The Aristocats (1970)
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A family of aristocratic cats must navigate the French countryside and the streets of Paris after their butler attempts to steal their inheritance.
The story
Set in 1910s Paris, the story follows Duchess, a refined mother cat, and her three kittens who live a luxurious life with their owner, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille. When the Madame prepares her will, her butler, Edgar Balthazar, learns that the fortune will go to the cats. Fearing he will be left with nothing, Edgar plots to remove them from the household. He sedates the cats and transports them to the countryside. There, the family finds themselves stranded and must find a way to return to their home in Paris, eventually encountering a local feral cat named Thomas O'Malley who offers to guide them through the journey.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1910 Paris, Duchess and her three kittens live a pampered life with Madame Adelaide Bonfamille. Upon learning that the Madame's fortune will go to the cats, her butler Edgar Balthazar sedates them and abandons them in the countryside. The cats are eventually joined by a feral cat, Thomas O'Malley, who helps them navigate the countryside and the streets of Paris. Along the way, they encounter various characters, including a group of jazz-playing alley cats led by Scat Cat. After a series of adventures, including a rescue by a pair of geese and a confrontation with Edgar, the cats successfully return to the mansion. Edgar is ultimately captured and sent away. Madame Adelaide, unaware of the ordeal, rewards the cats by including O'Malley in the family and establishing a sanctuary for other stray cats.
- First release year
- 1970
- Runtime (minutes)
- 79
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wolfgang Reitherman
- Writers
- Tom McGowan · story; Tom Rowe · story; Eric Cleworth · screenplay; Frank Thomas · screenplay; Julius Svendsen · screenplay; Ken Anderson · screenplay; Larry Clemmons · screenplay; Ralph Wright · screenplay; Vance Gerry · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Phil Harris · J. Thomas O'Malley; Eva Gabor · Duchess; Gary Dubin · Toulouse; Liz English · Marie; Dean Clark · Berlioz; Sterling Holloway · Roquefort; Scatman Crothers · Scat Cat; Paul Winchell · Shun Gon
- Genres
- animated; musical; comedy
- Themes
- loyalty; adventure
- Tone and mood
- lighthearted; musical
- Premise and plot tags
- talking animals; musical
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original script for a two-part live-action episode for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.
- Content notes
- racist stereotype
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 33; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Awards and nominations
- AFI's 10 Top 10 · Nominated Animation Film · 2008 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- It was the final Disney animated film released during Roy O. Disney's tenure.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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