The AristoCats

A French feline and her three kittens are cat-napped by the scheming butler of a wealthy Parisian Madame; enter a "hep cat" from the wrong side of the tracks. 1962's independently-produced "Gay Purr-ee" was groovier, and Disney's own "Lady and the Tramp" and "101 Dalmatians" covered this ground (with dogs) with much more spirit--not to mention better songs--so "The Aristocats" was already second-best on three counts: story, presentation and music. The movie is at odds with itself over how far to go with its comedy: at one point, the butler on his motorcycle drives into the base of a windmill and moves the structure a few feet before crashing through the other side. It's Saturday morning TV slapstick, lumpy with comic relief that might only tickle indiscriminating children. ** from ****

I'm joking again. I actually would encourage people to dislike this film. I find it average at best. As a Disney picture, it's a shameless rip-off of "101 Dalmations" - only instead of dogs, it's with cats. "AristoCATS" -- ha, ha! How clever I wonder how long it took them to come up with that one. Basically the Disney formula is in place - animals on the run from a deranged weirdo who has a strange obsession with animals and wants them dead. In this case it's the butler of a rich woman who has left her estate and belongings to the possession of her cat upon death. The butler decides to get rid of the cat and her new kittens and then have himself be put in the will. It's actually rather dark because he kidnaps the cats and plans for them to die in the wild, but they meet up with a street cat who teaches them the ways of the "real world." If you think this plot is incredibly stupid and far-fetched then you are probably right. But as a children's film you can hardly blame it for being utterly nonsensical and not bearing any sense of reality. If you are a Disney enthusiast you will find something to enjoy here. Some of the musical performances are fun. But it's not a remarkable film or one that is particularly memorable from Disney's canon.

No. I'm not kidding with this one. He was a guest reviewer for Entertainment Weekly and gave this movie positive marks. And who can blame him? This is a charming, upbeat, and rather funny Disney movie. Who doesn't love kittens? The music in Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat is jamming. It makes me want to snap my fingers or something. Only years later when Cats Don't Dance came out have I seen a movie that was that musically fun. What Aristocats lacks in animation and story, it makes up for in charm. Plus, everything moves at a relaxed pace, and even the villain isn't all that scary. It's perfect for the younger set while not being so sappy that adults can't like it. If Snoop was here, I'm sure he would say the same thing. Yeah. Dig those CRAZY cats, man.

Complaints from previous commentators that "the pencil marks show" in the animated art shows that they miss the point entirely. The visual style is deliberately similar to what was used in '101 Dalmatians' with the characters having a deliberately sketchy look--an art style used to great effect in this and several other Disney movies. Far from being "weak animation", this is one of the very best works produced by the Disney artists. The color is superb, the humor is constant and the mere fact that the storyline bears a resemblance to the 'Dalmatians' plot does nothing to weaken the film. Upon release, it was an enormous success and has made even more money in subsequent theatrical revivals. Viewers who make comments about the art work, don't seem to realize that the "sketchy" look was what the artists sought--it has nothing whatsoever to do with careless art work. All the voices are extremely well done--Eva Gabor as the Duchess and Phil Harris as Thomas O'Malley are perfect. The slapstick comedy involving the bumbling butler and the dogs is priceless! This is another great Disney film that children and adults can enjoy equally.

The Ariosto cats is a hilarious tale about a cat named Maria along with her kittens who are kidnapped by the butler and now must make it home with the help of an alley cat named o'mally In a lot of ways it reminds me of 101 Dalmatians from art work, animals being involved with worried owners, the butler and he even crashed his mo pad in a river. This cation seems to mix a few genres successfully. The two cats fall in love Paris style. Comedy from the hi-jinks the butler will go to get the animals only to fail. Drama from being ripped away from their elderly lonely owner and horror at what lengths human nature will go. The music is enchanting from classical romantic synthetic music to back street jamboree. The voice work had real talent like Phil Harris and Eva Harbor who provide great life, pose and unique charm to the roles. Not the best Disney feature ever made, but its a great way to kill an hour. 6/10

Since cats have nine lives, I'll give you nine reasons to see this movie: * The kittens Berlioz and Toulouse playing the piano together (so unbelievably cute!) * The car-chasing dogs Napoleon and Lafayette * Toulouse jumping like electrified every time he wants to be like a tough alley cat * Marie sighing romantically while alley cat O'Malley seduces her mom * Scat Cat and his jazz band, singing "ev'rybody wants to be a cat" * Stupid but proper and nice English geese Amelia and Abigail who make the cats walk like geese * O'Malley obtaining the "magic carpet" which puts the Cheshire cat to shame * Roquefort the brave mouse's journey to ask help from alley cats * Edgar the butler chase scenes and transition from a nice guy to an insane cat hater due to cat riddance plan gone bad

The AristoCats follows a rich feline and her three kittens, after their elderly owner willed all of her belongings to the cats, her butler Edgar plots to get rid of the felines. This movie is hilarious. The characters are loveable, the dialogue is great and there some fun slapstick action scenes. The music is great! The song "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" will be stuck in your head for days! The plot isn't very realistic (Is Disney ever "Realistic"?) But it's a lot if fun. The kids will definitely enjoy it! The voice-acting is good too. You may recognize Sterling Holloway, known for voicing Winnie the Pooh and the Cheshire Cat. Here he lends his voice to the cats' mouse friend. The AristoCats definitely deserves it's place among the Walt Disney Animated Studios canon.