The Aristocats

• Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
• December 11, 1970 (Premiere) / December 24, 1970 (United States)
• Based on The Aristocats by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe

Voice Cast

• J. Thomas O’Malley-Phil Harris
• Duchess-Eva Gabor
• Toulouse-Gary Dubin
• Marie-Liz English
• Berlioz-Dean Clark
• Scat Cat-Scatman Crothers
• Shun Gon-Paul Winchell
• Hit Cat-Lord Tim Hudson
• Peppo-Vito Scotti
• Billy Boss-Thurl Ravenscroft
• Frou-Frou-Nancy Kulp
• Napoleon-Pat Buttram
• Lafayette-George Lindsey
• Madame Adelaide Bonfamille-Hermione Baddeley
• Georges Hautecourt-Charles Lane
• Edgar Balthazar-Roddy Maude-Roxby
• Abigail Gabble-Monica Evans
• Amelia Gabble-Carole Shelley
• Uncle Waldo-Bill Thompson
• French Milkman, Le Petit Cafe Cook, Truck Movers-Peter Renaday

A family of aristocratic cats are helped by an alley cat after their owner’s butler kidnaps them to gain his employer’s fortune early.

Somebody killing somebody so they inherit all of the money is a plot that’s been done dozens of times in film but what makes The Aristocats stand out is not only is it an animated feature. It’s done with that old-school Disney magic that makes a dark concept like fraud or murder or killing strangely family friendly. The animation is classic Disney with an execution that borders on moving sketch than it does on something that looks more like animation. It gives it a certain charm and beauty.

The film is largely a series of fun misadventures where a loner cat named J. Thomas O’Malley aids the family of pampered kitty Duchess to get back to Paris. One grows into a responsible adult while the other finds love and a father for their children. There is absolutely nothing particularly special about this but the film itself is absolute magic. The meat of the story is not only the personal growth of the cat characters but of the inept Balthazar trying to cover up his crime that he was accidentally able to pull off. He decides to get the cats out of the way since they will inherit their owner’s fortune when she dies then he gets it after the cats die. Couldn’t she just get more cats before she dies? She has no notable illnesses.

This takes place in Paris in 1910 but we got two hick sounding dogs and voices from other characters that sound either British or generic American. The British and generic American ones are not so much an issue but the two hick dogs kinda are. Pat Buttram and George Lindsey voice the dogs Lafayette and Napoleon respectively with both having starred in shows that fell victim to CBS’s Rural Purge of the early 70s. Paris strikes me as a random choice with any number of other European locations making more sense given the lack of French/French sounding characters. You’re not gonna question this as a kid but maybe as a cynical adult you might notice go huh?

Balthazar is a genuine threat of a villain but not frightening. His success is largely due to the unexpected nature of him doing it and that the other characters rarely see beyond themselves. Madame Bonfamille borders on nearly oblivious of her servant with her daffy lawyer Georges almost unaware he exists. Watch the movie! I might start plotting a crime as well if two people I was around regularly barely knowing I existed.

Aside from Pat Buttram and George Lindsey, the film also features the voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Dean Clark, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers, and Roddy Maude-Roxby. Maybe time has dimmed their fame, but these were talents of the time. Not huge names but talent. The music is good but none of it has the catchiness of The Jungle Book or any number of other Disney features.

All this comes together in The Aristocats to create some old-school Disney magic. While aiming squarely at children, it’s satisfying enough for adults that you could sit down and watch this by yourself again and again. I highly recommend it!