“The Aristocats” turns 55 and “everyone still wants to do jazz”. It’s one of the animated films symbol of the 70s, symbol of Christmas in front of the TV and symbol of family.
It was released in US theaters during the Christmas holidays of 1970, it was among the films least understood by international critics of the timema al box office recorded record takings and it was the last produced directly by Walt Disney, before his death in 1966.
The Aristocats, 1970 (Contrasto/©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection)
The work is characterized by a deep connection between the anthropomorphic representation of animals (proper from fairy tales) che Disney amavaand the search for one sparkling and soft style at the same timewith a diegesi simple but not trivial.
The idea of “Glistogatacts” was born in the early 1960s: some authors were creating plots for a television series live action of Disney and, among the stories written and then put aside, the one dedicated to emerged a mother cat with three kittens and a butler as “bad”. The initial setting was NY, then London was thought of and, finally, it was chosen Paris.
The story of the film takes its cue from an event that actually happened: in the early 1900s, a family of Angora cats he received a large fortune from a Parisian noblewoman.
One of the most iconic elements of the film it is his soundtrack, full of unforgettable songscome “Everyone wants to play jazz” who, with his touch of swing, makes the film unique compared to other Disney classics. The song is sung by Scatman Crothers, who lends his voice to the jazz cat Scat Cat.
The Aristocats, 1970 (Contrasto/©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection)
Although the plot worked, the screenplay created by Tom Lowe was rejected, it was 1962. McGowan, one of the authors, decided to propose it directly to Walt Disney, who appreciated the project and, in 1967, entrusted it to the expert German animator, director and film producer, naturalized American, Wolfgang Reitherman.
The budget for “The Aristocats” was only 4 million dollarsgiven that it explains why some sequences were taken from “The Jungle Book”, released three years earlier.
Original title of the film The Aristocats ((WikipediaCommons/The Walt Disney Company))
Walt Disney personally intervened to change some parts of the story and it took 18 months and the legendary animators of the “Nine Old Men group” (pillars of Walt Disney’s studio who defined the classic Disney style and its principles of animation), per create the characters which, however, even today, after 55 years, continue to be loved by audiences of all ages.
Romeo, is mejo there Colosseo, in the original version it is called Thomas O’Malley and, in the Italian one, with the memorable Roman accent, has the voice of the great Renzo Montagnani, while in the English one it is voiced by Phil Harris, as well as Baloo from “The Jungle Book”.
The elegant kitten Minou, cute and singing (Marie in the original); Matisse the dreamer painter (Toulouse in original) who poses as a “street cat” in front of the stray and paternal Romeo; the pianist Bizet (Berlioz in the original)symbol of sweetness and delicacy, children of the Duchess the cat, rthey represent artistic vocations and innocence, acting as spokespersons for values such as friendship, family, trust and knowing how to work as a team.
The Aristocats, 1970 (Contrasto/©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection)
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