In a nutshell, this is a movie about cats with class.
Disney had already showcased a lot of movies about mice or rats, so it would be natural that they would also make something about cats. It's one of those one-shots that either be remembered in history or not.
We follow the story of our cat heroine, Duchess, and her three little kittens, Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse. They live happily with a retired opera diva Madame Adelaide and her butler, Edgar. They live in comfort and are pampered like part of the family. One day, Madame Adelaide prepares to write her will to her old lawyer when she declares that her cats will inherit most of her fortune. After they die, the fortune will be transferred to her butler. Unbeknownst to them, Edgar was listening through a pipe. To hasten the process, the butler drugged the cats' milk with sleeping pills, drove them to the countryside, and left them. As the cats awaken, they realize they are in an unknown place. They are found by an alley cat named Thomas O'Malley, who helps them track their way back to the mansion before the butler inherits all of Madame's fortunes.
Wolfgang Reitherman, the same director of The Jungle Book and The Sword In The Stone, directs this film. It also features the beautiful voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, and Gary Dubin.
After watching this movie, you immediately get fascinated with the characters' names. They sound like they are very noble, in my opinion. Thomas O'Malley, Duchess, Toulouse, sounds fantastic.
Since this movie is for children, the characters are not complex. I find the three kittens adorable, even though they sometimes have tantrums. Duchess is like a typical mother who worries more about her children than herself.
The story is very straightforward. The runtime is only 80 minutes, and the story's pacing is very fast. There are no significant twists that will blow you away. Indeed if you have watched Disney or Pixar's works recently, the story is very different. You cannot compare these old films with the newer ones since they are not well-established back then.
The animation is also simple. I still like combining the character movements in sync with the music. You miss those subtle things in recent animated works of these animation giants.
If you are looking for a pleasant and carefree animated movie with different kinds of cats, then this should be your thing. I suggest letting your kids watch this movie because almost everyone here is adorable (except for the butler).
I give this a 3 out of 5 stars.
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