In Paris 1910, a rich, elderly woman Madame Adalaide Bonfamille (voiced by Hermione Baddely), lives for her cats—mother cat Duchess (Eva Gabor) and her three kittens. Madame intends to leave her fortune to the felines upon her death. There’s one catch—her butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxbury) must take care of them and in return, he will receive the estate once the foursome have exhausted all thirty-six of their respective nine lives. Not wanting to wait, Edgar drugs the kittens and takes them to the country, intending to leave them there.
Now Duchess and her kittens must find their way home to their master and stop Edgar from taking what is rightfully theirs. Enter a sly stray cat named Thomas O’Malley (Phil Harris) who offers to help them find their way home. Edgar isn’t about to give up, however, and begins plotting out a way to intercept the cats before they reach Paris. Luckily for the cats, O’Malley and his buddies, a mouse named Roquefort (Sterling Holloway), a horse named Frou-Frou (Nancy Kulp), hound dogs Napoleon (Pat Buttram) and Lafayette (George Lindsey) and O’Malley’s band of musically-inclined cats, led by Scat Cat (Scatman Crothers) are determined to make any plan Edgar may have, a failure.
Nothing about The Aristocats is particularly original; much of what happens is to be expected. Nonetheless, this is still enjoyable story that offers up a bit of humor for kids of all ages. The songs, while not necessarily the type you would rush to put on your iPod, have and undeniable charm. The “good” characters are likeable and the “bad” characters are distrustful without being scary. At a mere 78 minutes, the film moves along at a steady pace, without ever becoming dull.
The voice work in the film is very strong. Phil Harris as O’Malley is the definite standout. Likely best known as the voice of Baloo in The Jungle Book and Little John in Robin Hood, Harris injects great life into the character making him the lovable rogue we know he is. Eva Gabor is easily identifiable and appropriate as the Duchess. The voice actors who play the three kittens—Dean Clark as Berlioz, Gary Dubin as Toulouse and Liz English Marie are also good, along with Sterling Holloway as Roquefort and Nancy Kulp as Frou-Frou. Disney fans should be pleased to add this Blu-ray to their collections.
The Aristocats comes to Blu-ray in an excellent 1080p transfer in the 1.67:1 aspect ratio. The colors look absolutely beautiful throughout. Detail is probably as good as this type of animation is ever going to allow. There’s no evidence of DNR; the picture looks clean and film like.
The main mix is a new English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, though lossy options are provided in French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and in Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The lossless audio provides a nice range of effects throughout all channels. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout. Where the track really shines is in its presentation of the various musical numbers. Bass is strong and deep, but not in a way that buries the softer instruments. Vocals are nicely balanced throughout each track. Disney has done a fine job, here.
English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are available.
Along with a standard DVD of the film, the following special features are available:
- The Lost Open (HD, 9:31): Aristocats songwriter Richard M. Sherman introduces a storyboarded deleted scene that features a cut character and song. The demo features Sherman as Edgar and his brother Robert as a maid named Elvira.
- The Sherman Brothers: The Aristocats of Disney Songs (SD, 4:24): A short overview of the Shermans’ contributions to The Aristocats and the process behind writing and storyboarding for an animated feature.
- Deleted Song (SD, 7:56): A second deleted song, “She Never Felt Alone.”
- Movie with On-Screen Lyrics (HD): Sing along with The Aristocats with this on-screen track.
- Classic Song Selection (HD): Four sing-along songs from the film, karaoke style .
- Music Video (HD, 1:53): “Oui Oui Marie,” a skipping-record Aristocats remix by D!tto.
- 1956 Animated Special Excerpt (SD, 12:51): “The Great Cat Family,” hosted by Walt Disney.
- Bonus Short (HD, 6:40): “Bath Day,” a Walt Disney animated short featuring Minnie Mouse and Figaro.
