THE ARISTOCATS Now on Blu-ray!

Now on Blu-ray, it’s Disney’s irresistible classic THE ARISTOCATS and it’s all jazzed up in a spectacular Special Edition, complete with a new digital transfer. In the heart of Paris, a kind and eccentric millionairess wills her entire estate to Duchess, her high-society cat, and her three little kittens. Laughs and adventure ensue as the greedy, bumbling butler pulls off the ultimate catnap caper. Now it’s up to the rough-and-tumble alley cat, Thomas O’Malley, and his band of swingin’ jazz cats to save the day. Loaded with fun bonus features, including a new Virtual Kitten game, a heartwarming deleted song and more, THE ARISTOCATS is purr-fect for the whole family. Read ahead for our review of the latest Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack…

It’s been years since I’ve seen this movie and for my young daughters, a true special moment to experience a new Disney animated movie with them for the first time. My oldest has always had a love the character  of “Marie” the kitten, from pajamas to a plush doll, so finally to be able to show her the origins of Marie in the movie was a heartwarming first time reunion to experience. The songs are catchy and it’a a treat to keep a watchful ear out for the familiar voices of Miss Bianca, Baloo the Bear and Winnie the Pooh as cats and mice in this movie.

THE PICTURE:

There’s something charming about a classic Disney movie, a throwback to a time when razor sharp HD clarity and CGI digital manipulation were not existent. Yes, those were the days, when hand-drawn, frame by frame illustrations were painstakingly assembled to tell a fun and entertaining story, and thats exactly what you get with THE ARISTOCATS. I recall watching the Special Edition DVD years ago and a friend pointing out how evident some of the unfinished art within the film appeared, from pencil sketches, brush strokes and mismatched color pallettes. It seems that the time has been taken to “clean-up” those flaws in the recent Blu-ray transfer, and though I think the evident appearance of unfinished and unpolished animation in the earlier Disney films garners a greater appreciation for an art-form of days gone by, it does bring the level of quality of the film up a couple notches to current standards. The backgrounds are vibrant, the colors are rich and the film is bright and fun. It’s a joy to relish in an animated feature with a simple story that doesn’t rely on much more than great characters and great music to see it through.

THE SOUND:

The 5.1 HD Dolby Theater Sound is well balanced and sounded great. No hissing, well mixed, no odd channel gaps, just pure Disney magic. My kids loved when I turned up the volume to the jazzy “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” number, which is the most dynamic portion of the film, you’re not human if this song doesnt inspire you to in the least tap your feat to the beat. From chugging engines of a magic carpet, to strumming strings on a bass guitar, the richness of audio is present and purrrrr’fect.

THE ARISTOCATS, now on Blu-ray

THE FEATURES:

There are a few fun features in the combo pack worth mentioning, most are cut and pasted from the Special Edition DVD, but still worth a watch.

“The Lost Open” hosted by Richard Sherman who helped create some of the songs along with his brother Robert back in the day. It’s a fun walk thru lost storyboards of a scene including a maid who ended up being deleted from the final cut of the film. Richard narrates and even sings a bit. It’s a real treat to have someone who not only worked with Walt, but worked on the songs themselves to connect you back to the film.

“Oui Oui Marie” is a fun music video in the recent tradition of arists like POGO who do some great remixes of classic Disney songs. It’s a odd remix, but I think being that these are becoming more and more popular, it’s a way to bridge the gap between the old and new audiences who are enjoying this film again.

A Classic Deleted Song “She Never Felt Alone” is set up by Richard Sherman at the piano and he tells the story of a song written about the owner of the cats and her love for them. Even though Richard and his voice has aged since the days he wrote many of these songs, his passion and tempo equally match his recalling of all the lines from his hit songs written for Disney. One of the last few great living legends from the Walt era, it’s always a pleasure to here first hand recounts from Sherman.

Classic Bonus Short “Bath Day”, features Figaro the cat

An except from 1956’s “The Great Cat Family”, hosted by Walt Disney himself, who talks about the relationships across the cat family from Lions to household cats. Any chance to watch Walt Disney talk about the worlds and films he created is worth it.

THE ARISTOCATS  Scrapbook features production art, background drawings and concept sketches that you can highlight and enlarge. Always fun to see how a film, live action or animated goes from concept to creation, and these images help show the inspirations and path to the progression of what made the final movie.

There’s even an option for a sing-a-long with your favorite songs from the film…so much fun!

Some fun special features from THE ARISTOCATS Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

One of Disney’s all-time classics really shines and is adorable for the kids and a toe-tapping treat for the parents. THE ARISTOCATS is a must have for your Disney Home-Video library.

Buy it Now on Amazon!

THE ARISTOCATS Now on Blu-ray!