The Aristocats 343408 226050231 2008-07-16T16:36:28Z 69.85.76.83 /* The Aristocats II */ {{Unreferenced|date=June 2007}} {{Distinguish|The Aristocrats (film)}} {{Infobox Film |name=The Aristocats |image=aristoposter.jpg |director=[[Wolfgang Reitherman]] |writer=[[Ken Anderson (movie writer)|Ken Anderson]] <br> [[Larry Clemmons]] <br> [[Eric Cleworth]] <br> [[Vance Garry]] <br> Tom McGowan <br> [[Tom Rowe (screenwriter)|Tom Rowe]] <br> [[Julius Svendsen]] <br> [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]] <br> [[Ralph Wright]] |starring=[[Phil Harris]]<br>[[Eva Gabor]]<br>[[Liz English]]<br>[[Gary Dubin]] <br> [[Dean Clark (actor)|Dean Clark]]<br>[[Sterling Holloway]]<br>[[Roddy Maude-Roxby]] |music=[[George Bruns]]<br>[[Richard and Robert Sherman]] (songs) |producer=[[Winston Hibler]] <br> [[Wolfgang Reitherman]] |distributor=[[Buena Vista Pictures]] |released=[[December 11]], [[1970]] (premiere)<br>[[December 24]], [[1970]] (regular) |runtime=78 minutes |language=[[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] |country=[[United States]] |budget=$4,000,000 (estimated) |imdb_id=0065421 | preceded_by = | followed_by = }} '''''The Aristocats''''' is a [[1970]] [[animated feature]] produced and released by [[Walt Disney Productions]]. It is 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 [[aristocrat]]ic [[cat]]s, 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 ''[[Aristocracy|aristocrats]]''. The film's basic idea - an animated romantic [[musical comedy]] about talking cats in [[France]] - had previously been used in the [[United Productions of America|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]] Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse. The cats live in the [[mansion]] of retired [[opera]] singer Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, along with her English butler Edgar. Also living on the estate are Frou-Frou (a [[horse]]) and Roquefort (a [[mouse]] who is a good friend of the cats). Madame Adelaide, early on, settles her [[will (law)|will]] with her lawyer Georges Hautecourt, an aged, eccentric old friend of hers, stating that she wishes Edgar to look after her beloved cats until they die and then inherit the fortune himself. Edgar hears this from his own room and miscalculates that each cat will live nine lifetimes of which each consists of twelve years. He therefore believes he will be dead before he inherits Madame Adelaide's fortune, and plots to remove the cats from a position of inheritance. He sedates the cats by putting a special potion in their milk and then heads out into the country side to abandon them. However, two hound dogs named [[Napoleon]] and [[LaFayette]], who think Edgar is an intruder, attack him. Edgar leaves behind his umbrella and hat, the cats' bed-basket, and the sidecar of his motorcycle. The cats are left in the country side, while Madame Adelaide, Roquefort, and Frou-Frou discover their absence. In the morning, Duchess meets a friendly, romantic, cheerful, self-absorbed, jolly alley cat named Abraham D'Lacey Guiseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley, who flirts with her and ultimately offers to guide her and the kittens to Paris. From their meeting onward, Duchess is enamored of the handsome Thomas O'Malley (as he is most frequently called) and he with her; the kittens, too, are enraptured and he fond of them. The cats have a struggle returning to the city, briefly hitchiking on the back of a milk cart before being chased off by the driver. Marie subsequently falls into a river and is saved by O'Malley. They then meet a pair of English geese, Amelia and Abigail Gabble, who are travelling for Paris. The group head off, marching like geese, until they reach Paris and come across the girls' drunken Uncle Waldo. Abigail and Amelia then depart to take Waldo home. Travelling across the rooftops of the city, the cats meet Scat Cat and his band, close friends to O'Malley, who perform the song ''Everybody Wants to Be a Cat''. After the band have departed and the kittens lie in bed, O'Malley and Duchess spend the evening on a nearby rooftop and talk, while the kittens listen at a windowsill. The subject of their conversation is the question of whether Duchess may stay and marry Thomas; eventually, she refuses, largely out of loyalty to Madame Adelaide. Edgar, meanwhile, retrieves his sidecar, umbrella, and hat from Napoleon and Layafette (who had made beds out of them) with some difficulty. The cats make it back to the mansion, whereupon O'Malley departs sadly. Edgar sees Duchess and Kittens coming and captures them, places them in a sack and briefly hides them in an oven. The cats tell Roquefort to pursue O'Malley and get help. He does so, whereupon O'Malley