Animation Desolation: The Aristocats

Aristocats (1970)
Genre: Animated, Adventure Musical

Starring: Eva Gabor, Phil Harris

Opening Thoughts

This is the first film without Walt Disney who died in 1966, and it shows the lack of leadership and disappearance of magic from their films. Full disclosure here, I have never liked The Aristocats. I thought it was overtly pretentious and boring at the same time.  However, I watched it again because I wanted to be fair to the material. Give it a chance to shine in my adulthood. I still didn’t love it, but there are aspects I enjoy.

What I Like

This movie depicts class warfare as clearly as any film Disney created. An older elite couple works their butler (Edgar Balthazar) to the bone. The patriarch of the family dies and the surviving widow decides to make a will. Rather than give the inheritance to the loyal and hard working butler, she decides in a sickening display of cruelty to leave it to her cats.  This despicable act crushes the very soul of Balthazar. My heart broke with him, and while I can not condone his future actions, his sadness and anger are completely justified. The actions of this wealthy matriarch greatly assist the decline into crime. I suppose I’m thankful she doesn’t know Cruella.

A positive of the film is the animation is decent. I think it is a step back from The Jungle Book, but also not terrible. There are a couple of jazzy songs that are enjoyable to listen to.  .

 

 

What I Don’t Like

One could argue that Disney films are a bit frilly and elitist at times. They serve to connect with a mostly white upper-class audience. This one happens to be among the most indicative of this idea.  The French aristocrats, the overabundance of elegance.

Granted, the family of cats are displaced and must fend for themselves with the assistance of some rogue street animals. They are likable enough, but they never find that connection that 101 Dalmations (1961) reaches.

This film is lacking originality, a combination of  Lady in the Tramp (1955) and 101 Dalmations (1961) and inferior to both. (Like that Kid Rock song combining “Werewolves of London” and “Sweet Home Alabama”.)

I think the film has a very weak villain.  Edgar Balthazar is not only a third-rate Cruella De Vil, but he is also just a man who has been wronged too many times by a cruel wealthy family. Crime wasn’t his first choice, his actions are certainly wrong, but he is much more benevolent than other Disney villains, and one I still feel bad for. (That cruel widow is the true villain)

More animals getting drunk and drinking. Some things never go away in these films.  Let’s not forget the hardcore stereotypes of the Black and Chinese population as well. Once again, a female is in their best light as a mother according to this film. The heroes are all male and need to rescue the females. Now 1970, and Disney is still living in the past.

 

Conclusion:

Is The Aristocats a bad film? No, I don’t think so, but it is unoriginal and lacks much of what made previous Disney films magical.

 

The Ladder:

The Jungle Book (1967)

Bambi (1942)

101 Dalmations (1961)

Pinocchio (1940)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://andrewthemovieguy714.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/

Cinderella (1950)- https://andrewthemovieguy714.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/cinderella-1950/

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Sword in the Stone (1963)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

The Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Dumbo (1941)

The Aristocats (1970)

Peter Pan (1953)