Lady.exe

One of my most favorite animated Disney movies of all time is Lady and the Tramp, aside from Aladdin, The Lion King and The Emperor’s New Groove. To this day, the movie remains a timeless classic not only amongst the Disney community, but in popular culture as well, although the movie didn’t start off greatly at first.

One day, I was sitting at my computer playing Fortnite. Eventually, I got bored and decided to exit the game and do something else. At this moment, a feeling of nostalgia struck me as I had remembered all the games I used to play as a child, no reason why though. I decided to go to eBay and search for vintage Disney video games to buy. While I was scrolling down the page to see which games would catch my interest, I came across something that I never would’ve expected to exist. The name of the item was “Lady and the Tramp: The Game – CD-R”. The image right next to the item’s name was a photo of a blank Sony CD-R disc with the words “Lady and the Tramp” written on it in Sharpie. I found it kind of peculiar that there would be such a thing as a Lady and the Tramp game, as I have never recalled Disney ever making a game based on the movie. However, I decided to buy the game anyway, obviously out of curiosity.

Two days later, a package was left at my front door by a UPS delivery man. I came outside, took the package inside and cut the box open to reveal the same disc from the image on eBay. I proceeded to walk to my computer and insert the disc into my computer’s disc tray. While I was waiting for the game to load, I was wondering what this unknown Lady and the Tramp “game” would be like. After thirty seconds, a text reading, “Downloading ROM” appeared as the game was being downloaded onto my computer. Once the download was completed, an icon appeared on my screen. It was a picture of a 3D Mickey Mouse symbol appearing as if it was rendered on Windows 95 with text below it that read, “ladytrampgame.exe”. I clicked on the icon and a configuration tab appeared on the screen. The preview picture was a still frame of the iconic scene from the movie in which Lady and Tramp accidentally kiss each other through the opposite ends of a pasta noodle with the movie’s logo on the bottom-left corner. There were no options to change the screen resolution or the controls, but there were two buttons: Start and Cancel. I clicked the Start button and the game loaded.

Once the game started, I was immediately greeted with a legal copyright notice screen followed by the Disney Interactive logo, though I noticed that it appeared to be blurry. After the logo faded out, the title screen appeared. It was the same picture from the configuration tab and there were three options on the screen: Play Game, Settings and Exit Game. The background music was the familiar song, “Bella Notte”. I clicked Play Game and then the screen cut to black. I waited for a while to see what would come first, but it seemed that screen was going to stay black, or so I thought. Just as I was about to hit the exit button, red text came onto the screen accompanied by a deep low-frequency beep. It appeared to be summarizing a story. The text read:

“The following night after Lady came back from the pound…”

The game opened with the scene of Jock and Trusty going to check up on Lady after she was taken home from the dog pound. The clip of the scene was ripped straight from the movie, yet its quality was oddly poor almost as if it was recorded with HyperCam. Jock and Trusty walked over to the doghouse where Lady resides and peeked.

JOCK: “Lassie?”

TRUSTY: “Miss Lady, ma’am?”

LADY: “Please, I don’t want to see anybody.”

After Lady spoke that line, what happened instead of Jock and Trusty trying to talk Lady’s problems over and cheer her up, they said “okay” and decided to leave Lady alone. They just left the yard as Lady peeked her head out of the doghouse to see that nobody was around. I found it strange considering that this never happened in the movie. The game paused on Lady lying her head down while giving a forlorn look on her face. Five seconds pass and then we go to another scene that also never happened in the movie. The background now has game graphics reminiscent of the Sega Genesis and somber music began playing. In this scene, we see Lady crying as she softly says to herself:

LADY: “Why? Why would he do this to me?”

I sat there wondering what was going on as I continued to stare at the melancholy face of Lady.

