The Aristocats Discussion

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toonaspie
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The Aristocats Discussion

Post by toonaspie »

Ooh, I get to start this one.

I'm a cat lover so I was quite intrigued that Walt Disney approved of the project before his death. Of course the final result was probably not was Disney himself would have anticipated.

It is also underrated. Many would say that this is just a combination of Lady and the Tramp + 101 Dalmations using cats instead of dogs. The Aristocats has lots of unique characteristics that allow the film to stand out from its other Disney animal fables.

What makes the love story between Thomas and Duchess difference from Lady and the Tramp is that Duchess is not as vulnerable as Lady. Duchess is more aware of her high class looks and social status and she becomes aware that Thomas is just being a player. She takes advantage of Thomas's will to help them get back to Paris but she refuses to give into his temptations. She knows that she and her children have a secure and rich life with her mistress. Thomas of course tries to waltz her away from that.

Yes, in real life there are people who treat cats so much like family that they actually give them an inheritance above other humans.

A vast majority of Disney films have either a British or an American setting. The Aristocats was the first (before Hunchback of Notre Dame) to have an urban Paris setting. And the only one where you see the Eiffel Tower in the background.

For its 1910 setting, The Aristocats digs deep into Turn of the Century French culture seeing how jazz has roots in the film. (They even tried to get Louis Armstrong to do the voice of Scat Cat).

There are exactly 20 characters in the film: 10 cats, 10 others. However I think some of these others characters were entirely unnessecary, particulary the British geese and the hound dogs. They do have their moments but they lack movement in the story and for some reason they appear out of the blue in the finale sequence (I noticed that most films from this Disney dark age do this alot). I guess sticking with they wanted to be very diverse with this film. Nothing wrong with that, but it strays away from the French setting just a little too much.

All in all, this is probably the best film from the Dark Age saga mainly because signs of cost cutting sequences (except for that one scene taken straight from 101 Dalmations) are not as highly obvious as you'll see in Robin Hood which follows this film.

I dunno if I'll get the DVD though. My belief on Disney Animated films is that if you can try hard enough you can find some good material (behind the scenes/deleted footage) on every Disney animated classic for public showing. I guess they were too lazy or they didnt even try. I'll wait.
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Post by Luke »

The Aristocats is an underrated film. It's quite good, and yet next to many of the excellent works which directly preceeded, it feels like a bit of mediocrity among the Disney canon. The "Ev'rybody Wants To Be a Cat" sequence is a highlight - a great song, plus energetic, imaginative, and colorful animation. But there are other really strong sequences too. "Scales and Arpeggios", and the introduction of Thomas O'Malley. None of the characters really enter the consciousness like Baloo or Maleficient or the Dwarfs, but O'Malley is likable and as is Duchess. Together, they have nice chemistry.

The plot is kind of similar to <i>101 Dalmatians</i>, but with this one, I get more the feel of a live action Disney film in structure, especially in the adult-kid dynamics . Think of a human cast in place of the cats, and you can almost picture a Dean Jones or maybe even Fred MacMurray and Suzanne Pleshette or Angela Lansbury making it work.

Edgar is pretty weak as far as villains go, but overall, I enjoy the movie...even if it doesn't have the great spark of Disney's finest. There's still much to like.
Last edited by Luke on Tue Sep 28, 2004 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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toonaspie
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Post by toonaspie »

Luke wrote: The plot is kind of similar to <i>101 Dalmatians</i>, but with this one, I get more the feel of a live action Disney film in structure. Think of a human cast in place of the cats, and you can almost picture a Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette, or maybe even Fred MacMurray making it work.
I have completely forgotten where I learned about this but originally The Aristocats was planned as a live action TV film and then a one hour animated special before (I think the Disney executives) decided to make this their next Disney classic. Smart move I say. But you cant help but wonder how exactly what this film may have been like had they gone with live action.
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Post by MickeyMousePal »

