tony's musical proclamation
of their night being a
magical one.
Let me
elaborate on the scene for
those not familiar with
it...
After
experiencing a terrible day
courtesy of Aunt Sarah and
the Siamese cats, Lady is
rescued by Tramp from a
dangerous stray dog attack.
At the very end of the day,
Tramp takes Lady to Tony's
Restaurant. The owners are
very happy to see them. So
much so that rather than
just giving them plain 'ol
bones, they cook up an
elaborate candle lit
spaghetti dinner. To further
enhance the romantic
atmosphere, Tony picks up
his accordion and begins to
sing an Italian song, Bella
Notte (meaning beautiful
night). As Tony keeps
singing, Lady and Tramp pick
up one strand of spaghetti.
They keep eating it until
their mouths meet, making it
their first kiss ever. Lady
turns her head and blushes
at the situation, prompting
Tramp to give her the last
meatball. When the song is
ending, the camera zooms in
on Lady, and on her face is
a clear look of romance,
with her eyes literally
sparkling with love.

It's a scene
with dogs eating dinner like
humans, but the wonderful
idea of the plausible
impossible (as penned by
Walt Disney himself) makes
us forget about how silly
the scene actually is and
let's us indulge in our
greatest romantic fantasies.
THAT'S how effective the
scene is.
Right now,
you might be wondering
'Pap... since when did Gamer
Tuesday become Saturday
Matinee?' I know, I have
been talking about the movie
more than the video game.
The truth is that there are
no video games based on
Lady and the Tramp. The
simplistic and romantic
appeal of the film just
doesn't lend itself towards
a loyal video game
adaptation. That's not to
say that Disney has
completely ignored its
legacy in video games,
though.
The reason I
elaborated on the importance
of the spaghetti scene is
because it has become an
iconic image of the movie,
and if you were to reference
it in any way, shape or
form, this is the scene to
present. And in what game
did the image make an
appearance in? None other
than Kingdom Hearts for the
PlayStation 2.
Now, I plan
on elaborating on everything
Kingdom Hearts during my
on-going retrospective, but
to put everything into
perspective, Kingdom Hearts
set out to pay tribute to
nearly every aspect of
Disney history, from film to
theme parks. Lady and the
Tramp, being one of the most
popular films in the
animated Disney film canon,
had to make an appearance
somehow. Square Enix
eventually put it in the
game, but not as a game
world. Heck you can't even
physically meet with Lady
and Tramp as you go around
saving the world!
Where are
they, exactly? In the game
there is a world named
Traverse Town. This world
serves as a hub world for
Sora, Donald, and Goofy to
unwind after a long series
of battles, as well as
elaborate a little more on
the expansive story. Players
are expected to make several
visits as they encounter new
threats as well as catch up
on old friends like
Pinocchio and Winnie the
Pooh. Traverse Town is
divided into several
sectors. On the very last
one there is a fountain. In
the wall is a gold statue of
two very familiar Disney
characters: Lady and the
Tramp eating spaghetti.

It's
unfortunate that we didn't
get to see a full appearance
of the characters in the
game, likely because their
film of origin's calm and
relaxed nature doesn't allow
for a world to be made on an
action based game. But it
definitely shows that Square
Enix cares for the legacy of
the film, and gave it a
proper tribute for everyone
to see. It also further
strengthens the presence the
spaghetti scene has in
people. Even if Lady and the
Tramp isn't one of your
favorite Disney movies,
there is a good chance you
enjoy the scene, and its
appearance in Kingdom Hearts
is a testament of how one
simple Italian dinner can be
one of the most spectacular
scenes ever put on film.