The Aristocats (1970)

You know, I might be wrong, but I feel that this one doesn't get as much love as it deserves. Granted, this is one of those Disney endeavours that I also oftentimes forget about, yet when I rewatch it, I am struck by how funny and endearing it is. 

Who knew?

In Paris, around the year 1910, a retired operasinger lives alone in her massive house with her butler and her cat and three kittens. She adores them so much, she decides to leave all her wealth to them, which enrages the butler. Well, he would be enraged, wouldn't he? You can see why, but we also need a villain in this story, so there. He plans to dump the cats somewhere in the countryside, but gets chased off by two dogs. But that doesn't change the fact that Duchess and her kittens are stranded in a world they know absolutely nothing of, being extremely educated housecats. They come across an alleycat named Tom O'Malley, who instantly takes a liking to them and decides to help them get back home. But when they encounter the butler again, he will need to enlist the help of some friends to make sure Duchess and the kittens make it safely back to madame. 

'The Aristocats' is a fairly short film, clocking in at about 70 minutes tops, but that's okay. You will not be bored for an instant. The animation is pretty darn gorgeous. You can often still see the pencilstrokes in the designs, which might put some people off who will claim that this is a lack of quality unbefitting Disney, but I like it a lot. Animation that is a little rougher around the edges feels more alive. 

Well, no one said you couldn't disagree with me, did they? 

The voice acting is what makes this one stand out the most. Eva Gabor has the perfect vocal delivery for Duchess and if you love Phil Harris as Baloo in 'The Jungle Book', you're going to love him even more here as Tom. But in truth, all characters are very well done and the actors chosen to breathe life in their voices are very well selected indeed. 

Who I really feel hit the spot, are the two dogs. The have been given this Southern drawl and it works. Add to that that they are by far the most hilarious characters in the film and you have a winner on your hands. 

Why do two French dogs talk like Texas cowboys? By golly, gee whizz, I don't know. 

Yes, the story is rather flimsy, but the songs are catchy and maybe that's all you need at times. 

Now let's address the one elephant in the room that this film has: the depiction of the Chinese cat during the awesome jazzsong 'Ev'rybody Wants to Be A Cat'. Yeah, I can see why some people find it a little offensive. But here's a hot take: all the cats in this band have stereotypical traits of their origin. I mean, have you looked at the Italian and the Russian cat as well? They also get all the clichés thrown into their design. The same goes for the leader Scat Cat, wonderfully performed by the incomparable Scatman Crothers. But honestly, I've never seen them as being racist tropes, just a cool collection of international musician cats thrown together for one hell of a song and dance number. Maybe you should see them in this positive light too.

Or find it all offensive, whatever floats your boat. 

'The Aristocats' is one of those quirky little Disney features that doesn't always get the recognition or love it deserves, but that's okay. Just enjoy it, don't forget it and swing along. Sure, it may not be the most memorable or high profile film in their massive catalogue, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a watch.