The Aristocats

The Aristocats is the twentieth full-length animated feature film in the Disney canon.

The Aristocats is a 1970 animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions. The twentieth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. Based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, the story revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley cat acquaintance helps them after a butler has kidnapped them to gain his mistress' fortune which was meant to go to them. It was originally released to theaters by Buena Vista Distribution on December 11, 1970. The title is a pun on the word aristocrats.

The film's basic idea - an animated romantic musical comedy about talking cats in France - had previously been used in the UPA animated feature Gay Purr-ee.

Plot
Set in Paris, France, in 1910, the story centers around a mother cat named Duchess and her three kittens: her daughter Marie, and her two sons Berlioz and Toulouse. The cats live in the mansion of retired opera singer Adelaide Bonfamille, along with her big-nosed butler Edgar. Also living on the estate are Frou-Frou (a horse) and Roquefort (a mouse who is a good friend of the cats).

Adelaide wants to settle her will with her lawyer Georges Hautecourt (a senile old man who denies his old age). Adelaide tells Georges that she wishes to leave her entire fortune to Edgar, but only after her cats reach "the end of their lifespans." Edgar overhears this plan through a speaking tube and is dismayed, as he worries that he will die before he is able to collect the inheritance (incorrectly assuming that the cats will each have nine full lifespans of twelve years, totalling 108 years). Therefore, he plots to eliminate the cats, therefore making himself the sole beneficiary.

That same evening, Edgar drops some sleeping pills in the cats' milk, putting them to sleep. After night falls, Edgar takes the sleeping cats in their travelling basket far away from home, hoping to drop them on the borders of a swamp near a farm. However, two farm dogs, Napoleon and Lafayette, hear Edgar approach. Believing him to be an intruder, the dogs attack him, biting him on the rear end. This causes him to leave the basket in the swamp. Edgar manages to escape, but is forced to leave his motorbike's sidecar, his prized hat, the basket, and his umbrella.

Back at the mansion, Adelaide has a nightmare about the cats going missing. On going to their sleeping basket, she finds this fear confirmed. Roquefort, hearing the terrible news, goes out to look for them.

Meanwhile, Duchess and the kittens awake to find themselves in unfamiliar settings. Worried, they decide to sleep in their basket and wait for morning. When the sun rises, Duchess meets a friendly, self-absorbed, worldly stray cat named Thomas O'Malley, who befriends the cats and helps them get home. From the first, O'Malley is smitten with the beautiful Duchess, and she with him. He takes on an indulgent, paternal role toward the kittens, who are quite awed with this handsome, seemingly knowledgeable newcomer.

Roquefort returns to the mansion, and miserably tells the downhearted Frou-Frou that he couldn't find the cats anywhere, even after searching all night. Edgar, the only happy person in the mansion, dances into the stable and tells Frou-Frou (believing that she can't understand him) that it was he who kidnapped the cats. It is then that Edgar remembers that the only evidence left to convict him is the stuff he left at the farm (motorcycle sidecar,the basket umbrella, and hat) the previous night, and that he must retrieve it before the police do.

O'Malley, Duchess and the kittens continue the journey home, and befriend some gossip-loving geese named Abigail and Amelia Gabble after O'Malley almost drowns saving Marie from falling in the river. Then later encount Abigail and Amelia's Uncle Waldo on the way. Abigail and Amelia (possibly modelled after the sisters Gwendolyn and Cicely in the earlier movie "The Odd Couple") are bombastic English geese, who misinterpret O'Malley's every move; Waldo is their uncle, a frivolous gander who greatly amuses the party, being drunk after bathed by a chef in white wine. Later on the cats find an old house to stay in with O'Malley's musical alley cat friends led by Scat Cat.

Meanwhile, Edgar sets off to the farm to find his things, and sees that Napoleon and Lafayette have made beds out of the things they stole from Edgar. The butler bumps the sidecar and the dogs go flying. Edgar lures the two dogs away from his things. After another fight, he manages to escape again, (on a one-wheeled haystack) this time with all the stolen items. Napoleon and Lafayette stare at the triumphant butler in disbelief.

The next morning, the cats arrive at their home. Duchess says goodbye to O'Malley. Edgar opens the door for them, letting them in. Before Roquefort can warn them, Edgar slams a sack over them, tying them up and hiding them in the oven. Horrified, Roquefort runs to get O'Malley, who tells Roquefort to call his alley cat friends while he holds Edgar off. Thomas sneaks into the barn, where he sees Edgar lock Duchess and the kittens in a trunk, hoping to send them to Timbuktu.

Meanwhile, Roquefort goes to the alley, nearly getting killed after misremembering Thomas's name as O'Toole, O'Brien, and O'Grady, but avoids getting impaled on Scat Cat's claw by shouting at the last second, "Why did I ever listen to that O'Malley cat?!" He tells the cats that O'Malley needs them, and the cats rush off to help their friend.

