The Aristocats facts for kids

The Aristocats is a fun animated movie from 1970 made by Walt Disney Productions. It's the 20th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The story is about a fancy family of cats who get into big trouble! Their owner's butler tries to get rid of them. The movie first came out in theaters on December 11, 1970. The name Aristocats is a clever play on the word aristocrats, which means people from noble families.

It's a musical comedy about talking cats living in France. This movie was the last one that Walt Disney himself approved before he passed away.

What is The Aristocats About?

The story of The Aristocats takes place in Paris, France, in the year 1910. A kind, rich lady named Madame Adelaide Bonfamille lives with her beautiful mother cat, Duchess, and Duchess's three adorable kittens: Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse. Madame Adelaide plans to leave all her money to her cats when she is gone.

However, her butler, Edgar, overhears this plan. He doesn't like the idea of cats getting the fortune instead of him! So, he decides to get rid of them. Edgar puts sleeping pills in the cats' dinner. Once they are asleep, he takes them far away to the countryside.

While Edgar is trying to leave the cats, two hound dogs named Napoleon and Lafayette attack him. This leaves Duchess and her kittens stranded and lost in the middle of nowhere.

In the morning, they meet a friendly alley cat named Thomas O'Malley. He's a street-smart cat with a big heart. Thomas O'Malley promises to help Duchess and her kittens find their way back home to Paris. He even lets them stay at his special place, where he and his cool group of musician cats hang out.

After many adventures, they finally get back to Madame Adelaide's house. But Edgar is still determined! He catches the cats again and plans to send them all the way to Timbuktu, Africa. Luckily, Thomas O'Malley, Scat Cat and his jazz band, a mouse named Roquefort, and a horse named Frou-Frou all team up to fight Edgar. Roquefort bravely rescues Duchess and her kittens from the sack. In the end, Edgar is trapped in his own trunk and sent to Timbuktu instead!

Madame Adelaide changes her will so that Edgar gets nothing. She also includes Thomas O'Malley in her family. She then starts a charity foundation to give a home to all the stray cats in Paris. Everyone lives happily ever after!

Making the Movie

The Aristocats was a very special movie because it was the last one approved by Walt Disney himself before he died. It was also the first Disney animated movie to be made after his death. The film took about four years to create. Its budget was $4 million. Many talented animators worked on the movie, including five of Disney's famous "Nine Old Men." These were legendary animators who had worked at Disney for many years.

Who Are the Voices?

Many famous actors and voice artists lent their voices to the characters in The Aristocats. Here are some of the main ones:

• Eva Gabor as Duchess, the elegant mother cat.
• Phil Harris as Thomas O'Malley, the charming alley cat.
• Gary Dubin as Toulouse, the artistic kitten.
• Liz English as Marie, the sweet and sassy kitten.
• Dean Clark as Berlioz, the shy and musical kitten.
• Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar Balthazar, the sneaky butler.
• Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat, the leader of the jazz band.
• Sterling Holloway as Roquefort, the brave mouse.
• Pat Buttram as Napoleon, the hound dog.
• George Lindsey as Lafayette, Napoleon's sidekick.
• Hermione Baddeley as Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, the kind owner.
• Nancy Kulp as Frou-Frou, the clever horse.
• Monica Evans as Abigail Gabble, one of the geese.
• Carole Shelley as Amelia Gabble, Abigail's sister.
• Bill Thompson as Uncle Waldo, the geese's uncle.

Movie Release and Home Video

The Aristocats was first shown in theaters on December 11, 1970. It was so popular that it was re-released in theaters two more times, in 1981 and 1987.

Later, people could watch the movie at home. It was released on VHS (video cassette) in 1996. Then, it came out on DVD in 2000. A special edition DVD was released in 2008. Finally, it was released on Blu-ray in 2012, which offers a very clear picture and sound.

Movie Music and Songs

The music in The Aristocats is a big part of what makes it so fun! The songs were written by talented people like the Sherman Brothers, who wrote many famous Disney songs. The movie's score (the background music) was composed by George Bruns.

Maurice Chevalier (pictured here) was brought out of retirement to sing the title song.

Here are some of the popular songs from the movie:

• "The Aristocats" - This is the main theme song. It was sung by the famous French singer Maurice Chevalier. He even came out of retirement just to sing this song for the movie!
• "Scales and Arpeggios" - Sung by the kittens, teaching them about music.
• "Thomas O'Malley Cat" - Thomas O'Malley's catchy introduction song.
• "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" - This is one of the most famous songs from the movie! It's a lively jazz number sung by Thomas O'Malley and Scat Cat's band. It makes you want to dance!

These songs are also featured on various Disney music collections, showing how popular they are.

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See also

In Spanish: Los Aristogatos para niños