Disney animated feature
Music by The Sherman Bros.
Voices: Phil Harris and others
Studio: Disney 53311
Video: 1.75:1 enhanced for 16:9 widescreen color
Audio: English DD 5.1 surround, DD 2.0, French & Spanish language tracks
Extras: The Sherman Bros., The Great Cat Family (excerpt), Deleted song, Games & activities: Disney virtual kitten, Two mini-games, The Aristocats language game
Length: 79 minutes
Rating: *****
Classic Disney – the original date isn’t listed anywhere – but a complete delight of a family film and for all cat lovers everywhere. It’s the story of a classic Parisian cat and her three little kittens who live in the mansion of a wealthy old lady. Her butler overhears her planning her will, giving her estate first to her cats and then to him. So he drugs the cats and dumps them out in the countryside. They are befriended by Thomas the tomcat and escorted thru various adventures back to Paris and a comeuppance for the butler. There are several hilarious side characters such as the pair of British geese and a pair of dogs with Southern accents.
There are four songs in the film. I had read that it had a jazz soundtrack, so combined with the cat connection I was doubly interested. Well, not so. There’s some Hollywood imitation jazz to accompany Thomas’ swinging cat pals but that’s about all – it’s not a Triplets of Belleville. But still great fun. This is a new digital transfer, and I don’t believe I have ever noticed dirt on the cels in a Disney movie before. Perhaps it was cat hair, and earlier transfers just blurred it out. The 5.1 surround is nearly all on the front channels – obviously a derived surround mix.
– John Sunier