The Aristocats is a very, very underrated Disney Animated Classic I wouldn't say it's the worst one but I do like the song "Everybody wants to be a cat". Also Phil Harris was born to by the part of J. Thomas O'Malley.
I'm like the only one in my family that likes The Aristocats.
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Post by Luke »

toonaspie wrote:I have completely forgotten where I learned about this but originally The Aristocats was planned as a live action TV film and then a one hour animated special before (I think the Disney executives) decided to make this their next Disney classic. Smart move I say. But you cant help but wonder how exactly what this film may have been like had they gone with live action.
Interesting! This raises the question: Did I know this, and have it stored subconsciously in my memory somewhere, which unbeknownst to me, encouraged me to formulate my live action hypothesis? Or was I just extremely perceptive? Or maybe it's just a coincidence. Who Knows? :?
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Post by Christian »

Maybe there eventually will be a live action one in same the vein as 101D.
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Post by BrandonH »

I've got three words for the naysayers out there: "Uncle," "Waldo," and "marinated." 8)

On the one hand, this movie is so absurd that you can't help but laugh at it. On the other hand, it also has a real heart and tenderness that shine through, especially in the relationships between Thomas, Duchess, and the kids.

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Post by ichabod »

I myself sometimes underrate this film, i would automatically not think of this as one of Disney's best animated films and when i decide to watch it i am always reluctant to do so, but when i have finished i always think wow! It really is a great film and i think it equals some films like The Jungle and 101 Dalmatians.

The4 music by the Sherman brothers is fantastic Ev'rybody Wants to be a cat, has got to be one of the best Disney songs ever.

The characters are all well rounded and the plot even though i agree it is a points laughable is still strong, and you do begin to feel for tghe cats. Even though i would not say that Edgar is one of my favourite villains (Personally i think a villain has to be a bit more menacing) I cannot deny the scenes between him and the two dogs are hilarious. The Cast of secondary characters Frou Frou the Horse, Roquefort the Mouse, The Geese, The Alley Cats and the Two dogs are are fantastic, each have their own funny personalities and character traits that make this movie perfect.

Now i am beginning to think about it, this movie is a lot better than i have been giving it credit for! Now if you don't mind i am going to go and watch the Aristocats and then beat myself up for underrating it!
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Post by Prince Eric »

I think there is a reason certain films are underrated, maybe because, like, oh, say...they're not as good as the other ones? :wink: Maybe, just a suggestion.

The Aristocrats was planned as a project in several other mediums, but if I remember correctly, Disney wanted to keep their string of animated hits intact, so they gave it the green light as an animated feature. Personally, I watched it as a kid, and is one of the few that I don't have any desire of seeing again. (Of course, if there's a Special Edition DVD, I'd get it for completion sake and maybe watch it once.) Compared to the dog movies, it really pales. The villain isn't evil, he's just a clutz who wants to make a quick profit. No harm in that! Dutchess and O'Malley really don't have much heart to be good Disney protagonists and the kittens are just plained spoiled! I actually was hoping they'd get hurt from their fall over the bridge! Just kidding. No seriously. Anyway...

I would put this at the bottom of the Disney cannon. I think the South American package films have a much greater entertainment value and they actually have heart and cultural flavor (which is always a big plus with me.)

On a side note, it's ranked 87 on the Online Film Critic's Society's 100 Best animated films of all time. That was a list of films all the way up to 2002, where a total of like 350 movies were eligible. No offense to fans of this movie, but if they decide to re-do the list, I'm pretty sure it will fall-off. Another "under-rated" Disney movie, The Black Cauldron is ranked #100. With Finding Nemo, Brother Bear, and The Triplettes of Bellevill last year, I'm pretty sure that one has already been laid to rest. (Thank goodness for that!)
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Post by Wonderlicious »

I think that The Aristocats isn't a bad movie. I feel it's kinda lacklustre, but it has some watchable elements.
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Post by AwallaceUNC »

I'm with Ichabod in often underestimating it for myself. I watched about half a year ago for the first time in a long time. I found the movie itself to be much more enjoyable but the animation much worse than I remembered from seeing it as a child. The characters envoke emotion, which is always a plus (no, Edgar doesn't seem like a strong villain, but somehow, he works very well in the story). The voice talent works well, too. The story zips right along and really maintains the audience's attention the entire time. The songs are classic (possibly the best of the post-Walt/pre-Eisner era). The animation just looks very shoddy in many parts- that's really my main complaint. I liked it as a kid, so it has some nostaligc value for me, but by no means was it my favorite. Overall, not Disney's best, but still a pretty good (and slightly underrated, though I don't think you hear many people say they hate it) movie that I need to buy on DVD soon. Hopefully we'll see a 2-Disc set some day!