races back to the mansion, ordering Roquefort to find Scat Cat and his gang. Edgar places the cats in a trunk which he plans to send to [[Timbuktu]], [[Africa]]. O'Malley, Scat Cat and his gang, and Frou-Frou all fight Edgar, while Roquefort frees Duchess and kittens. In the end, Edgar is tipped into the trunk, locked inside, and sent to Timbuktu himself. Madame Adelaide's will is rewritten to exclude Edgar and include O'Malley; simultaneously, Madame Adelaide starts a charity foundation providing a home for all of Paris' stray cats. The grand opening thereof, to which most of the major characters come, features Scat Cat's band, who perform a reprise of ''Everybody Wants to Be a Cat''. It is implied, moments before, that Duchess is pregnant with O'Malley's offspring. == Releases == ===International release dates=== *'''[[Brazil]]''': [[February 20]], [[1971]] *'''[[Argentina]]''': [[May 14]], [[1971]] *'''[[Australia]]''': [[August 5]], [[1971]] *'''[[Italy]]''': [[November 13]], [[1971]] *'''[[U.K.]]''': [[November 22]], [[1971]] *'''[[Sweden]]''': [[December 4]], [[1971]] *'''[[Spain]]''': [[December 6]], [[1971]] *'''[[France]]''': [[December 8]], [[1971]] *'''[[West Germany]]''': [[December 16]], [[1971]] *'''[[Finland]]''': [[December 17]], [[1971]] *'''[[Trinidad and Tobago]]''': [[December 20]], [[1971]] *'''[[Denmark]]''': [[December 26]], [[1971]] *'''[[Norway]]''': [[December 26]], [[1971]] *'''[[Iceland]]''': [[December 29]], [[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]] *'''[[Pakistan]]''': [[April 20]], [[1981]] *'''[[Russia]]''': [[March 27]], [[2008]] *'''[[Romania]]''':[[March 27]], [[2008]] *'''[[Bulgaria]]''': [[March 27]], [[2008]] ===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 on [[January 1]], [[1990]]. It was first released on VHS in North America in the [[Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection|Masterpiece Collection]] series on [[April 24]], [[1996]] and [[DVD]] on [[April 4]], [[2000]] in the [[Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection|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: [[Wolfgang Reitherman]]<br> Producers: [[Wolfgang Reitherman]] and [[Winston Hilber]]<br> Sound Effects: [[Dan MacManus]] and [[Dick Lucas]]<br> Directing Animators: [[Milt Kahl]], [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]], [[Ollie Johnston]] and [[John Lounsbery]]<br> Music: [[George Bruns]]<br> Songs: [[Richard and Robert Sherman]], [[Terry Gilkyson]], [[Floyd Huddleston]], and [[Al Rinker]]<br> Orchestration: [[Walter Sheets]]<br> Story: [[Larry Clemmons]], [[Vance Gerry]], [[Ken Anderson (movie writer)|Ken Anderson]], [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]], [[Eric Cleworth]], [[Jullus Svendsen]] and [[Ralph Wright]]<br> Production Design: [[Ken Anderson (movie writer)|Ken Anderson]]<br> Character Animation: [[Hal King]], [[Eric Larson]], [[Eric Cleworth]], [[Jullus Svendsen]], [[Fred Hellmich]] and [[Walt Stanchfield]]<br> Production Manager: [[Don Duckwall]]<br> Film Editor: [[Tom Acosta]]<br> Music Editor: [[Evelyn Kennedy]]<br> Based on a story by [[Tom McGowan (writer)|Tom McGowan]] and [[Tom Rowe (screenwriter)|Tom Rowe]] ==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 the shorter name of "Thomas O'Malley" - [[Phil Harris]] * '''Duchess''' - a white-furred "aristocat" that lives with Madame Bonfamille. Very adherent to her own codes of right and wrong. - [[Eva Gabor]] * '''Marie''' - Duchess's white-furred, somewhat prissy daughter, a [[meetable character]] at [[Walt Disney World]], the [[Tokyo Disney Resort]], and [[Hong Kong Disneyland]]. Marie also makes a cameo appearance in Hong Kong Disneyland's version of [[It's a Small World]]. - [[Liz English]] * '''Berlioz''' - Duchess's black-furred son, named after the famous composer. Mischievous and prone to [[sibling rivalry]]. - Dean Clark * '''Toulouse''' - Duchess's ginger-furred son, named after a town in Southern France and the artist Henry Toulouse-Lautrec. Prone to self-aggrandizing shows of bravura. - [[Gary Dubin]] * '''Edgar Balthazar''' - Madame Bonfamille's avaricious, but slightly comic 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 (music)|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 [[dog]]s who attack Edgar. Napoleon (not to be confused with [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]]), is a [[Bloodhound]], while Lafayette is a [[Basset Hound]]. The two organize themselves to act as a hierarchy of soldiers, of which Napoleon insists himself to be the one more highly ranked. A running joke appears wherein Lafayette makes a suggestion, only to have Napoleon insist that as leader, he will decide whether or not this is true, and then do so. - [[Pat