Released in 1970, The Aristocats is one of the studio's most iconic films, featuring a trio of kittens, their mother and a street-savvy alleycat as they try to make it back home. The movie starts off by introducing Duchess (Eva Gabor), and her kittens, Marie (the singer), Toulouse (the painter) and Berloiz (the pianist), who all show exquisite taste and have lived in a high-class Parisian household all their lives.
When Madame Bonfamille (their owner) calls upon her old friend and lawyer to draw up her will, the woman's butler, Edgar, becomes surprised to learn that her vast fortunes will go to the four cats when the elderly woman passes. Knowing that upon the loss of the cats, the money will go to him, he sets out to kidnap and drop the refined felines off in the middle of nowhere.
Edgar steals the cats away, but his trip to the country goes afoul when he crosses the path of two hound dogs, Napoleon and Lafayette. During the ensuing chase, the basket of sleeping kittens flies off the motorcycle and Edgar races back home.
When the family wakes up in a ditch, they soon discover they are lost, but thankfully a sly alleycat named Thomas O'Malley (Phil Harris) just happens to be walking by. When O'Malley falls for Duchess, and unexpectedly, the kittens, he agrees to show them the way back to Paris. It's a long journey, and along the way, they will meet up with a pair of geese who become their traveling companions, but before they can make it all the way back home, the party stops by O'Malley's place. At his place, a band of swingers is holding up, and the whole troupe breaks out into song about the joys of being a cat. Eventually, the gang makes their way back to their luxurious house, but before they can reclaim their comfort, something needs to be done about Edgar.
As is the case with most Disney movies, at least these early ones, music plays a big part in the film. Not only are there several songs that the various characters sing to (like "Scales and Arpeggio", "Thomas O'Malley" or "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat"), but even when there is no singing going on, the background music that is happening is full of energy and really drives the show. A most notable example of this is the previously mentioned chase between Edgar and the two hound dogs. The scene would feel completely different if some other music was put to it, and it just wouldn't feel right.
Speaking of music, one of the DVD's special features is about a song that never made it into the final cut. "She Never Felt Alone" is a song sung by Duchess about their mistress just after O'Malley finds them. The special feature takes original storyboard art and puts the song to them so you can get a feel for how the movie might have felt at that point. It's truly a feature for Disney collectors.
The DVD also includes an interview with the Sherman brothers, who are responsible for the audio-feel and songs of this movie, as well as an old documentary about the housecat narrated by none other than Walt Disney himself.
The Aristocats is one of those movies that I grew up watching and loving. The songs have stuck with me through the years, but it wasn't until this release that I had a chance to see it since the VHS version I currently own. Like many great Disney movies, it stands up to the test of time, and if you haven't seen it yet, that is a situation that must be ratified quickly.
