Our story takes place in high society Paris, an elderly millionaire Madame Adelaide Bonfamille lives all alone in her mansion, except for her four cats and her butler, Edgar. One day Edgar overhears the Madame preparing her will and is giddy to learn she is leaving her mass fortune to her faithful servant. There’s one catch however, the fortune is first left to her only living family, her cats. So begins the mayhem of schemes that equals fun, laughs and of course those sing-a-long Disney songs.
Now available in a remastered DVD version, The Aristocats have arrived on a special edition DVD. Surprisingly this is not a 2-disc Platinum Edition that they have recently been releasing full of bonus material. In fact, they are releasing a Platinum Edition of 101 Dalmatians next month. Which is too bad and of course suggest yet another version will appear down the road. Still this release has never looked better and does include a few bonus features to keep you entertained after the movie has ended.
As with all animation, it’s the people behind the voices that help to give the personalities to the characters. The Aristocats is full of wonderful actors of some you will recognize. First up is the voice of the mother cat, Duchess. Most will know her as the crazy socialite turned farmer’s wife in Green Acres, the prim and proper (yet sexy) voice of Eva Gabor. She is purr-fectly cast as the mother who must protect her kittens.
Phil Harris is one of Disney’s staples when it comes to voicing their classic animation characters. After previous appearing as the lovable Baloo the bear in The Jungle book, Harris is back as Thomas O’Malley the alley cat. Harris shines as the love interest to Dutchess and the hero to her and the Madame. A few years later, Harris would be back at Disney to voice the Robin Hood’s sidekick, Little John. Without Harris, these films wouldn’t be the same and his voice and personality is crucial to these Disney films.
Of course the cast of colorful characters are all crucial as well. From all the adorable kittens, to the sinister but dumb witted Edgar the butler, to the two hound dogs that foul by the catnap caper. Oh and I can’t forget Roquefort the mouse who is one of the few hot on the trail. One more voice you might recognize is the brief appearance by Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat, the leader of the swingin’ jazz cats. Crothers would later provide the voice to another animated character on TV, the karate chopping crime fighter, Hong Kong Phooey.
Even though this isn’t a Platiumn Edition it’s still a Special Edition and has a few bonus features. The extras are broken down to three sections. The first is Games and Activities that are just that - games and activities for the young ones. Backstage Disney includes photos, The Sherman Brothers taking us through the great songs they wrote and produced for the film, and a fun little short called, “The Great Cat Family”. This is a 12 minute film originally broadcasted on the World of Disney TV show, that gives us an amusing and informative tale of the ups and downs the cat has endure through history in the human society. Last but not lease is a deleted scene that is introduced by Richard Sherman who co-wrote all the songs from the film. “She Never Felt Alone” is a song that was cut from the film but now lives on through storyboards and early tracks of the song.
So there you have it, Disney has again raided the vaults and remastered a hidden animated gem from 1970. If you enjoy animation and especial if you enjoy Disney classics like 101 Dalmatians, then The Aristocats is a DVD for you. Oh and if all that wasn’t enough there’s a bonus animated short entitled “Bath Day” staring a cat named Figaro ( you may remember from their Pinocchio movie) and Minnie Mouse. It’s a cute little bonus that makes this edition complete. Well, that is until they release a Platinum Edition, you know its coming!
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