DVD Corner

The Aristocats Blu-ray Review

“The Aristocats” doesn’t hold up very well.

Set in Paris, 1910, “The Aristocats” revolves around a greedy butler (Edgar) who decides to dispose of his employer’s cats after learning they would be given the inheritance before him. After Duchess and her 3 kittens (Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz) are dropped off in the country somewhere by Edgar, the four cats have to try and find their way back home and evade trouble. Thankfully, they receive help from a smooth alley cat named O’Malley as well as other animals including the jazz cats and a mouse named Roquefort.

As a child, I remember enjoying “The Aristocats,” but it was never a favorite of mine. The only truly memorable part of that movie for me was the “Everybody Wants To Be  A Cat” musical number which had a way of getting stuck in your head. Now, seeing it again all these years later, the film still doesn’t make much of an impression. In fact, the film seems a tad worse.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Aristocats” is not a bad film, it’s just not anything special. It’s clear that the film is just borrowing ideas from past Disney works (namely “101 Dalmations” and “Lady And The Tramp”) and that the animators were running out of ideas. Truth be told, this is one of the plainer looking Disney films in terms of animation. The only visually exciting part happens to also be the film’s best part- the “Everybody Wants To Be  A Cat” sequence. Aside from that, the movie is a slow, meandering animated flick that focuses far too much on side characters. For a film called “The Aristocats,” the movie sure devotes a lot of attention to dogs, geese, and a mouse.

Summary: Kids may adore “The Aristocats,” but it’s certainly one of Disney’s lesser efforts.

Video/Audio:

Despite feeling underwhelmed by the film itself, I was certainly wowed by seeing it in 1.66:1 1080p. In comparing the film to the DVD print, I was amazed at how much for colorful the movie looked. The character models are sharper and you can certainly see more background details. A stunning transfer to be sure.

There’s never a bad note in the 5.1 DTS-HD audio track. The voice acting, sound f/x, and songs all sound crisp and clear.

DVD Extras:
* Disney trailers.
* A deleted song titled “She Never Felt Alone.”
* “The Aristocats Fun With Language Game”- A musical instruments game.
* “Disney Virtual Kitten”-  A virtual kitten game.
* “Bath Day”- A 6 ½ minute animated short featuring Minnie Mouse and Figaro from “Pinocchio.”
* “The Great Cat Family”- A 12 ½ minute animated non-fictional show about cats from 1956.
* “The Aristocats Scrapbook”- Concept art gallery.
* “The Sherman Brothers: The Aristocats Of Disney Songs”- Richard and Robert Sherman talk about the music.
* The option to play 4 songs with optional lyrics on screen.

Blu-ray Extras:
* “Oui Oui Marie Music Video”
* “The Lost Open”- A lost sequence featuring a new character and a deleted song.
* All of the extras contained on the DVD minus the two games and the scrapbook.

August 21, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | The Aristocats Blu-ray Review, The Aristocats DVD