A shelter dog is about to appear on the big screen for Disney’s live-action remake of “Lady and the Tramp,” Disney announced.
“We’re so happy to share that known dog lover Justin Theroux will voice Tramp, who is played by a real rescue dog named Monte making his streaming debut,” Disney said in a statement.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Get a first look at the live-action Lady and the Tramp and more Disney magic headed to #DisneyPlus in the latest issue of “Disney twenty-three”: https://t.co/hQMdeDsF1Y pic.twitter.com/BlYN4gwAlO
— Disney D23 (@DisneyD23) August 13, 2019
HALO Animal Rescue saved Monte from being put down at a shelter in New Mexico, and transferred him to a shelter in Phoenix, according to the Las Cruces Sun.
Monte, a 2-year-old Terrier mix, came amongst a group of 50 dogs sent from New Mexico to HALO last year, Heather Allen, President, and CEO of HALO Animal Rescue, said according to the Las Cruces Sun.
“The Mesilla Valley animal shelter sent us a load of dogs. They usually send us 50 at a time, and Monte was a part of that lucky load on April 26, 2018,” Allen said.
How Monte Ended up in Hollywood
Allen said animal trainers came from Hollywood, scouting for dogs for a top-secret project.
“We knew that they were potentially seeking a dog for Hollywood, but we didn’t know why,” she said. “It was top-secret, they were looking for a particular look, and we weren’t sure for what.”
Hollywood animal trainer Mark Forbes adopted Monte, which didn’t surprise Allen, as the shelter had glowing notes on Monte.
“His notes said he was super friendly, greets people right away, gives kisses, loves attention, he knows how to sit, and walks well on a leash,” Allen said. “He didn’t look like what he does in his movie photo. His terrier hair wasn’t full-grown, and he was still maturing.”
“He’s so handsome and had the scruff factor that Tramp has from the original movie,” Allen said. “Plus Monte has such a unique look as a mixed breed. He’s not going to look like any other dog that Lady would run into, especially as she’s a pure breed.”
Allen said Monte’s film trainers send pictures from time to time, and that aside from filming, Monte now lives a happy, normal life in his forever home.
“They send us photos of him from home. He has a great family,” Allen said.
She added that she’s happy Disney chose to go with rescue dogs as it will help mixed breeds like Monte help find a loving forever home.
“It’s so cool to see a shelter dog, especially a mixed breed, in the movie. The mutts are going to shine on the screen,” says Allen. “Monte’s not just a movie star, he’s going to help mutts all over the world just by being in the movie.”
Disney unveils first official image from its live-action remake of ‘Lady and the Tramp,’ featuring the voices of @TessaThompson_X and Justin Theroux. https://t.co/dHygxcwQrX
— Collider (@Collider) August 13, 2019
Disney’s live-action remake of the classic 1955 film will stream exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service starting on Nov. 12.
You’ll fall head-over-paws in love with the cast of #LadyAndTheTramp, coming soon to #DisneyPlus: https://t.co/gUGBJvVMuG. Start streaming November 12. pic.twitter.com/jb4654dsAT
— Disney (@Disney) August 16, 2019
