Review #619: 'The Aristocats' (1970)

In 1910 Paris, a cat named Duchess (Eva Gabor) lives comfortably in a mansion with her three kittens, Marie (Liz English), Berlioz (Dean Clark) and Toulouse (Gary Dubin), and her wealthy owner Madame Bonfamille (Hermione Baddeley). Madame writes her will along with her eccentric lawyer, and decides to leave her vast wealth to her beloved cats. Her dedicated butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby) overhears this, and, outraged at being left out of the will, kidnaps the cats and leaves them stranded in the countryside. Frightened and alone, they come across a charming drifter cat named Thomas O'Malley (Phil Harris), who teaches the privileged cats about the joys of being a wanderer.

Apart from the obvious similarities to Disney's previous efforts, Lady and the Tramp (1955) and 101 Dalmatians (1961), there are two things about The Aristocats that troubled me. The first is the plot, that paints clumsy butler Edgar as the villain. Of course, dumping a family of cats in the countryside to die isn't the nicest thing to do, but after hearing the woman he's dedicated his life to leave her fortune to a bunch of fucking cats, you can kind of sympathise with the poor guy. The other is the ending, that sees (spoiler ahead!) loveable tramp O'Malley welcomed into the aristocracy - shiny collar and all - because it seems the upper classes just won't have any individuality in their midst.

This was the final film Walt Disney greenlit before his death in 1966, and one that had five of Disney's so-called Nine Old Men on animating duties. It could be seen as one the final 'classic' animated films that Disney produced before they experienced a difficult decade or so, and it does retain that warm, familiar feeling that the likes of Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994) lacked (although they are certainly considered amongst Disney's best achievements). The songs are wonderful, particularly the standout Everybody Wants To Be a Cat, headed by Scatman Crothers and featuring one of Disney's funniest casually-racist characters. Yet the similarities to other, better Disney classics damage the film, and apart from the beautiful, hand-drawn animation and toe-tapping tunes, The Aristocats struggles to stand out.


Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
Voices: Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Roddy Maude-Roxby
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie