You know the tune. It’s that slinking, rhythmic, slightly off-putting melody that starts right after the newborn baby arrives in the 1955 Disney classic. Most people call them the Siamese cat Lady and the Tramp duo, though their actual names are Si and Am. They climb out of a picnic basket, wreck a living room, and frame a confused American Cocker Spaniel for the crime.
For decades, this scene was just "part of the movie." But today? It’s basically the poster child for why Disney+ has those unskippable content warnings.
If you grew up watching the VHS, you probably remember the chaos. The broken vase. The shredded curtains. The terrifying realization that cats could apparently be masters of psychological warfare. But as we’ve gotten older, the conversation around these two has shifted from "funny villains" to "problematic caricatures." It’s a weirdly deep rabbit hole that involves mid-century politics, animation history, and a massive 2019 remake that tried to erase the mess entirely.
What Most People Get Wrong About Si and Am
People usually think Si and Am were just meant to be "mean cats." In reality, they were designed as a very specific cultural shorthand.
The 1950s were a strange time for American media. We were fresh out of World War II and smack in the middle of the Cold War. In animation, villains weren't just "bad guys"—they often embodied "the other." When you look at the Siamese cat Lady and the Tramp sequence through a historical lens, the slanted eyes, the heavy accents, and the buck teeth weren't accidental. They were deliberate tropes used to depict East Asian characters as deceptive and invasive.
It’s uncomfortable. Honestly, it’s really uncomfortable to look back on.
Interestingly, the voices behind the cats weren't even a duo. It was Peggy Lee. She voiced Darling (the mother), Peg (the dog in the pound), and both Siamese cats. Lee was a legendary jazz singer, and her vocal performance on "The Siamese Cat Song" is technically impressive but culturally tone-deaf by modern standards. She used a high-pitched, mocking cadence that leaned heavily into the "Yellow Peril" stereotypes of the era.
The 2019 Fix: Why They Aren't Siamese Anymore
When Disney announced the live-action (or CGI-action, I guess) remake of Lady and the Tramp for Disney+, everyone wondered what would happen to the cats. You couldn't just keep them the same. Not in 2019.
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They didn't just change the song; they changed the species.
In the remake, the cats are no longer Siamese. They are sleek, multicolored domestic shorthairs. Their names? Gone. The song? Replaced. Instead of the "We are Siamese if you please" track, we got "What a Shame," performed by Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Roman GianArthur (produced by Janelle Monáe).
The new version is more of a bluesy, arrogant strut. It’s less about being "foreign invaders" and more about two spoiled house pets who realize they can bully a dog. It’s a fascinatng pivot. It shows that Disney recognized the Siamese cat Lady and the Tramp problem was structural, not just a matter of changing a few lyrics.
Why the change mattered:
- Cultural sensitivity: Removing the specific Asian stereotypes was a non-negotiable for a global release.
- Tone shift: The original cats were depicted as almost demonic. The new ones are just... jerks.
- Legacy management: Disney is trying to preserve its "vault" while acknowledging that some of it is, frankly, pretty racist.
The Animation Genius We Often Ignore
Let’s be real for a second: from a purely technical standpoint, the original animation is incredible. Ward Kimball was the lead animator for Si and Am. He was one of Disney’s "Nine Old Men," and he was known for being the "wild child" of the group.
He didn't want the cats to move like real cats. He wanted them to move like a single, multi-limbed organism.
If you watch the sequence closely, their movements are perfectly synchronized. It’s eerie. They slink in unison. They blink in unison. This "twin" aesthetic was groundbreaking for 1955. It created a sense of overwhelming pressure for Lady. She wasn't just fighting one cat; she was fighting a hive mind.
It’s a tragedy of film history that such brilliant technical work was tied to such offensive character design. You can appreciate the way the fur is rendered or the way the shadows play across the floor while still acknowledging that the faces on those cats shouldn't have been drawn that way.
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The Real-World Impact on Siamese Cats
Believe it or not, this movie actually affected how people viewed the breed.
Siamese cats are naturally vocal. They "talk" a lot. But after Lady and the Tramp, the breed gained a reputation for being "mean" or "sneaky." Ask any Siamese owner today, and they’ll tell you their cats are actually incredibly clingy and dog-like.
The movie basically did to Siamese cats what Jaws did to Great White sharks—it created a pop-culture myth that outpaced the reality of the animal.
Beyond the Cats: Other Controversies in the Movie
While the Siamese cat Lady and the Tramp scene is the most famous offender, the pound scene is a whole other bag of issues.
In the pound, the dogs are all coded with heavy ethnic stereotypes. You have the Mexican Chihuahua (Pedro), the Russian Wolfhound (Boris), and the Italian Bulldog (Bull). While these are generally seen as more "affectionate" parodies than the cats, they still rely on the same 1950s trope of using accents as a substitute for actual character development.
It’s a snapshot of an America that was trying to understand a globalized world but doing it through a very narrow, prejudiced lens.
How to Watch It Today
If you log into Disney+ right now to watch the original, you’ll see a disclaimer. It says: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now."
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This is a much better approach than the old "Disney Vault" method. For years, Disney just hid things they were embarrassed by (like Song of the South). By keeping Lady and the Tramp available but adding context, they allow parents to have actual conversations with their kids about why those cats look and sound the way they do.
It’s a teaching moment.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
If you're a Disney enthusiast, you've probably noticed that vintage Si and Am merchandise is actually quite valuable. Because Disney has moved away from using these designs in modern parks and apparel, the old figurines from the 50s and 60s have become high-end collector items.
If you are looking to navigate this specific piece of film history, here is how to handle it:
- Watch the 2019 version for a "clean" experience: If you have young kids and don't want to explain 1950s geopolitics yet, the remake is perfectly safe and actually quite charming.
- Use the original as a media literacy tool: For older kids, the original Siamese cat Lady and the Tramp scene is a perfect example of how propaganda and stereotypes sneak into entertainment.
- Check the credits: If you’re a film nerd, look up the work of Ward Kimball. Despite the controversy, his contribution to the "stretch and squash" technique in this specific scene is still taught in animation schools.
The reality is that Si and Am are a permanent part of the Disney canon, for better or worse. They represent a bridge between the golden age of hand-drawn animation and the complicated cultural awakening of the modern era. We don't have to "cancel" the movie to recognize that the cats were a mistake. We just have to be honest about why they were there in the first place.
Next Steps for Film Enthusiasts
To get a better grip on how animation evolved after this period, you should look into the transition from the "Nine Old Men" era to the "CalArts" era of the 1980s. Researching the production notes of Lady and the Tramp at the Walt Disney Family Museum can also provide deeper context on Peggy Lee’s influence on the script, as she was actually the one who convinced Walt Disney to let the dog (Trusty) live at the end of the film.