Duchess, Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz, cats of Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, are snatched away and become lost just outside of Paris in the beloved musical film “Aristocats.” Duchess and stray cat Thomas O’Malley fall in love as they make their way back to Madame Bonfamille’s home.
Fifty-three years after the film’s debut in 1970, it’s been announced that Questlove is set to direct a live-action/hybrid of “Aristocats.” Deadline said that Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson won an Oscar last year for directing the documentary “Summer of Soul.”
Variety reported that Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman will be the producers on the film. The film will be a mix of CGI and live-action, not unlike another Disney remake — “Pinocchio.” In “Pinocchio,” Figaro, Gepetto’s beloved cat, was a CGI creation along with the eponymic character.
A release date for “Aristocats” hasn’t been announced yet. Disney has other remakes that are coming up soon.
The Disney remakes era
Since 1994, Disney has been making live-action remakes of beloved Disney films. The first one was technically “The Jungle Book,” according to IndieWire. But it wasn’t until the remake of “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010 when the remakes started picking up.
Since then, Disney has remade some of its most classic movies, like “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The remakes, generally speaking, have been successful.
The 2015 live-action “Cinderella,” starring Lily James as the titular character, had an impressive box office showing. Box Office Mojo said that worldwide the film has grossed $542,351,353. The remakes play into the collective nostalgia that many associate with Disney while also reimagining different elements of the films, which is possibly why they have been a smash hit. With A-list casts and amazing designs, the films are also technically done well.
The costuming in the films is larger than life. “Cinderella” featured James wearing a shimmering blue dress with a long train and interesting neckline. The dress seemed to hold a kaleidoscope of colors and was a clear homage to the classic dress so many people associate with Cinderella.
Lily James is Cinderella in Disney’s live-action “Cinderella,” directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Jonathan Olley, Disney Enterprises Inc.
“Beauty and the Beast” is known for its soundtrack, including songs like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Be Our Guest,” singers like Audra McDonald, Celine Dion, John Legend, Ewan McGregor, Luke Evans, Dan Stevens and others were listed on the soundtrack.
And it seems that no detail was too small to spare for that film. The film was a box-office smash by every metric, and it was clear that the creators explored how to make even the rose in the film seem positively magical.
They recreated the moment where the Beast and Belle spin on the dance floor on one of the most beautiful and intricate movie sets I’ve seen in a long time. The remakes succeed because of the attention to detail and the amount of care and consideration that they put into making it look larger than life.
Fans of Disney remakes will be delighted to know that more remakes are on the way, including a prequel to “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White.”
‘The Little Mermaid’ release date
“The Little Mermaid,” which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, will be released on May 26, per Deseret News. Lin-Manuel Miranda (known for “Hamilton,” “Encanto” and “Moana”) will collaborate with Alan Menken — the long-standing Disney composer — on the score.
‘Snow White’ release date
“Snow White” will release on March 22, 2024, per Collider. This film has a planned theatrical release and Rachel Zegler will star as Snow White.