Good news for anyone and everyone who wants to be a cat, there looks to be a live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film, The Aristocats, according to Deadline. The original film was released in 1970, at the start of Disney's so-called dark age, which ran roughly from 1968 through 1987. Though not one of Disney's most iconic films, The Aristocats did well upon its release. Additionally, the film's status as a home video staple in the 1990s garnered it a new and dedicated audience across several generations.
The Aristocrats tells the story of a group of pampered Parisian felines owned by a kindly heiress who intends to make her cats the sole inheritors of her estate. When her jealous butler catches wind of her scheme, however, he hatches a scheme to kidnap the cats, in hopes of getting his own paws on her fortune. Abandoned in the countryside, the city cat mom and her three fluffy kittens team up with a smooth-talking tom-cat in order to find their way back home before it is too late.
It is not known whether the live-action film will have a theatrical or streaming release. One detail released in the Deadline exclusive, however, did hint at the adaptation method that the film will take. According to the report, the new film will have a similar style to the Lady and the Tramp adaptation that was released to Disney+ in 2019. No other announcements in terms of casting or plot details have yet been announced.
The new film will be written by Will Gluck and Keith Bunin. Gluck will also be producing through Olive Bridge Entertainment. Both writers have had previous experience with animated, or partially animated films, with Keith Bunin working on the 2020 Disney film Onward, and Will Gluck having worked on the Peter Rabbit films, which incorporated both live-action and animated elements.
The new adaptation is one of many films within Disney's canon that has, in recent years, received a reworking or re-imagining. From the aforementioned Lady and the Tramp to classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Disney is eager to remind viewers of their classic films, and re-engage them with updated narratives. This venture into the catalog of their 'dark ages', seems to mark a new era in Disney's eternal churn of remakes and re-imaginings. Who knows what's next? Maybe Billy Joel will return to serenade us with his street savoir-faire in a redux of Oliver & Company.
If you want to watch the original The Aristocats, you can stream it exclusively on Disney+.