LADY: “He had to get me involved in stray activities and I was left to be caught and taken straight to that accursed pound… not to mention all of the fiancés he’s had in the past… before me…”

Suddenly, Lady stopped crying and the music stopped playing. At this point, I knew that things were starting to take a turn for the worst. Lady’s expression of sadness turned into an expression of contempt immediately afterwards as the result of remembering what the stray dogs from the dog pound told her about Tramp. Then her next line was this:

LADY: “Wait a minute… past girlfriends… now I see what’s really going on here. He thinks he can just get away with falling in love with a girl and then dumping her in exchange for another. How sickening…”

As I watched Lady continue ranting about Tramp’s past, her face started to look angrier and angrier with each bypassing word that came out of her mouth. She said to herself:

LADY: “That lying, unfaithful cheat! He made a huge fool out of all the other girls… and I’m sure he might do the same to me… well… who needs him?”

After she finished speaking that line, Lady had a look of fury on her face. I stared at Lady, feeling unsettled. The scene fell into awkward silence for ten seconds. After that, we got a zoom-in on Lady’s face as her eyes slowly transform from outraged to unusually disturbing as her eyes turn bloodshot with her pupils shrinking. She also gives a psychotic smile. I cringed from what I presumed to be the face of insanity Lady was showing. Then she started speaking in an eerie tone:

LADY: “Yeah… who… needs… that… liar? I most certainly don’t… and those other girls might not either… I bet their lives would be much happier without him…”

Lady started to look like she was possessed. She was panting heavily as something scary happens. Her appearance was beginning to change, as her teeth were slowly growing longer and more savage-looking. She started speaking again:

LADY: “I’ll make it happen… that’s what I’ll do… I’ll remove him from this world, so nobody has to worry about him anymore…”

Soon after Lady finished that line, the screen cut to black. There was nothing but silence, until I heard a dog growl emitting from the computer. When the growl ended, more red text appeared on the screen:

“Yes, let the malice consume your sanity…”

“He will pay for what he has done…”

Once the text disappeared after five seconds, a demonic laugh could be heard. Then the game cuts to a level where we see Tramp as the playable character. The level is a sidewalk at night. Immediately, more text pops up:

TRAMP: “I didn’t know Pidge would be sent away to the pound. I wish I could go and save her, but… the dog catcher is still looking for me and I might get caught.”

Suddenly, a thought comes to Tramp.

TRAMP: “Oh, what am I talking about? I guess I have no choice right now! Hang on, Pidge, I’m coming to save you!”

After the text disappeared, I was in control of Tramp. The entire level consisted of obstacles ranging from open sewer manholes to vicious stray dogs. Tramp’s attacks consisted mainly of charging towards enemies as well as his teeth and claws. The sprite animations looked very legitimate almost like actual game developers put effort into them. The game mechanics imply that you must avoid obstacles and collect dog bones as you pass through a level. The starting number of lives for Tramp is five accompanied by a health bar. If the health bar drains completely, Tramp will lose a life. The death animation shows Tramp giving a dizzy look on his face before he laid down on the ground, closing his eyes, similarly like the death animation of young Simba in the Sega Genesis Lion King game. I continued to navigate through the level and defeat more enemies until I was able to reach the ending point, which was obviously the dog pound. Once I entered the pound, the screen faded to black. A results screen appeared and showed the number of bones collected and the time record. Once I pressed the Enter key, the screen faded to black again, then it faded to a cutscene of Tramp walking inside the dog pound.

TRAMP: “Pidge should be here. I should go check each cage and find her, then I can bust her out and make a run for it before the dog catchers find me here.”

Once Tramp finished that line, I was back in control of him. This was apparently the next level of the game. The only enemies in this level were night watchmen patrolling the pound. If Tramp gets caught simply from a guard’s flashlight shining on him, he loses a life and you must start over from the beginning, which I found kind of frustrating, though the level was fair enough to have a decent number of patrollers to avoid. Once I was able to sneak past all the guards and reach the ending point, the results screen showed up again and then I pressed the Enter key to move on. The screen faded to another cutscene. We see Tramp walking up to cage number four, where Lady was once placed before she was taken home. More text appears for Tramp’s dialogue reading:

TRAMP: “I’ll ask these dogs first. Maybe they’ll know about Pidge’s whereabouts. Excuse me, I’m looking for a certain dog. An American cocker spaniel?”

