The Aristocats (1970)
★★★ — The Aristocats (1970)
Released in December 1970, The Aristocats holds a modest but affectionate place in the Disney canon as the first animated feature to be greenlit after Walt Disney's death in 1966. The studio was in a period of transition, feeling its way forward without its founder, and the film reflects that cautious mood: a gentle, low-key adventure set in a sun-dappled, romanticised Paris of 1910, built around the simple premise of a wealthy widow's cats being turfed out into the French countryside by a scheming butler and finding their way home. It is not a film that announces itself boldly. At 78 minutes, it keeps things brisk and undemanding, aiming squarely at family audiences who wanted something warm and untaxing rather than grand and operatic.
The film was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, a Disney veteran who had been with the studio since the 1930s and who steered several of the era's animated features. Fans of his work will recognise a certain house style: broad comic characters, relaxed pacing, and a preference for charm over dramatic tension. Those who have read the site's review of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), another Reitherman-directed picture built around imperilled animals and a memorably inadequate villain, will find familiar rhythms here, and much the same could be said of Robin Hood (1973), his follow-up to this film, which shares the same loose, episodic storytelling approach. The script was developed from an original story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, so there is no literary source material to anchor or elevate it; what you get is essentially a Disney original, for better or worse. The animation itself leans on the studio's established hand-drawn techniques: soft, painterly backgrounds and fluid character work that is polished but unremarkable by the standards of the studio's peak years.
The voice cast is where the film finds much of its warmth. Phil Harris, who had played Baloo in The Jungle Book three years earlier, brings a similarly loose, good-natured energy to Thomas O'Malley, the streetwise tom who attaches himself to the stranded feline family. Eva Gabor voices Duchess, the prim but warm-hearted mother cat, with a light European lilt that suits the Parisian setting nicely. Sterling Holloway, a Disney regular whose reedy, instantly recognisable voice had graced characters across several decades of the studio's output, appears as Roquefort the mouse, while Scatman Crothers and Paul Winchell contribute to the jazz-inflected ensemble that surrounds the film's showpiece musical number. For those who enjoy comparing animation styles across different eras, it is worth a look alongside Josep (2020) or The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), both of which represent very different ambitions within the animated form.
The Aristocats (1970) is a charming, if slightly sleepy, Disney animated feature that trades fairy-tale grandeur for a cozy Parisian lullaby. It follows a refined family of cats (led by the elegant Duchess and her three playful kittens) who are kidnapped by a jealous butler hoping to inherit their owner’s fortune. With the help of a street-smart alley cat named Thomas O’Malley, they embark on a gentle journey back home through moonlit rooftops and jazzy alleyways. The setting is lovely, the music light and melodic, and the whole film exudes a warm, old-fashioned sweetness. Visually, it’s classic hand-drawn Disney: soft watercolour backgrounds, expressive character animation, and dreamy sequences like the iconic “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat” number, which bursts with 1920s jazz flair. The voice cast (especially Phil Harris as the laid-back O’Malley) brings relaxed charisma, and the kittens are undeniably cute. But beyond its pleasant atmosphere, the film lacks real stakes or narrative drive. The villain is more bumbling than threatening, the conflicts resolve too easily, and the pacing often drifts like a cat napping in a sunbeam. Compared to Disney’s more ambitious works, The Aristocats feels slight, more like a series of vignettes than a fully fleshed story. It’s pleasant background viewing, especially for young kids, but rarely rises to memorable heights. A gentle, visually pleasing film with moments of musical joy, but ultimately forgettable. It’s not Disney at its best, just Disney at its most relaxed. Perfect for a quiet afternoon, but don’t expect it to linger long in your heart.
Coming back to it now, I find the nostalgia does a fair amount of the heavy lifting. There is genuine pleasure in those watercolour backgrounds and in the easy chemistry between O'Malley and Duchess, and "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" remains a genuinely fun sequence that earns its reputation. But the film's reluctance to commit to any real sense of danger or consequence means it never quite grabs you, even on a rewatch. It is the sort of film you are happy to have on, rather than one you actively seek out. Comfortable company, certainly. Essential viewing, not so much.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1970 | Watched: 2026-04-14
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for The Aristocats (1970) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Wolfgang Reitherman: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) · Robin Hood (1973)
More with Phil Harris: Robin Hood (1973)
More from the 1970s: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Here and Elsewhere (1976) · Italianamerican (1974) · Punishment Park (1971)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
