The Aristocats (1970)

67% of critics liked it
(27 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(252,639 ratings)

The Aristocats was the first Disney Studios animated feature to be produced after Walt Disney's death. A wealthy woman leaves her vast fortune to her four cats: the well-bred Duchess and her kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Jealous butler Edgar, eager to get his mitts on the cats' legacy,… More The Aristocats was the first Disney Studios animated feature to be produced after Walt Disney's death. A wealthy woman leaves her vast fortune to her four cats: the well-bred Duchess and her kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Jealous butler Edgar, eager to get his mitts on the cats' legacy, abandons the felines in the French countryside. The four lost kitties are aided in their efforts to return home by the raffish country pussycats Thomas O'Malley and Scat Cat. In keeping with a tradition launched by The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats is top-heavy with celebrity voices, including Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Hermione Baddeley, and the ineluctable Sterling Holloway. Assembled by the "nine old men" then in charge of animation, The Aristocats was a commercial success, essentially proving that Disney animated features could succeed without the involvement of the company's founder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Wolfgang Reitherman
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 11, 1970 Wide
On DVD: Apr 4, 2000
Studio: Buena Vista

Critic Reviews

Stefan Kanfer, TIME Magazine
The animals' exuberance is so infectious and their "acting" so true to human life that by the fadeout The Aristocats does, indeed, give the audience paws for reflection.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
This 1970 animated feature is dull, careless, and all too typical of the Disney studio's slapdash output before the unexpected renaissance of The Rescuers.
Variety Staff, Variety
Helped immeasurably by the voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers and others, plus some outstanding animation, songs, sentiment, some excellent dialog and even a touch of psychedelia.
Staff, New York Times
The real beauty of the picture, which is as amusing, smoothly machined and beautifully colored as any Disney should be, is in the characterizations, sustained within a sprightly but simple format.
Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media
Jazz and hijinks make this Disney cat tale meow.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Insofar as the film has any real ambition driving it, that ambition seems to be that the Disney brand name must be kept alive until somebody could figure out what to do with it.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
An enjoyable mix of fine animation, catchy songs, and outstanding voice characterizations.
, Film4
One of the less successful Disney offerings from the beginning of the 70s.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
has a charm behind it that shines through
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
A nice-enough Disney feature that some consider an under-appreciated classic and others view as a movie that's distinguished only by the inclusion of a handful of cool jazz tunes.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Extras include one deleted scene (a song), a few kids games, and a read-along.
Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views
The Aristocats is largely an up-scale cat version of 101 Dalmatians minus the deliciously dastardly villain.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Proves that even the studio's halfhearted larks still have life in them, thanks to golden-age animators...tunesmiths...and vocal talent.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
The Aristocats is not jazz.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
The Aristocats is one of the slightest of director Wolfgang Reitherman's contributions to the Disney animated feature canon, which is to say it's still among the studio's least suffocatingly ornate and ideologically risible films.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
For me, the good-looking drawings and the colorful voices could not make up for the thin, prosaic plot line, the lack of good gags, and the generally unremarkable songs.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...not a bad film...just a middle-of-the-road one from a studio that has given us some true animated classics.
Wally Hammond, Time Out
Purr-fect.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Film C

How can you not enjoy this movie, especially if your a cat lover and can relate to that wealthy woman! Its a lovely story funny and sweet and all the characters are just lovable! Its a prime example of what cartoons should be like and this movie should be enjoy by every new… More
How can you not enjoy this movie, especially if your a cat lover and can relate to that wealthy woman! Its a lovely story funny and sweet and all the characters are just lovable! Its a prime example of what cartoons should be like and this movie should be enjoy by every new generatioon!
Directors C

the drawing is superb and its storyline is ok but its one of the better disney movies released in the 1970's.
Brad W

A Disney classic, I always enjoy watching, one of my childhood favorites.
Alexander D

Bad
AJ V

A great kids movie! There are cute kitties, catchy songs, and a good story too. It's a lot of fun for the whole family, check it out.
Conner R

I guess if you're a cat lover than this is your movie. I will certainly respect this for taking some odd turns in storytelling, but it's not on of the superior disney movies. It's too close to 101 Dalmations and really doesn't have any standout characters or… More
I guess if you're a cat lover than this is your movie. I will certainly respect this for taking some odd turns in storytelling, but it's not on of the superior disney movies. It's too close to 101 Dalmations and really doesn't have any standout characters or themes. Beyond some interesting moments, it's just sort of average.
erika b

I really loved the cats in this film.
Jennifer D

Pampered, socialite cats. Love it.
Wahida K

There are many version of this tale and every of it is sweet.
Rachel F

This is yet another Disney classic that I just love.
Lafe F

Cute animated cats and kittens. The story was somewhat dry. I liked the musical number "Everbody Wants to Be A Cat" - very soulful and jazzy. Low-key action. Charming French flavour to it all.
Jennifer X

so endearing! i love this movie!
Jason S

Make your kids watch the old animated classics! This is a dying art.
danny d

pretty cool disney flick. when is disney ever bad
Bradley W

A Disney classic, I always enjoy watching, one of my childhood favorites.
Dillon L

A few nice musical numbers, but nothing terribly memorable.
DOCTOR P

1st of the "Do it like Walt"era This film was the last to get the ok from Walt, and the first not to have him involved in any way aside from that. The animation is pretty well done, but is very similar to the last three films from the studio. The music is pretty fun… More
1st of the "Do it like Walt"era This film was the last to get the ok from Walt, and the first not to have him involved in any way aside from that. The animation is pretty well done, but is very similar to the last three films from the studio. The music is pretty fun but it is tiring to hear "Ev'rybody wants to be a cat" after a while. The story is not bad but, it feels lacking, and it never really feels as tense as it should be considering certain situations, by the end the viewer will be left feeling that was nice, and probably nothing much else. This film just doesn't do much to stand out and be memorable it just feels ok. The characters are fun but again not much is noteworthy, they just won't stay in mind as much as one would like. It's an okay effort from the studio, overall showing how it struggled without Walt for a while. Up next: The famed outlaw as an... fox?
Matthew Y

After Walt Disney's death the studio did not go for broke with its next animated feature, it instead made a smaller scale, lighter toned feature about class conflicts of house cats. Eva Gabor was a stellar choice to bring the correct culture and proper feel to Duchess and Phil… More
After Walt Disney's death the studio did not go for broke with its next animated feature, it instead made a smaller scale, lighter toned feature about class conflicts of house cats. Eva Gabor was a stellar choice to bring the correct culture and proper feel to Duchess and Phil Harris gave one of his solid, if lesser known, voice works as Thomas O'Malley the "Alley-Cat". One pretty good song, though hardly memorable, a charming witty and jazzy tale without much conflict or threat it is a decent entry in the Disney film canon but a far cry from the high-quality features that preceded it.
Juan C

this is disney's hillarious and original classic with hillarious characters, story and dioluge. A
Jackson W

Wonderfully cute and subtle film