O'Malley stops Edgar and closes the barn door. Edgar and O'Malley fight over the trunk, but Edgar, being human, overpowers the stray cat and pins him to a wall with a pitchfork. To his surprise, O'Malley finds himself not impaled and dead, but caught between two prongs. At that moment, Roquefort and the alley cats arrive and stall Edgar while Roquefort unlocks the padlock on the trunk. He yells "Quiet!", then everyone holds still and keeps quiet, then after the trunk opens they carrying on fighting again.

Though Edgar proves to be stronger than the cats, they get the better of him using teamwork, trapping him in a horse harness and having Frou-Frou kick Edgar into the trunk, just as the delivery men arrive. They ship him to Timbuktu.

That night, Adelaide accepts O'Malley into the family, and erases Edgar from her will, unaware of his intentions but due to the fact that he has simply disappeared. She also gives the cats a surprise: her new animal shelter, which makes her house a home for all the alley cats of Paris (and several other animals as is revealed a few moments later). Adelaide urges Georges to make provision in the will "for their future little ones"; presumably the offspring of Duchess by O'Malley (their future children).

A party is thrown in the foundation room, involving nearly everyone from the movie: Scat Cat and his band, Frou-Frou, Roquefort, Napoleon, Lafayette, Amelia, Abigail and Waldo. Napoleon and Lafayette get the last word in, breaking the fourth wall to humorous effect:


 * Lafayette: Hey, Napoleon, that sounds like the end.
 * Napoleon: Wait a minute, I'm the leader. I'll say when it's the end. [the words "The End" fly in and hit him on the side of the head] It's the end.

Note: This particular exchange is the third (and final) instance of a gag seen in the movie where Lafayette makes a suggestion, and Napoleon says that, as he's the leader, he is the one to decide the circumstance, and its demands, only to pause for a few seconds and go with Lafayette's suggestion.

International release dates

 * Brazil: February 20, 1971
 * Argentina: May 14, 1971
 * Australia: August 5, 1971
 * Italy: November 13, 1971
 * Sweden: December 4, 1971
 * Spain: December 6, 1971
 * France: December 8, 1971
 * West Germany: December 16, 1971
 * Finland: December 17, 1971
 * Denmark: December 26, 1971
 * Norway: December 26, 1971
 * Hong Kong: January 20, 1972
 * Japan: March 11, 1972
 * Portugal: October 25-27, 1977, February 6, 1978, February 10, 1978, February 14-16, 1978
 * Mexico: December 6, 1978

Theatrical re-releases and home video
The Aristocats was re-released to theaters on December 19, 1981 and April 10, 1987. It was released on VHS in Europe with the Sorcerer Mickey Classics logo (1988-94) on January 1, 1990.

It was first released on VHS in North America in the Masterpiece Collection series on April 24, 1996 and DVD on April 4, 2000 in the Gold Classic Collection line. The Aristocats had its Gold Collection disc quietly discontinued in 2006.

A new single-disc Special Edition DVD (previously announced as a 2-Disc set) was released on February 5, 2008.

Crew
Director: Producer: Sound Effects: Directing Animators: Music: Songs: Orchestration: Story: Production Design: Character Animation: Production Manager: Film Editor: Music Editor: Based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe
 * Wolfgang Reitherman
 * Wolfgang Reitherman
 * Winston Hilber
 * Dan MacManus
 * Dick Lucas
 * Milt Kahl
 * Frank Thomas
 * Ollie Johnston
 * John Lounsbery
 * George Bruns
 * Richard and Robert Sherman
 * Walter Sheets
 * Larry Clemmons
 * Vance Gerry
 * Ken Anderson
 * Frank Thomas
 * Eric Cleworth
 * Jullus Svendsen
 * Ralph Wright
 * Ken Anderson
 * Hal King
 * Eric Larson
 * Eric Cleworth
 * Jullus Svendsen
 * Fred Hellmich
 * Walt Stanchfield
 * Don Duckwall
 * Tom Acosta
 * Evelyn Kennedy

