Title: The Aristocats
Release Date: December 24, 1970
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Production Company: Walt Disney Productions
Summary/Review:
I thought I may have seen The Aristocats as a child, but upon watching it for this review, I think I may have only seen some scenes of the movie. The story is basically Lady and the Tramp (with cats) crossed with One Hundred and One Dalmatians (with cats). It clearly comes from the era when Disney didn’t know what to do next with their animated films. Dutchess (Eva Gabor) and her three kittens are set to be heirs to their owners fortune, leading the butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby) to try to get rid of them.
Stranded in the countryside, alleycat Thomas O’Malley (Phil Harris) helps them back to Paris while wooing Duchess. After dancing with Scat Cat’s (Scatman) jazz band, and some further hijinx, the cats are reunited with their owner and extract their revenge on Edgar. The animation is limited for a Disney production although there is some interesting color and motion in the dance scenes. Two floppy-eared dogs and a motorcycle play a part in some great comedic scenes. On the downside there is a horribly racist depiction of a cat with the worst Chinese stereotypes.
Other than that, there is nothing really bad about The Aristocats, but there’s also nothing really good about the movie. It’s just kind of is.
Rating: **1/2
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