Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #20: The Aristocats (1970)

Make Sure You've Read: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Silver Age (Part 3) Introduction

The Aristocats was the final film to have Walt’s approval, but he didn't see its development. After the huge success of The Jungle Book in 1967, The Aristocats didn't do as well as its predecessor and, in terms of quality, is also not on par with it. The Aristocats tells the story of Madame Bonfamille, a rich French old lady who wants to leave all her inheritance to her beloved cats: Duchess and her three kittens, Toulouse, Marie and Berlioz. This is not well received by the lady’s faithful butler Edgar, and he plans to get rid of the cats so he can inherit everything. He leaves the cats in the outskirts of Paris and they embark on an adventure to return home, with the help of a stray cat named Thomas O’Malley. The Aristocats is the definition of fun. While the beginning of the film is slow, once the cats are lost, all the adventure begins and it's a very entertaining journey with lots of funny moments and action. The problem with the film is that it lacks some recognizable characters and tends to be forgettable (which is not the case with The Jungle Book). The animation isn't very inspired and lacks some of the grandeur of early productions. What saves the picture though are the excellent and catchy songs by the Sherman Brothers, and the infinite amount of gags in the story (the sequence with the geese is a particular highlight). All in all, The Aristocats may not be a groundbreaking film but it still offers tons of fun and good-hearted entertainment. Rating: 4/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #21 Review: Robin Hood (1973)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Silver Age (Part 3) Introduction

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #19: The Jungle Book (1967)

Silver Age (1950-1977)
The 70s

Overview

With Walt gone, the animation studio entered the 70s filled with uncertainty. The “Nine Old Men” took charge of the studio but it's undeniable that some of the ‘magic’ was lost in this decade. Carried by the motto “What Would Walt Do?" (a motto that was used until the mid-80s when the company made big changes and went for a different direction, the animators played it “safe” and produced animated features that, while fun, didn't break new ground story-wise or technologically speaking. Many refer to this decade as the beginning of the “Dark Age” that was prevalent at the company until the late 80s, but I think that, while the films released in this era can’t (for the most part) surpass their predecessors, they were still made by the same men and women that made all the Walt-era classics and are pretty entertaining and often heartfelt too. For that reason, these films represent the final batch of the classic era that started in the 1930s with Snow White.