One of the dogs peeks their head out to see Tramp standing outside of the cage. It was one of the stray dogs named Bull. He began speaking upon the sight of Tramp:

BULL: “Blimey! Guys wake up, it’s the Tramp!”

The other strays woke up from Bull’s words and peeked to see Tramp as well. Another one of the strays named Peg began to speak:

PEG: “Well now, if it isn’t the handsome hound himself. What brings you here?”

TRAMP: “Hiya, fellas. I’m here to look for a spaniel who was just brought here by the dog catchers. Do you know where she is?”

Another stray dog named Toughy spoke in response to Tramp’s question:

TOUGHY: “Oh, that dog? She’s not here anymore. She was with us in this cage before they took her home due to having a collar and license.”

TRAMP: “Oh. Okay then, thanks for telling me. I’ll run back to her house to make sure she’s okay. I think I also owe her an apology. Anyway, I’d better skedaddle, otherwise the dog catchers will find me here and lock me up. Catch you guys later!”

The stray dogs watch as Tramp runs out of the pound, ready to go find Lady. The next level was the same as the first level, just a sidewalk. I was back in control of Tramp once it began. Now this was where some strange occurrences began to be put into action. As I continued to move Tramp through the level, things seemed to look out of place. There were no enemies in sight, just obstacles. There was also some very unsettling music playing in the background. It sounded like a distorted romantic tune in reverse accompanied by a faint sound that I could barely hear, though I assumed it was the sound of dogs howling, which I found to be rather ominous. Throughout the entire level, I was never able to come across any enemies at all and there weren’t even any bones to collect. The obstacles were also very easy to avoid. I found that to be a rather lazy move, but I hit on and continued through the level. Once I was able to avoid the last obstacle, I moved to the ending point and the results screen appeared again. This time however, it was different. The font of the words appeared almost like a crudely-drawn kindergarten style and the words were red. There was also something wrong with the time record and number of collected bones, as they appeared to resemble binary codes flashing random numbers, which was accompanied by a loud glitching noise that caught me off-guard and caused me to jump. I was creeped out by the screen, so I pressed the Enter key to get away from it as soon as possible.

Once I pressed the Enter key, the screen faded to another cutscene yet again. It still took place on a random sidewalk, though this time I couldn’t control Tramp at all. He walks to the right as more creepy music can be heard. The howling returned, only this time it was more audible. I knew it was howling that I heard in the previous level. Anyway, we still see Tramp walking down the sidewalk until he stops in his tracks and gives a shocked look on his face. The screen scrolls to the right to reveal Lady sitting with her back turned away from Tramp with her eyes closed. After looking surprised, Tramp is relieved and says:

TRAMP: “Oh, Pidge. Thank goodness you’re safe. What’re you doing out here all alone? If I were you, I’d be at home safe and sound.”

Lady didn’t say a word. Tramp began to have a suspicious feeling and was wondering why Lady wouldn’t respond. He said:

TRAMP: “What’s the matter, Pidge? Is something bothering you? Oh. You’re angry at me. I guess you deserve an apology from me.”

The second Tramp finished speaking that line, Lady spoke. What she first said to him was:

LADY: “That won’t be necessary.”

TRAMP: “But why though? Listen Pidge, you can be mad at me for leaving you to be caught and impounded, but at least have a heart big enough to forgive me. I really am sorry.”

LADY: “I am in no need of your apology. Don’t even mention that pound, it was a terrible place to be! I was scared for my life and I felt very embarrassed!”

At this point, Tramp began to feel even more suspicious and asked Lady why she wasn’t willing to forgive him. Lady replied with:

LADY: “Do you honestly think it’s all a game to you?”

TRAMP: “Huh? Pidge, what’re you talking about?”

