The Aristocats
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Jazz and hijinks make this Disney cat tale meow.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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The Aristocats
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What's the Story?
Disney's animated THE ARISTOCATS takes an elegant cat named Duchess (voiced by Eva Gabor) and her three kittens out of their high-brow element when a cantankerous butler dumps them in the country after he hears the cats are to inherit his employer's fortune before him. On their way home, the cats encounter O'Malley the Alley Cat, who gets them out of a number of scrapes and introduces the brood to his jazz-playing "hep cat" friends. And just like Lady and the Tramp, Duchess can't resist the charms of the scrappy O'Malley.
Is It Any Good?
The highlight of this jazz-infused adventure is the toe-tapping song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat." There's little plot (cats journey home), and the characters are less memorable than in other animated animal capers, like Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians. Phil Harris, who plays Baloo from the original Disney Jungle Book, is fun as O'Malley, but he lacks some of the rapscallion antics that would make him stand out.
Kids will love the silly chase scenes with Edgar the butler and the country hounds, Napoleon and Lafayette, especially the one around the windmill. They're choreographed for lots of giggles -- complete with failing-suspenders gags. But once the big jazzy number and madcap running about are over, the movie falls flat. In a DVD extra, one of the composers reveals a lullaby-like song that was left on the cutting-room floor about the owner's love for her cats. That's the kind of sweetness that could have made this movie the cat's pajamas.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Edgar the butler. He doesn't seem really mean, like Cruella de Vil, but he's still not nice to Madame's cats. How come?
Why does Edgar go back to the country for his hat and umbrella?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 24, 1970
- On DVD or streaming: February 5, 2008
- Cast: Eva Gabor, Liz English, Phil Harris
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Adventures, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Music and Sing-Along
- Run time: 79 minutes
- MPAA rating: G
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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