The Aristocats (A Walt Disney Masterpiece) | 
| Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Actors: Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers, Paul Winchell
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
List Price: $22.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $22.98 (100%)
New (42) Used (172) Collectible (18) from $0.01
Rating:  138 reviews
Sales Rank: 347
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 78 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6303983812
UPC: 765362529032
EAN: 9786303983813
ASIN: 6303983812
Theatrical Release Date: December 24, 1970
Release Date: April 24, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: lacks original artwork
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Amazon.com
Duchess and her three kittens are enjoying the high life with their devoted human mistress until the wicked butler Edgar, with his eyes on a big inheritance, decides to dope them and get them out of the picture. How can these fragile creatures cope in the unfamiliar countryside and the meaner streets of Paris? Only by meeting the irrepressible alley cat O'Malley, a rough diamond with romance in his heart. After they get a taste of the wide dangerous world, he guides them home, and Edgar gets his just desserts at the wrong end of a horse. As always, it's really the voices rather than the animation that are the heart of the Disney magic: Phil Harris is brilliant as O'Malley, Eva Gabor as Duchess is... well... Eva Gabor; but perhaps the most memorable turns are by Pat Buttram and George Lindsay, who turn the old hounds Napoleon and Lafayette into a couple of bumbling Southern-fried rednecks. Their scenes with Edgar, and the musical numbers with Scat Cat and his cool-dude band, are classic. Most striking about seeing The Aristocats now is how deeply Disney's style of animation has changed since this was at the cutting edge in 1970. Perhaps the nostalgic, dated feel are just a result of being plonked down in Belle Epoque Paris, but the illustrations are fussier (a pity) and the animation and overall pace much less frenetic (sometimes a relief) than in more recent efforts such as Aladdin. --Richard Farr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 133 more reviews...
 Great Disney favorite -- horrible DVD release! March 14, 2000
Disney Movie Fan (IL)
38 out of 48 found this review helpful
A favorite Disney film ruined by a full-screen DVD release. This film should have been released in its original theatrical ratio of 1.75:1. Why has Disney changed its policy about widescreen? Some people prefer full screen while others prfer widescreen. No problem. Give consumers the option, like on the excellent Mulan DVD which has both versions. Once again, Disney seems to have forgotten that its animated classics are works of art and should not be altered. Please remedy this situation with future Disney Gold Classic titles.
The approach Disney seems to have forgotten May 27, 2000
Mario Rodgers (Newport News, Virginia)
26 out of 29 found this review helpful
Considering Disney's recent track record, it would appear that they think the average kid is maturing faster than before. Thus, they seem to put out movies that are dark and inappropriate for the average kid. The only exceptions to this trend are the wonderful Toy Story movies and A Bug's Life. Flash back a decade or two, and you'll find a different Disney, a Disney that made movies everybody could enjoy. Aristocats comes from that era. True the animation from this decade is weak, and the story loses a few points in some areas. The villain is also quite tame. All of that, however, disappears under the movie's charm, upbeat attitude, and general fun. It's certainly more fun than Hercules. People looking for something intense should avoid this. Families with small children and those who love adorable cats will love this movie. From this era, I also recommend Robin Hood. As I've said before, you just can't beat old school Disney.
 Amazon Lumps All Reviews Together Again :o( February 7, 2008
Baron Sardonicus (Northeast PA)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
There are over a hundred reviews for The Aristocats as of this date. They all refer to the previous edition (Disney Gold Classic Edition or whatever they called it years ago when it first came out on dvd).
So now we will have those reviews mixed up with new reviews for the Feb 5, 2008 version which offers more extras and a different aspect ratio. This may make things a bit confusing.
Moving on...
People compare this film to 101 Dalmations. This is Disney's "cat" movie, they say. You can't compare them; they're too similiar somehow.
But they are both decent, cute family films.
Yes, Cruella is scary compared to the bumbling butler Edgar. There is a sense of jeopardy but Dalmations is much stronger in that sense.
Both films were made using the 1960's Xerox method where the resulting animation is more sketchy looking and more close to the original animator's drawings.
The Aristocats is more of a musical, definitely. A few forgettable songs, but also the charming and infectious tune "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat". That is the tune I think of when I remember the adventures of Duchess and Thomas and the kittens. (101 Dalmations had the little "Cruella De VIl" song, but that's it.)
Overall this is a fun vehicle but it is not a classic such as Peter Pan, Cinderella, or Lady and the Tramp. It has a nice, relaxing pace and is probably most appealing to youngsters. The voice talent, as ever with Disney cartoon features, is great. Eva Gabor's Duchess is warm and maternal while Phil Harris as Thomas O'Malley is macho yet sweet (and sounds like a lifelong diehard smoker). He also lent his vocal prowess to The Jungle Book when he played Baloo the bear.
This special edition for 2008 has some cute extras. But unless you're a total stickler for aspect ratios or you collect every version they release, the previous edition should suffice. It was fine, with a clear and bright picture/sound presentation.
 Wonderful film! April 24, 2000
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I'm so glad that Disney made this film. I much prefer the more innocent Disney movies of the past. Movies like Lady and the Tramp and The Aristocats are truly fun, wholesome entertainment. Don't get me started on the new Disney films which are way too interested in pushing hit pop songs and attracting adults with more action, violence, and suggestive dialogue. I know things can't stay the same so I'm glad we have this film from a more innocent era. I particularly like the fact that the pacing is relaxed and the villain is not very scary. I'm always looking for what I call "calm" movies and videos for my 2 and a half year old. I don't want him seeing frightening or fast-paced images. Lady and the Tramp and Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas are other great shows for young viewers. Unlike the sterile environment of the Teletubbies, these movies are full of wonderful images and interesting music. I find the backdrop drawings extremely interesting and stylized. I also like the setting of the film (France) as opposed to the mainly exotic locations lately of Disney films.
Not the usual fare September 22, 2005
James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania)
16 out of 21 found this review helpful
Disney took a cue from French animation and created a wonderfully eccentric cartoon from its usual fair. This is a very light-hearted romp, as much fun for adults as it is for kids, with action scenes made into highly amusing capers. The aristocats and the animals they meet along the way take on rich human voices, with O'Malley the Alley Cat stealing the show. Song and dance are inseparably tied together like the musicals of a bygone era, such as An American in Paris. It is all postcard-type scenes but wonderfully drawn, providing darling backgrounds for this family of lost cats.
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