Whereas Jungle Book and Sword in the Stone began the musical nature of Disney Movies, Aristocats is where it seems to have become part of their movie's DNA. A fun little movie about an upper-class cat who gets kidnapped along with her children, she comes across an alley cat who helps show her the way home. Yes, you may be asking, there are a lot of similar beats in this story that existed in Lady and the Tramp. Not enough that it feels like a retread or ripoff, but there are some similarities. It also shares a lot of similarities with 101 Dalmatians.
Considering that, you can pretty much guess every plot point that happens along the way, so talking about the main story feels a bit redundant at this point, as I would be going over the same things I did in my last couple of Disney reviews. So what I will try to focus on is talking about how a lot of what goes on in this movie is a bit pointless. The Butler, who kidnapped the cats and tried to get rid of them, has a side plot where he is trying to get his hat and umbrella back from a couple of dogs. This involves a lot of slapstick that inevitably goes nowhere. That said, while it takes up a considerable amount of time, I can forgive it for being pretty funny. These early Disney movies had great comedic timing, and they know how to make the physical punches land at the best possible time.
The rest of the movie is mostly seeing the alley cat start to warm up Duchess and her kids, which the movie does a great job at. They are given enough time together that the love story does feel fairly natural. And as characters, they were some of Disney's better ones so far. The kittens came across as real children, Dutchess and the Alley Cat feel more fleshed out and less exaggerated than the leads in Lady and the Tramp, and the Butler doesn't feel nearly as one-note a villain as Cruella. While none of the characters are amazing, it is a notable improvement over the last couple of films.
And because the songs are relevant in these movies now, the musical numbers are fantastic, for the most part. The opening song about practicing your music does a good job at showcasing the more noble upbringing of these cats, but the song itself is pretty dull. Compare that to the next song introducing the Alley Cat, which is very energetic and chill. This song I actually really liked, and does a great job at contrasting the differing lifestyles of the two. Though the best song goes to Everyone Wants to Be a Cat, being a great Jazz number.
And that's what you get with Aristocrats. It does feel like it's still in that nature of Disney's other churned out films, but at the same time, there is enough charm and talent behind it to still feel worth watching. Not something to go out of your way for, but enjoyable all the same.