LADY: “I think you should know. Tell me, since when did you think continuously earning the trust of other girls and then pushing them away gets you anywhere in life?”

TRAMP: “What? Pidge, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

As soon as Tramp was finished with that line, there was more dead silence yet again, only this time it lasted for only three seconds. Once it ended, we see a sprite animation of Lady turning around to face Tramp. However, the animation was done in a very fast pace. But that was not the scary part. Once Lady came into full view of Tramp, there was something very wrong with her. Her appearance had changed entirely. She had pitch black eyes, her teeth were sharp with two fangs sticking out, she had long claws sticking out from her paws and her entire body was covered in glowing red markings that resembled arteries popping out. Lady glared at Tramp with a furious and savage expression, looking like she was ready to attack him. This was accompanied by the sound of an angry dog growling. Tramp jumped at the sight of Lady’s terrifying new looks and said:

TRAMP: “Oh my God! Pidge, what happened to you?!”

After Tramp said that, Lady spoke again:

LADY: “Don’t pretend you don’t know what point I’m trying to get across! You know you did it!”

TRAMP: “I… I… I’m… what?”

LADY: “Those strays told me everything about your past! Tell me, who is Trixie?”

TRAMP: “Trixie?”

Lady began to walk slowly towards Tramp as he backed away from her in fear. She continued speaking:

LADY: “And Lulu, and Fifi, and Rosita Chiquita… whatever her name is!”

TRAMP: “Chiquita? Oh, yes, her, and the others! Well, I can explain!”

LADY: “I take everything the strays said to me very seriously! You’re a liar! A cheat! A scoundrel! An unfaithful, carefree, aloof mutt!”

TRAMP: “Now now, Pidge, I can explain everything, just take it easy and we can talk about this!”

LADY: “You should have thought about that before I was impounded! Now it’s time for you to suffer your well-deserved consequences!”

Once that line was finished, Lady started charging at Tramp while barking and growling. Tramp jumped out of the way just in time before Lady could start attacking him. Then he took off running with Lady in pursuit. I was back in control of Tramp once again. I started moving him to the left as he ran to try to escape Lady. While I was doing this, the screen was corrupted as it let out a loud buzzing noise while flashing random text that I could barely read since it only flashed for split seconds. However, I was soon able to make them out behind all that flashing. Some of the texts read:

RUN; IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT; NO FORGIVENESS; YOU CAN’T ESCAPE YOUR PUNISHMENT

Right behind Tramp, Lady was running after him. She appeared to be getting closer and closer. I kept moving Tramp to the left, hoping to outrun her, but it was almost impossible to make out how close she was due to the corrupted screen. This seemed like it was going on for a very long time, I didn’t know if I would ever escape Lady. But I was wrong. Suddenly, the screen was back to normal and the buzzing stopped. Another cutscene plays, this time with Tramp running into town towards Tony’s Restaurant. We see him approaching the same place behind the restaurant where he and Lady had spaghetti. Tramp came to a complete halt, noticing that there was nowhere else to run. Another strange thing is that Tony and Joe, the chefs, were not inside the restaurant like they usually were. Tramp says to himself:

TRAMP: “Oh no, the restaurant is closed! How am I going to outrun Pidge now?!”

Then we see Lady walking towards Tramp slowly, ready to pounce on him. As she approached him, she said to him:

LADY: “You’re not going anywhere!”

TRAMP: “Pidge, please! You don’t have to do this, I’m sorry for what I’ve done! Honest!”

Lady stops once she gets close enough to Tramp. Then she gives a sinister smile as she spoke:

LADY: “Remember this place? This is where we ate some delicious pasta before we split apart. Tell you what, how about we talk this over with a lovely dinner?”

TRAMP: “Huh? You really forgive me?”

LADY: “That’s not what I mean! I’m going to do something far away from lovely. You’re going to pay for the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in your entire life!”

TRAMP: “No. Pidge, please don’t do this!”

LADY: “You know what I say?”