Buttram]] (Napoleon) [[George Lindsey]] (Lafayette) * '''Frou Frou''' - Madame Bonfamille's [[horse]]. A loyal friend to Roquefort, Duchess, and the kittens. - [[Nancy Kulp]] * '''Amelia and Abigail Gabble''' - Two English [[geese]] (twin sisters) who save O'Malley from drowning - [[Monica Evans]] and [[Carole Shelley]]; who also voiced together in Disney's [[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]. * '''Uncle Waldo''' - Amelia and Abigail's drunken Uncle - [[Bill Thompson]]. * '''Georges Hautecourt''' - Madame Bonfamille's lawyer. Madame tells her lawyer her will (also heard by Edgar). Georges is old; 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. Madame refers to him as her "oldest and dearest friend" - [[Charles Lane]] * '''Shun Gon''' - a Chinese [[Siamese (cat)|Siamese cat]], who plays the drums and the piano using [[chopsticks]] - [[Paul Winchell]] * '''Hit Cat''' - an English cat, having wild blonde hair - Lord Tim Hudson * '''Peppo''' - an Italian cat, wearing a look-alike [[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]] hat and a red scarf - [[Vito Scotti]] * '''Billy Bass''' - a grey, longhaired Russian cat, who plays the [[double bass]] in Scat Cat's band. Very outspoken, sometimes in imperfect English - [[Thurl Ravenscroft]] * '''Frog''' - The [[frog]] who scares Berlioz in the [[swamp]]. - [[Mel Blanc]] * '''The Milkman''' - Man who chases 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 Alley Cat * [[Eva Gabor]] - Duchess the white Cat (speaking voice) * [[Liz English]] - Marie (kitten) * [[Gary Dubin]] - Toulouse (kitten) * [[Dean Clark (actor)|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 (actor)|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 (voice actor)|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== # "[[The Aristocats (song)|The Aristocats]]" - Maurice Chevalier # [[Scales and Arpeggios]] - Liz English, Gary Dubin, Dean Clark, Robie Lester # [[Thomas O'Malley Cat (song)|Thomas O'Malley Cat]] - Phil Harris # [[Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat]] - Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, Paul Winchell # "[[She Never Felt Alone]]" - Robie Lester # [[Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat|Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat (reprise)]] - 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 (song)|Thomas O'Malley Cat]]'' on the [[Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic#Disc four|purple disc]] and ''[[Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat|Everybody Wants to Be a Cat]]'' on the [[Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic#Disc five|orange disc]]. And on [[Disney's Greatest Hits]], this also includes ''[[Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat|Everybody Wants to Be a Cat]]'' on the [[Disney's Greatest Hits#Volume 3|red disc]]. ==The Aristocats II== The Aristocats II was supposed 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. It's still unknown if the sequel is now in production agian because: *[[John Goodman]] as Thomas O'Malley *[[Jim Cummings]] as Roquefort the Mouse & Shun Gon the Siamese Cat *[[Darius McCrary]] as Scat Cat *[[Jess Harnell]] as Hit Cat ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/aristocats/ Official Disney DVD website] *{{Imdb_title|id=0065421|title=The Aristocats}} * {{bcdb title|id=37|title=The Aristocats}} *[http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/aristocats/aristocats.html Aristocats] at the [http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/today.html Disney Archives] *[http://filmsmarts.com/movies/aristocats.html Aristocats Character Name Origins] at [http://www.filmsmarts.com FilmSmarts.com] {{Disney theatrical animated features}} {{Sherman Brothers}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Aristocats, The}} [[Category:1970 films]] [[Category:Children's fantasy films]] [[Category:Disney animated features canon]] [[Category:Disney Movie Rewards eligible film]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Fictional cats]] [[Category:Films about animals]] [[Category:Films about cats]] [[Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters]] [[Category:Films set in Paris]] [[Category:Films set in the 1910s]] [[Category:Musical films]] [[Category:Paris in fiction]] [[Category:Romance films]] [[Category:Sherman Brothers]] [[cy:The Aristocats]] [[de:Aristocats]] [[es:Los aristogatos]] [[eo:La Aristokatoj]] [[fr:Les Aristochats]] [[hr:Mačke iz visokog društva]] [[it:Gli Aristogatti]] [[he:חתולים בצמרת]] [[nl:De Aristokatten]] [[ja:おしゃれキャット]] [[pl:Aryskotraci]] [[pt:The Aristocats]] [[ru:Коты-аристократы (мультфильм)]] [[fi:Aristokatit]] [[sv:Aristocats]] [[vi:Gia đình mèo quý tộc]] [[zh:猫儿历险记]]