Characters and Cast
The Aristocats uses the funny animals convention of talking animals who are understood by all other species except humans. Species featured include Cat, Dog, Mouse, Frog, Horse, Goose and Rooster. Specific characters are as follows:
 * Abraham de Lacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley - an alley cat who befriends Duchess and the kittens and becomes Duchess's mate. Goes by simply "Thomas O'Malley" - Phil Harris
 * Duchess - an "aristocat" that lives with Madame Bonfamille - Eva Gabor
 * Marie - Duchess's white-furred daughter. As of January 2007, she has appeared at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL as a meetable character. She is also meetable at Hong Kong Disneyland - Liz English
 * Berlioz - Duchess's black-furred son, named after the famous composer - Dean Clark
 * Toulouse - Duchess's ginger-furred son, named after a town in Southern France and the artist, Henry Toulouse-Lautrec- Gary Dubin
 * Edgar Balthazar - Madame Bonfamille's evil, greedy butler - Roddy Maude-Roxby
 * Roquefort - a mouse who lives with Duchess and her kittens - Sterling Holloway
 * Scat Cat - a leader of an alley cat band and a friend of O'Malley's - Scatman Crothers
 * Madame Adelaide Bonfamille - the owner of Duchess and her kittens - Hermione Baddeley
 * Napoleon and Lafayette - Two hound dogs who attack Edgar. Napoleon (not to be confused with Napoleon Bonaparte), is a Bloodhound, while Lafayette is a Basset Hound - Pat Buttram (Napoleon) George Lindsey (Lafayette)
 * Frou Frou - Madame Bonfamille's horse - Nancy Kulp
 * Amelia and Abigail Gabble - Two English geese (twin sisters) who save O'Malley from drowning - Monica Evans and Carole Shelley
 * Uncle Waldo - Amelia and Abigail's drunk Uncle - Bill Thompson.
 * Georges Hautecourt - Madame Bonfamille's lawyer. Madame tells her lawyer her will (also heard by Edgar). Georges is old. In fact, the engine sputters, and backfires, and he sings, "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay....." while getting out of his car he says that "he was not as spry as he was when he was 88", indicating that he is older than 88, and perhaps is even older than Madame Bonfamille - Charles Lane
 * Shun Gon - a Chinese Siamese cat, who plays the piano using chopsticks - Paul Winchell
 * Hit Cat - an English cat, with wild blonde hair - Lord Tim Hudson
 * Peppo - an Italian cat, wearing a look-alike Robin Hood hat and a red scarf - Vito Scotti
 * Billy Bass - a Russian cat, who plays the double bass in Scat Cat's band - Thurl Ravenscroft
 * Frog - The frog who scares Berlioz in the swamp.
 * The Milkman - Man who kicked O'Malley and Aristocats out of his milk truck, in which they had been hitchhiking. Voiced by Peter Renaday.

Voice cast

 * Phil Harris -- Thomas O'Malley the Orange Cat
 * Eva Gabor -- Duchess the white Cat (speaking voice)
 * Liz English -- Marie (kitten)
 * Gary Dubin -- Toulouse (kitten)
 * Dean Clark -- Berlioz (kitten)
 * Sterling Holloway -- Roquefort the Mouse
 * Roddy Maude-Roxby -- Edgar Balthazar the Butler/Trunk Movers/Removal Men
 * Scatman Crothers -- Scat Cat
 * Paul Winchell -- Shun Gon the Chinese Cat
 * Lord Tim Hudson -- Hit Cat the English Cat
 * Vito Scotti -- Peppo the Italian Cat
 * Thurl Ravenscroft -- Billy Boss the Russian Cat
 * Pat Buttram -- Napoleon the Bloodhound
 * George Lindsey -- Lafayette the Basset Hound
 * Hermione Baddeley -- Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, owner of Duchess
 * Charles Lane -- Georges Hautecourt the Lawyer
 * Monica Evans -- Abigail Gabble the Goose
 * Carole Shelley -- Amelia Gabble the Goose
 * Nancy Kulp -- Frou-Frou the Horse
 * Bill Thompson -- Uncle Waldo the Goose
 * Robie Lester -- Duchess (uncredited) (singing voice)
 * Peter Renaday -- French Milkman the Driver/Le Petit Cafe Cook/Truck Movers (voice) (uncredited)
 * Mel Blanc -- The Frog
 * Ruth Buzzi -- Frou-Frou's singing voice
 * Maurice Chevalier -- Singer

Soundtrack Listing

 * 1) 	"The Aristocats" - Maurice Chevalier
 * 2) 	Scales And Arpeggios - Liz English, Gary Dubin, Dean Clark, Robie Lester
 * 3) 	Thomas O'Malley Cat - Phil Harris
 * 4) 	Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat - Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, Paul Winchell
 * 5) 	"She Never Felt Alone" - Robie Lester
 * 6)       Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat (reprised) - Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, Paul Winchell, Ruth Buzzi, Bill Thompson

On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic, this includes Thomas O'Malley Cat on the purple disc and Everybody Wants to Be a Cat on the orange disc. And on Disney's Greatest Hits, this also includes Everybody Wants to Be a Cat on the red disc.

The Aristocats II
The Aristocats II was to be a direct-to-video sequel to the 1970 Disney animated film The Aristocats. It was scheduled to be released in 2007, but the production was canceled in early 2006 after Disney acquired Pixar and canceled all projects not related to a consumer product line.

Cast

 * Linda Gray as Duchess
 * Tara Strong as Marie
 * Jonah Bobo as Toulouse
 * Shane Baumel as Berlioz
 * John Goodman as Thomas O'Malley
 * Jim Cummings as Roquefort the Mouse and Shun Gon the Siamese Cat
 * Darius McCrary as Scat Cat
 * Jess Harnell as Hit Cat
 * Andy Richter as Dennis the Rat/Morter the Frog/Alley Cats
 * Jeff Bennett as Uncle Waldo the Goose