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'The Aristocats' has a lot of charm!

Post by Jules »

Hi! I've just seen 'The Aristocats'. Now I know that a lot of people consider it weak, and in some cases mediocre. But after viewing it, it is in my opinion, one the best Disney Classics of the '60s and the '70s.

I found the story very entertaining and comic. It seemed fresh and highly captivating as opposed to Robin Hood. I have a feeling that some of the chase scenes with Edgar and the two dogs, Lafayette and other one whose name I did not catch, are a bit old-fashioned, but I liked them nonetheless. Although not up to the brim with music, I also found the tunes enjoyable. When Marie was singing 'Scales and Arpeggios' on the piano, I'm sure that a lot of notes were flat or off-tone, but after all, the actress must have been a child so you can't expect her to be professional.

Something that REALLY pleased me was the animation. True, this movie was produced during the 'Dark Ages' when full animation ceased to exist, and Disney used the Xerox process, which made the characters all look very sketchy and rough and 'unclean'. In fact, the animation of 'Aristocats' is I think the sketchiest I've ever seen from Disney. It gets truly messy for example in Madame Bonfamille's hair. This brings me to wonder, in fact, if the animation was even cleaned up before being transferred directly (in its pencil form) to the cels with the Xerox process. :?

However, looking at the animation and ignoring the sketchiness and the fact that it's not 'full', I still think it is excellently animated. That's because we have to look at the original pencil animation, and I think that was very good. Take George, for example. I think his animation really brought out his goofy personality, and made him very believable. I can say the same for Madame Bonfamille. Overall, there's not much re-used animation either, as opposed to Robin Hood.

So what do you others think? Do you really believe that it's a mediocrity? Because I don't...
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Post by Wonderlicious »

I got the DVD of The Aristocats for free last year in a DVD offer in HMV (media store in the UK), not having amazing memories of the movie, yet once I watched the film, I quite liked it. Sure, the plot is pretty thin, being essentially a wacky musical adventure through Paris and the neighbouring countryside, with characters just thrown in for pretty much no reason but a song or a laugh. But this is what adds to its charm; it's a delightful little showcase for colourful characters and songs from the Sherman brothers (my favourites being the opening title number and "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat"). On the whole, I probably prefer it to The Jungle Book, which whilst considered Walt's swansong in animation, has a similar structure in terms of story.

As for the animation, this probably is the sketchiest of all Disney's works. The actual performance in the animation is good, yet the lines do look really loose in some scenes. I think one should note, however, that there is an excuse for this. I believe (not entirely sure, though am quite certain) that after Walt's death, the Disney company were considering closing down the animation department, and animated films generally had to be made on a cheap budget so as to make it seem as though Disney animation could be profitable and thus letting it survive. So, one could argue that whilst it may look uglier than the gorgeous colours and soft lines of Pinocchio and Cinderella, the economic nature of The Aristocats helped pave the way for a return to gorgeous colours and soft lines with the likes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.

Oh, and for those who are uncertain on how much Walt had to do with this movie (after listening to Aaron's great recent podcast episode with Renata), whilst Walt died before production really got underway, he did say that he wanted The Aristocats to be Disney's next film after The Jungle Book. Also on a similar note, the film was originally intended to be a live action mini series on The Wonderful World of Disney.
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Post by brotherbear »

I think that the reason many people believe this film to be mediocre because of the reused story line. If you really think about it, the story is extremely close to that of LatT (although obviously not identical, but nonetheless, very similar).

As for what you mentioned about the "sketchy" appearance of the animation, as an artist, I love seeing those things. I know many (if not most here) like seeing the animation as sharp and possessing as vivid colors as the original had, but I find it special to see those pencil lines.

