Here is a Disney classic that I have always had fond memories of, although I can't remember when I saw it the first time. Of course, there are happy memories concerning most of the Disney animated classics that I saw during my youth. My very oldest big screen memory is seeing a re-release of Pinocchio, although I have mere shadows of those memories from so long ago.

The Aristocats may not spark memories of time, but the "everybody wants to be a cat" musical number is unforgettable. Watching it now, for the first time since my youth, it is still able to work its charming magic on me. It is not exactly a complex tale, but it definitely has charm to spare.

The plot is simple and little time is wasted getting right down to it. With a running time that comes in less than 80 minutes, there is little room to spare when it comes to storytelling, especially if you want to get in a few traditional musical numbers, not to mention the necessary adventures. If nothing else, The Aristocats practices a severe economy of motion as it progresses. This is not a bad thing. Considering the general age of the target audience, it is more advisable to have a shorter run filled with more laughs and adventure than it is to drag out thin material and risk boring your audience. The latter would definitely be cause for a restless time at the cinema.

As the story opens, we are introduced to Duchess and her three kittens, Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse. They are pets to a rich older woman who plans on leaving her estate to them, to ensure they are cared for after she is gone. Trouble begins when her butler, Edgar, overhears her plans and is more than a little upset over his status in her will. To attempt to put things a little more in his favor, he concocts a plan to get the felines out of his way. His plan lands the quartet of cats alone in the country with no way back to their Parisian home.

What follows their abandonment is a series of adventures with a variety of animal characters, helping them along their way. First and foremost is Thomas O'Malley the alley cat, a Baloo (Jungle Book) type character who acts as guide for them, with a loose, suave attitude that is something new to this family of upper crust kitties.

That about wraps up the story. Not much to it. Despite the simplicity, it is populated with colorful personalities, dominated by O'Malley. It is quick paced and never lets up. It never slows down to really dig into character, but they are painted with broad strokes, making them easy to identify and enjoy.

I have to admit that it does not quite live up to the charms I had in my head, and is definitely a lesser member of the Disney classics. Still, it is a highly enjoyable romp. This is one to be enjoyed on purely the surface level, because there's not much in terms of substance. One thing that did stand out was how the kittens all meowed when humans were in the scene, never breaking the wall between them. In other words, there was no chance they would talk to each other.