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The Plot:
This 1970 Disney animation classic revolves around a group of cats who stand to inherit the fortune of the rich old woman who has taken care of them. Furious, Edgar the butler decides to kidnap the kittens so he can stand to get the money.
The DVD
VIDEO: I will say this about Disney - their older animated titles that I've seen look either very good or excellent, while some of the newer ones("Hercules", "Mulan"), looked merely okay. "The Aristocats" is now 30 years old, and looks still in very good shape. Colors still look pure and not faded, and there is good detail to the animation in the full-frame image. There are suprisingly few flaws with the print used - no major marks or scratches appear. All in all, a very pleasing image.
SOUND: As a 1970's animated film, the sound is understandably basic, but there are no flaws to it. No distortion or hiss, and the sound as a whole sounds moderately full compared to some of the "thin" sounding older titles. Dialogue is clear and easily understood.
MENUS:: As with the rest of the Disney animated titles, there's little to the menus beyond basic shots from the cover art or the film.
EXTRAS: I've said it a few other times already, and I'll say it once more. Although the remote can click through the trailers that appear when the disc is inserted, I'd rather have them as an option in the menu than be forced to watch when the disc is first inserted. The popular "Dinosaur" trailer is included here, but only in 2.0. Suprisingly, there's a little more than that included with this release. Extra features include the original trailer for "The Aristocats", a trivia game and "The Aristocats" interactive read-along story book.
Final Thoughts: I always wish that Disney could put more of an effort into their older animated titles, such as offering a commentary with some of the animators involved, but oh well. The return of the "trailers" when the disc is first inserted is, as always, annoying. The video and audio quality of this film, though, are enjoyable for a 30 year old picture.
Film Grade
The Film B
DVD Grades
Video 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Audio 82/B = (328/400 possible points)
Extras 70/C- = (210/300 possible points)
Menus 65/D = (130/200 possible points)
Value 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
TOTAL: 1237/1600
DVD GRADE:C/77%
FILM GRADE: B
DVD GRADE: C
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