Darling is a supporting character in Disney's 1955 animated feature film Lady and the Tramp. As Lady and Tramp's owner, she is Jim Dear's wife and Jim Jr.'s mother.
Background
Development
In pre-production, Darling was named Elizabeth. These were dropped to highlight Lady's point of view. In a very early version, published as a short story in a 1944 Disney children's anthology, Lady refers to them as "Mister" and "Missis." To maintain a dog's perspective, Jim Dear and Darling's faces are sometimes shown. The background artists made models of the interiors of Jim Dear and Darling's house and shot photos and film at a low perspective as a reference to maintain a dog's view.
The film's opening sequence, in which Darling unwraps a hat box on Christmas morning and finds Lady inside, is based upon an actual incident in Walt Disney's life when he presented his wife, Lillian, with a Cocker Spaniel puppy as a gift in a hatbox.
Personality
Darling is a considerate and benevolent woman to those around her, including her husband, Jim Dear. Being a mother to her son, Jim Jr, she is also gentle and nurturing when she sings a lullaby to calm him down and is very protective of him whenever chaos happens, especially when Buster causes trouble on the Fourth of July. She is also the only one of the two dog owners to be sensible, due to her also being very intelligent, thoughtful, and understands dog language. At first, Jim Dear attempts to be firm with their new puppy, Lady, but he later gives in and allows her to sleep with them after Darling requests it, making her the voice of reason. She is also known to be a dog-lover, having adopted two: Tramp and Angel, besides having Lady, along with their four puppies.
Physical appearance
At the beginning of the first film, Darling wears a pink dress with a light blue bow. When she goes to bed wears a light blue short-sleeved nightgown. She wears a light blue dress. In one scene of the film, she wears a hat with a scarf tied and a blue jacket and in another scene wears a pink dress. She has light auburn hair, purple eyes, and purple shoes. In the sequel, she wears a white dress (with blue edges) that matches with her hat.
Appearances
Lady and the Tramp
In the first film, Jim Dear and Darling are introduced as a young married couple. On the night of Christmas, he presents her with the gift of a Cocker Spaniel puppy, whom she names Lady. That night, they make a bed in the laundry room for her, but she becomes lonely. Darling wishes for her to sleep with them, but Jim Dear remains firm. Much to her delight, Jim finally gives in, though he states that it is just for that night.
A few months later, when Lady is six months old, it is revealed that she now sleeps with Jim Dear and Darling regularly. Realizing that she has grown up, they present her with a collar and license. Later on, it is shown that they have been unintentionally been treating her somewhat coldly. However, she soon learns that they're expecting a baby. After Jim Jr. is born, Jim Dear and Darling make Lady appreciated by introducing her to their son. Soon after, she was hesitant to leave her infant son and Lady, but Jim refuses to listen and she is forced to leave for a short trip with him, leaving Lady and Jim Jr. in the care of Aunt Sarah.
They return near the end of the film. Aunt Sarah reveals that a stray dog had been in Jim Jr.'s room and that she had the dogcatcher take him to the pound. After hearing Lady barking, they release her from the cellar, where Aunt Sarah had locked her up. Jim realizes that she is attempting to tell them something, and so he, Darling, and Aunt Sarah follow her to Jim Jr.'s room. There, they're able to find a dead rat and realize that Tramp had been trying to protect Jim Jr. and their home from it.
Darling, along with Jim Dear and Lady, follows the dogcatcher and retrieves Tramp, once Trusty and Jock stops the wagon. She and Jim then adopt Tramp, and the following Christmas reveals that he and Lady have a litter of four puppies, including Scamp.
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
Darling reappear in the sequel, but has an active role than in the previous film. On their way home, Darling asks Aunt Sarah if she can join the picnic, to which Aunt Sarah accepts her offer. When one of their puppies, Scamp, escape, it is revealed that Darling told Jim that she did call the Dogcatcher in order to form a search for Scamp, but said that he didn't find him. Nevertheless, she is left to look after Jim Jr. and the puppies, when Jim, Lady and Tramp go out searching for Scamp. She is next seen holding her son and looking at a Christmas photo of Lady, Tramp, and their four puppies. Later on, they take the dogs out on a family picnic with Aunt Sarah, during which Scamp steals a chicken to take to the junkyard dogs. She is shown protecting Jim Jr when Buster and the other Junkyard Dogs ruin their picnic, in which they have to clean up. At the end of the film, Darling managed to keep the family together by persuading Jim Dear to adopt Scamp’s girlfriend, Angel, whom he had met on the streets.
Other appearances
She is featured in the retelling of Lady and the Tramp in As Told by Emoji. She also appears in some puzzles of Lady and the Tramp, including the Tapestry Puzzle Solution in Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Trivia
- She shares the surname as the Darling family from Disney's Peter Pan.
- It is possible that she is a housewife, as it is stated she usually takes Lady on afternoon walks.
- She and Jim Dear tell Lady they will be back from their trip in a couple of days; but ironically, they return home the next night.
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