I really liked the main songs that they had in The Aristocats. I found them VERY catchy, and also memorable. But unfortunately, they are IMO, severely underrated (much like in The Sword in the Stone).

I personally find this film to be better than many of the "Dark Age" films, as well as some of the more modern films produced by Disney :roll: *cough* Home on the Range *cough* This film also had great charaters, which I think had potential...I guess that The Aristocats just came out at a bad time, and too late...

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Re: 'The Aristocats' has a lot of charm!

Post by Lars Vermundsberget »

Julian Carter wrote:When Marie was singing 'Scales and Arpeggios' on the piano, I'm sure that a lot of notes were flat or off-tone, but after all, the actress must have been a child so you can't expect her to be professional.
...which is also very much "in character", don't you think? After all, we're talking about a kitten here.

As for quality, animation, "dark ages":

I find something to enjoy in most of Disney's animated "classics", even when they're considered "symptoms" of the "dark ages".

I like "The Aristocats" quite a bit, and I'd say the Disney artists were able to make the characters, mood and style work well within the limitations they had.

It was made in a time when Disney animation seemingly had no future, and the xerox process was invented to cut costs. I'd say this is what's meant by "dark ages" during that particular period - it doesn't necessarily mean that the story and the "overall effect" of one particular movie must be bad.

Again, I find something to enjoy in most of the "classics", and I'm sure a lot of us do. In that context, even the "mediocre" ones have quite a bit to offer. The ones, if any, that have barely anything good to offer, aren't the mediocre ones - they're the bad ones.
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Re: 'The Aristocats' has a lot of charm!

Post by Jules »

Lars Vermundsberget wrote:
Julian Carter wrote:When Marie was singing 'Scales and Arpeggios' on the piano, I'm sure that a lot of notes were flat or off-tone, but after all, the actress must have been a child so you can't expect her to be professional.
...which is also very much "in character", don't you think? After all, we're talking about a kitten here.
I agree. So, we can forgive her flat notes. :)
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Post by Timon/Pumbaa fan »

Not as bad as Robin Hood, The Rescuers, The Black Cauldron or The Fox and the Hound, it's pretty forgettable and one of my least favorites of the 45 classics. And this is coming from a cat-lover.

Oh and with the Jungle Book arguement, TJB is definetely Walt's last film. While Walt did have plans to make The Aristocats into a live-action film, it didn't get to far besides an idea and pretty much had little to no say on it. The Jungle Book however, DID get a lot of feedback from the man. He even hated the original darker draft and said he wanted a lighter story with lighter songs. So for that, TJB is Walt's last film, NOT The Aristocats.
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Post by brownie »

The Aristocats used to be one of my least favorite Disney classics when I was a kid, but that was before I saw many others. It would probably be in my top 25 Disney classics now.
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Post by MichaeLeah »

I also like The Aristocats, although I must confess it isn't one of my favorites. It doesn't help that I don't really like cats--I prefer dogs.

Scat cat (I think that was his name) was originally going to be Satchmo's voice. It you like at the way the cat is drawn makes him look like a cat version of Satchmo. Satchmo didn't end up being Scat cat because he backed out at the last minute. The actor who filled his place was asked to try to sing and act like Satchmo (Satchmo really would have done a great job doing that part.)

I went to the Satchmo Festival last year and I got to ask one of Louis Armstrong's friends why he backed out of doing the film. The fellow didn't know for sure why Louis backed out of the film, he did have a pretty strong assumption. He probably backed out of the film because of money. Armstrong didn't necessary have anything to do with it--it would have probably been his manager's doings. In the end, Satch didn't do the film but Scat cat is just like Louis Armstrong.

I hope this was somewhat coherent. I am really tired and about to go to bed. I just thought this was interesting trivia that some of you might like to hear.
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Post by Stinky Pete »

I was in a Starbucks yesterday and they were playing a version of Everybody wants to be a Cat. I was surprised they were playing this tune. Does anyone know if this tune is on one of the Starbucks CDs? I can't imagine anyone doing a remake of the tune.
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