50 Fun Facts About The Aristocats

In which city is The Aristocats set?

The original story was set in New York; producer Harry Tytle moved it to Paris after London had worked so well for 101 Dalmatians.

In what year is the film set?

The Belle Époque setting explains the horse-drawn carriage, the early motorcycle and Georges Hautecourt's Charleston-free dancing.

What are the names of Duchess's three kittens?

Two are named after French artists, Hector Berlioz and Toulouse-Lautrec, and Marie after Marie Antoinette.

Which kitten is the talented painter, loosely based on a Post-Impressionist painter of Montmartre?

He is the oldest and idolises alley cats, especially O'Malley.

Berlioz, the youngest kitten, is talented at what?

He is named after the composer Hector Berlioz and shares the piano bench with Marie for 'Scales and Arpeggios'.

The only girl kitten is named after which French queen?

She is the family's accomplished singer and does her best to be a lady like her mother.

What is the name of the retired opera diva who owns the cats?

Hermione Baddeley voiced her; a song for the character called 'Pourquoi?' was cut from the film.

What is the surname of Edgar, the scheming butler?

He was originally to have an accomplice, the maid Elvira, who was cut to make him the sole villain.

How does Edgar overhear Madame's plans for her will?

He then works out, wrongly, that he will die before the cats do and never see the money.

How does Edgar sedate the cats?

Roquefort the mouse also samples the cream and drops off, which is why he knows something is wrong later.

Which two farm dogs ambush Edgar in the countryside?

The bloodhound and basset were so popular with the filmmakers that a second scene was added for them.

Napoleon insists he is in charge, then does what whenever Lafayette makes a suggestion?

Pat Buttram and George Lindsey, both from Green Acres and Mayberry, supplied the country voices.

Which vehicle do Duchess, O'Malley and the kittens briefly hitch a ride in on the way back to Paris?

The driver chases them out, and their next obstacle is a train on a railway trestle.

Which kitten falls into the river while the cats cross a railroad trestle?

O'Malley dives in after her and is then rescued himself by two English geese.

The two English geese who rescue O'Malley are named what?

They are on holiday and lead the cats to Paris before rejoining their tipsy Uncle Waldo.

The geese's inebriated relative, whom they go off to find, is called what?

He was voiced by Bill Thompson, the voice of the White Rabbit and Mr. Smee, in his final film role.

Where does Edgar plan to ship the cats after recapturing them at the mansion?

By the end of the fight it is Edgar who is locked in the packing case and sent there instead.

What kind of animal is Roquefort?

Sterling Holloway, the voice of Winnie the Pooh, played him; he fetches Scat Cat's gang for the final fight.

Frou-Frou, who helps subdue Edgar in the finale, is what kind of animal?

Nancy Kulp of The Beverly Hillbillies spoke for her, and Ruth Buzzi sang.

Who voices Thomas O'Malley, the alley cat?

Reitherman said O'Malley was modelled more on Clark Gable than on Wallace Beery, the model for Harris's Baloo.

What is the alley cat's full name?

The Italian dub renamed him Romeo, 'the best cat of the Colosseum', because Rome's alley cats famously lived there.

Which actress, praised by the director for 'the freshest femme voice we've ever had', voices Duchess?

Robie Lester provided her singing voice; Gabor later voiced Bianca in The Rescuers.

Duchess is what breed of cat?

The refined white cat must choose between loyalty to Madame and her feelings for O'Malley.

Which jazz legend was originally to voice Scat Cat before illness forced him out?

Scatman Crothers was hired at short notice with instructions to imitate him.

Which instrument does Scat Cat play?

His gang includes Hit Cat on guitar, Peppo on concertina and Billy Boss, voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft, on bass.

Which character led Disney+ to restrict the film to viewers aged seven and over in 2021?

The studio said the piano-playing cat, voiced by Paul Winchell, was a racist stereotype of East Asian people.

Who directed The Aristocats?

