Growing up, I loved The Aristocats. It’s spectacular! I
mean, cat-acular, of course. I really can’t put my finger on why I enjoy it so,
since neither the animation nor music are extra-special. Mr. O’Malley the alley
cat is my favorite, and his first song is also my favorite (where he sings his
terrifically long name). Despite multiple listening sessions, I can’t deem why ‘everybody
wants to be a cat’, except that they play awesome music.
I’ll start with the animation. It’s xerography, of
course, but of a lesser quality than Jungle
Book. As the first film to be released without Walt’s direct supervision, his
lack of involvement is most clear in the picture quality. Of course, this is a
film that came out in the 70’s and they haven’t issued a re-mastered
DVD/Blu-ray yet, so that could have a lot to do with the poor quality factor.
The characters a cute and make me laugh, especially the
kittens. The pair of dogs that live near the hay bales also always make me
giggle, because they are rightfully chasing the dreadful, cat-napping butler
around. I’m certainly a fan of that! Yes, let’s chase the villain and send him
to Timbuktu!
The villain is an interesting choice, because he’s really
just terribly greedy. Other than that, he doesn’t seem to have much
villain-ness about him. He’s a little odd looking, yes, but aren’t all Disney
villains? Even Scar from The Lion King
doesn’t particularly look like any of the other lions. He’s just a little off
in every physical aspect.
Aristocats is
good for a laugh or to watch while doing something else (baking, cleaning, etc.),
but doesn’t hold attention well. Even mine. I found my mind wondering off,
found myself frequently pausing the movie so I could do other things and then come
back to it. I enjoy it, certainly, but I’d enjoy it more as something to keep
me entertained while I’m doing something else, as well. It’s not like many
other animated movies, that you have to pay attention or else you’ll miss something
lovely (not necessarily meaning you’ll get lost from the plot, but that you’ll
miss some funny dialogue, a hidden Mickey, or a pop culture reference).
Escaping to spring time in Paris with some adorable and
hilarious cats (except the little girl kitten, who is constantly getting
herself into trouble. She may as well be Buttercup in Princess Bride, as she gets herself into trouble but rarely gets
herself out of it without some gallant male jumping in to save her) was a
lovely distraction from this lack of a spring in Alaska. Getting near-record
breaking snowfall and just reaching average temperatures means that in early
April, we still have two-plus feet of snow in our yard.
I walked through the back yard with the dogs recently to
play with them and sank up to above my knee in the snow. Poor Charlie kept
barking at me, as though I were purposely messing up his yard. Or he was
worried about me. Either way, I did mess up his yard and now he has to skirt
around the edges of the yard in order to come inside due to the gaping holes I
left as I tried to wade my way out of the semi-melted abyss that is the back yard.
The dogs are still using it to their advantage when playing, but I’ll be glad
when it’s all gone. I don’t actually recall what our yard looks like without
snow.
My excitement over spring is also tied to getting to
spend time outside. We’ve been for a few walks since it warmed up to more than
ten degrees above freezing, but it isn’t enough. When you live in a place that
can be so lovely in the summer, you just want it to hurry up and be that time
of year. I loved winter, and still do, but only from November to February.
After that, I’m ready for spring. But it’s been over a month since the end of
February, and spring still seems so very far away.
At least I have Aladdin
next to warm me up.
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