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Disney’s 20th animated classic has the distinction of being the last film Walt himself approved for production, and the first made after his death. It was the first Disney film of the 1970s, and some animation historians believe it marker a distinct turn in the style of storytelling Disney would produce from them on—not necessarily for the better.
Set in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, The Aristocats follows the story of four pampered kitties—Mother Duchess and her three kittens, Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse—who live an pampered life, courtesy of their kind benefactor Madame Bonfamille. Unbeknownst to them, the butler Edgar is rather green with envy, and plots to usurp the cats in the rich old ladies will by taking them for a nice long drive out into the country. Having never been outside before, the spoiled foursome luck upon a streetwise stray cat named O’Malley, and with his help, they make the long and eventful trip back to their home.
What isn’t different about this film to previous entries in the Disney catalogue is there’s a fairly straight forward story for children to follow and invest in. It also fills its canvas with plenty of distinct and humorous characters, has likeable heroes, and moves along at an easily digested pace. The real distinct change was a kind of soft-peddling of the drama element in the story. In this, the cats don’t ever face any real threat; they come across geese, dogs, other cats, that hinder their progress in amusing ways; but Edgar, as a main antagonist, is rather weak when it comes down to it. You don’t ever get that sense of peril most Disney films possessed before this, and it is a less engaging film for it.
It’s not like Disney was in your face brutal with kids before, but they certainly weren’t afraid to tackle important themes like death or mortality to name but a couple. The Aristocats don’t take advantage of the obvious element of class in the story to any great effect; no conflict, apart from the obvious motivation of money from the butler, ever derives from these characters of different worlds. Everything is played for laughs; and while in a children’s film this is hardly a bad thing, Disney did not balance this story as well as most that came before it.
The animation, still brilliant, and worked on by some of Disney’s now infamous ‘Nine Old Men’, took on a rougher appearance than previous entries. This is not to imply that there was a drop in technique—all choices here are deliberate, and some suggest fiduciary—but the backgrounds are simplified considerably in detail, and there is a looser adherence to character’s lines, losing a more refined sense of movement that say Lady and the Tramp displayed. Considering this film explores the aristocratic point of view on the world, it is an interesting choice this reviewer doesn’t quite understand. If the film had been approached stylistically from O’Malley’s point of view, it would make more sense to me.
A bunch of Disney voice staples of the era, including one of my favourites Phil Harris (who voiced Baloo the bear and Little John) and Green Acres star Eva Gabor, wonderfully flesh out these characters.
Overall, this is hardly a standout of the 51 (currently; two more on the way) in Disney’s classic series, but it is an enjoyable film, and if you have a soft spot for cats or turn of last century Parisian landscapes, it’s worth a look. It’ll give you a chuckle, and looks beautiful remastered on blu ray.
MPAA Rating: G for general audiences.
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