The Aristocats parents guide

The Aristocats Parent Guide

"The Aristocats" falls short in providing the expected Disney magic.

Overall B

When a wealthily heiress (voice of Hermione Baddeley) decides to leave her fortune to her pet cats (voices of Eva Gabor, Liz English, Dean Clark and Gary Dubin) the feline family finds themselves in trouble with the passed over household butler (voice of Roddy Maude-Roxby).

Release date December 23, 1970

Violence B
Sexual Content A-
Profanity A
Substance Use B-

Why is The Aristocats rated G? The MPAA rated The Aristocats G

Run Time: 78 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Edgar (voice of Roddy Maude-Roxby) may have only been suspicious before, but after overhearing a conversation between his employer Madame (voice of Hermione Baddeley) and her lawyer George (voice of Charles Lane), he knows for sure: His boss really is a crazy old cat lady. Her elegant dress, demure demeanor and obvious wealth might fool some, but the once faithful butler can see that only someone with an unsound mind would make a will leaving a sizable fortune to a family of felines. And even though he is next in line to inherit, the now sour serviceman isn’t interested in waiting his turn. Feeling completely justified, he decides instead to dispose of the competition right away.

Unaware of this change in his affections, the dainty Duchess (voice of Eva Gabor) and her three kittens, Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse (voices of Liz English, Dean Clark and Gary Dubin), contentedly lap up the bowls of milk (laced with sleeping pills) the discontented butler has prepared for them.

The upper-crust kitties don’t realize anything is amiss until they are rudely awakened after the basket in which they were placed is tossed from a speeding motorcycle into a bumpy ditch. Lost and confused the unusually pampered pusses are pleased when they are found by a street-smart alley cat known as Tomas O’Malley (voice of Phil Harris). With a little purr-suasion, he offers to accompany them (and most especially the pretty Duchess in distress) back to their posh pad in Paris.

Despite enduring a few brief moments of peril, making the acquaintance of a couple of waddling wandering geese and their drunken uncle, and listening to some cool cats playing hot jazz, The Aristocats falls short in providing the expected Disney magic. While slapstick antics and parental concerns are mild, the biggest problem the production presents for young viewers is that they may also fall asleep before they discover the butler did it.

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. Starring Phil Harris, Eva Gabor. Running time: 78 minutes. Theatrical release December 23, 1970. Updated

The Aristocats
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Aristocats rated G? The Aristocats is rated G by the MPAA

Violence: Slapstick antics are used throughout, and violent depictions are portrayed humorously. Dogs chase a man on a motorbike and later bite him. A car chase causes property damage and dangerous situations. A basket of cats is tossed into a ditch. Characters are in peril from a speeding train and a near drowning. Character are kidnapped, trapped and threatened with farm implements. A character is locked in a trunk and shipped to a distant city.

Sexual Content: A man’s pants fall down and his underwear is exposed. Characters’ mistaken marital status is called scandalous. Cats cuddle and hold tails.

Language: A mild French expletive is uttered. Female characters are referred to as a dame or chicks.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Drinking champagne is mentioned. Characters are secretly given sleeping pills. A goose is depicted as drunken. A man drinks alcohol.

Other: The movie includes some politically incorrect cultural depictions.

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The Aristocats Parents' Guide

How do you feel about Madame’s preferential treatment of her cats? How do you feel about pets and the role that they play in the lives of their masters?

Did you know some people have tried to leave their estates to their pets? Check out these links to real life accounts:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/woman-leaves-13m-fortune-to-pet-cat/

http://www.thepurrcompany.com/cat-articles/index.php?id=50

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Aristocats movie is August 21, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Aristocats

Release Date: 21 August 2012

Disney’s The Aristocats releases to home video in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack. Bonus features include:

- Sherman Brothers Song Featurette: The Aristocats of Disney Songs

- Deleted Song: She Never Felt Alone

- Disney Song Selection: The Aristocats, Scales and Arpeggios, Thomas O’Malley Cat, Ev’rybody Wants to be a Cat

- Music Video: Oui, Oui Marie

- The Great Cat Family (Excerpt)

- Bonus Animated Short Film: Bath Day

- The Lost Open

- Disney Virtual Kitten

- Virtual Kitten DVD-ROm

- The Aristocats Fun With Language Game

-The Aristocats Scrapbook

Related home video titles:

This movie is unusual because cat characters are depicted as heroes. Most moviemakers prefer to cast them as villain, such as in Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella and Cats and Dogs. Felines do try to redeem their reputations in the films Bolt and An American Tail.