After that, the screen cut to black. More text appeared on the screen reading:

OUR LOVE WILL BE YOUR DEATH, AND SPAGHETTI IS BEST SERVED WITH YOUR OWN BLOOD!

NOW LET’S DINE.

After that text disappeared, what happened next made my heart pound. The screen was still black, but the horrifying sound of a dog yelping accompanied by meat grinding and another dog growling emerged from my computer. Thankfully, it was fair enough to last for five seconds. Then more text came onto the screen. It read:

GAME OVER

I was really freaked out. The text stayed on the screen for another five seconds before the game proceeded to crash. Once it crashed, I thought that was it. I opened the disc tray and took the disc out quickly, urging myself to destroy it. Suddenly, a beeping sound emerged from my computer. I looked on the screen to notice that two files have been downloaded, which I found odd. The first file was a .jpeg file by the name of “pastaisserved.jpeg”. I clicked on the file and it opened to reveal a terrifying picture of what appeared to be a dead dog with flies and maggots surrounding its entire body. I was even more freaked out by the image, so I closed it and decided to look at the second file. It was an unnamed .txt file. I clicked on it and Notepad came on. The file read:

'“For this is the night, it’s a beautiful night, and we call it Killa Notte. Look at the skies, without a star in their eyes, on this lovely Killa Notte. Side by side with the one you betrayed, you’ll find dire consequences here. The night will end with pure darkness, once the one you betrayed is near. For this is the night, and the depths of hell are right, on this lovely Killa Notte.”'

I closed the Notepad file and looked back at the disc. At this point, I knew that something had to be done. I decided to ring up Disney about the game to get some answers behind it. I dialed their phone number and waited for them to pick up. One of the receptionists answered and I asked them about the Lady and the Tramp game I had just played. I gave them details about its content and other aspects. There was no response. I asked again a second time, still no response. Just as I was about to hang up, thinking they were never going to help me, the receptionist finally replied with:

'''“Okay sir, we’re going to give it to you straight. We did not create the game.”'''

I was confused. If Disney didn’t make the game, then who did? I asked them who was responsible for making it and how they knew about it and they answered with:

'''“We’ve known about that game for years. 25 years ago, we had a game developer named Joseph Xavier. He worked full-time at Disney Interactive Studios for five years, starting in early 1993. He was a talented young man who always helped with the sprite animations of games released for the SNES and the Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, he was also a strange man who often never spoke to other people. But when he talked to people, he would say some rather disturbing things about himself, and it concerned many of our employees and staff. In late 1997, we found out something about Xavier which he has been hiding from us. Apparently, Xavier was labeled by law enforcements as a convicted animal abuser with a history of mental illness. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole on the account of partaking in illegal activities involving animal cruelty, most notably dog fighting. Because we were informed of all this, we fired Xavier on the spot. But a year after his termination, we noticed that a blank CD-R disc marked as ‘Lady and the Tramp’ was sitting at the computer he once worked at. We tested the game and it was revealed to be one of the scariest experiences we’ve ever had, so we had to get rid of it. The rest of the details we can’t explain. But since you found it, we advise you to destroy it now.”'''

I told the receptionist that I found the disc on eBay while searching for vintage games. She was even more creeped out, thus saying:

'''“We should’ve known about this. Another person found it and it was being passed down by being sold online by people who’ve played it. They should’ve smashed the disc to pieces while they had the chance. You’re the last one to buy it. But now’s your chance to destroy it! Do it now! Thanks for calling, sir, have a nice day.”'''

The receptionist hung up. Without question, I picked up the disc and took it to the garage. I picked up my sledgehammer and smashed the disc, then I threw it into the dumpster. It was over. I took Disney’s advice very seriously and ended the game’s cycle. But there was a question I still had in my thoughts. A question that remains to have an answer revealed. Because of everything Disney said, was the motivation behind that scary Lady and the Tramp ROM game supposed to express Joseph Xavier’s hatred for animals and all the crimes he has committed against them?

To this day, the mystery remains unsolved.