One of Disney's Nine Old Men, he had just finished The Jungle Book and took on producing duties too.

The Aristocats holds what distinction in Walt Disney's own career?

He saw Ken Anderson's preliminary sketches shortly before dying in December 1966; the film came out four years later.

The Aristocats began life in 1962 as what?

It was planned for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, with Boris Karloff in mind as the butler, before being reworked as animation.

Which character, to have been voiced by Elsa Lanchester, was cut entirely to simplify the story?

A villainous romantic duet for Edgar and Elvira went with her.

Walt Disney's own story note in 1962 recommended eliminating what?

He also ruled that the cats should talk among themselves but never in front of humans, as in 101 Dalmatians.

Which duo wrote 'Scales and Arpeggios' and the title song, their last work as Disney staff writers?

Frustrated with the studio after Walt's death, they did not return until The Tigger Movie in 2000.

Which French entertainer came out of retirement to sing the title song?

Richard Sherman recorded the demo imitating his voice, and Chevalier agreed after hearing it.

Who wrote 'Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat', which replaced 'Le Jazz Hot' as the film's big number?

Rinker had been one of Bing Crosby's Rhythm Boys; Gilkyson wrote 'Thomas O'Malley Cat' instead.

Which songwriter, who also wrote 'The Bare Necessities', wrote 'Thomas O'Malley Cat'?

He said the studio recorded two arrangements and kept the simpler one over a hotter big-band version.

Composer George Bruns gave the score a French flavour by featuring which accordion-like instrument?

Bruns drew on his 1940s jazz-band background for the rest of the score.

Why was the plan to draw O'Malley as a tabby dropped?

Ken Anderson spent eighteen months on character design; five of the Nine Old Men animated the film.

The Aristocats was released in the United States on which date?

It played on a double bill with the 1957 short Niok, the Orphan Elephant.

The Aristocats was the most-attended film of 1971 in which two European countries?

It drew 12.7 million admissions in France, where it is still among the 20 biggest films ever, and 11.3 million in Germany.

The film's Rotten Tomatoes consensus says it is a 'mostly middling effort' redeemed by what?

Roger Ebert gave it three stars and called Harris and Gabor charming in their absolute rightness.

A cancelled 2005 sequel would have centred on which character falling for a kitten on a cruise ship?

John Lasseter killed all of Disneytoon's planned sequels when he became chief creative officer.

Which musician was attached in 2023 to direct a live-action remake that was later abandoned?

The Roots drummer revealed in August 2025 that the film was no longer moving forward.

The Aristocats was the last animated feature released during whose tenure at the studio?

Walt's brother and business partner died on December 20, 1971, a year after the film opened.

Which Disney regular, the voice of Winnie the Pooh, plays the mouse Roquefort?

Director Wolfgang Reitherman cast him alongside Eva Gabor; Winchell voiced Shun Gon and Ravenscroft the Russian cat Billy Boss.

What is the name of Madame Adelaide's eccentric elderly lawyer, also her oldest friend?

Voiced by Charles Lane, he helps her draft the will leaving her fortune first to the cats, then to Edgar.

According to Reitherman, on which movie star was Thomas O'Malley modelled to set him apart from Baloo?

Baloo, also voiced by Phil Harris, had been partly modelled on Wallace Beery.

What breed of dog is Napoleon, the farm dog who attacks Edgar?

His companion Lafayette is a Basset Hound; the pair proved so popular that an extra scene was added for them.

How long did Ken Anderson spend developing the character designs for The Aristocats?

Walt Disney had assigned him in 1966 to judge whether the story suited an animated feature.

Which deleted song was to be sung by Hermione Baddeley as Madame Bonfamille?

'She Never Felt Alone', sung by Robie Lester as Duchess, was also cut.

Roughly what is The Aristocats' total lifetime worldwide box-office gross?

Re-releases in 1980, 1987 and 1994 added heavily to the total; the film is Germany's 11th highest-grossing film ever.