The New 'Lady & The Tramp' Might Trigger Some Small Kids

This classic has it all....romance, rebellion and lots of ruffs from man's best friend. But, as with all Disney movies, the suspense that comes with such an absorbing storyline (even one in which kids know it will all end happily ever after) isn't always a good match for imaginative young kids. Is the new Lady & the Tramp okay for kids under 5? The answer will depend on this.

The new live-action remake of the 1955 classic is part of an ambitious new slate of programming on the new Disney Plus channel, premiering Nov. 12, as Business Insider divulged. Trying to redo the magic from the original movie, which featured the iconic Italian dining scene between runaway house pet Lady and her new love, a freewheeling stray named Jock, will certainly be a trick for Disney, won't it? I mean, between the meatballs and the moonlight, the tale of these star-crossed pooches is one of those flicks you just remember watching over and over again in your childhood.

Now that there's an entirely new retelling starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, and with special effects that are light years ahead of the original, does that affect how scary this movie might be for your kids?

The original is considered one of the milder Disney movies, lacking an overt evildoer such as The Little Mermaid's Ursula, or 101 Dalmatians' Cruella De Vil. Parental website Common Sense Media rated the original as being perfectly great for kids either ages 4-plus, or 5 and up, depending.

Remember, too, that while Lady does have some deep emotional loss (which could be hard for a child to deal with) when her human family has a baby, the end of this timeless tale involves love and the idea of bringing everyone back together. So while I think this movie might be just fine for a child under 5, the answer to whether you want to stream this new version when it hits Disney's streaming service really depends on what your kid is like. And that's where you, the parent, know best.

While Disney isn't releasing much info about the movie (especially how much of the classic pasta scene between the dogs will be recreated), Vulture did report that Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays Aunt Sarah, told the crowd at a recent Disney conference that “most of our canine stars were rescues.” Best of all, the actress herself adopted one of the pooches, Lady’s on-screen dog double, after filming was over. That's great to know, and makes me want to see the film even more!

Lady and The Tramp will be available on Disney+ starting Nov. 12. You can pre-order the highly anticipated streaming service on the official website, DisneyPlus.com.