Re-Imagineering - The Aristocats

[Evilgidgit]

This may be the first of several posts like this, depending on how people react to this thread. It fits more or less into the Imagineer board, and since my S.E.A. Cinematic Universe was accepted, I hope this will be as well.

I wrote a previous reimagining of The Aristocats before, but decided to have another go at it. I am particularly fond of the movie, it has its charms and good music. But, after reading a critical review of the film in the blog “Passport to Dreams Old & New”, it occured to me that the film really has no character arcs, let alone any personal stakes or conflict. It was suggested to improve the story, the time of the movie should change, moving it from 1910 to World War I. So, the idea of “WWI from the p.o.v. of a lost cat family” was quite appealing to me. I wanted to flesh out the characters a bit more, particularly Duchess, O’Malley, and Edgar, who isn’t all that interesting as a villain.

For the sake of brevity, I'll split it into three acts (i.e. three posts).

Act One

Paris, 1917, a war gripped by war, but from a cat’s point of view, it is just a load of noise and human panic.

Duchess is a pampered Turkish Angara cat living in the heart of Paris, owned by Madame Adelaide Boufamille, once a world famous opera singer, now enjoying her golden years. Duchess lives a lifestyle as an “Aristocat”, acting polite, proper, and ladylike, but a little vain and pompous, not associating herself or her three kittens with “common cats”.

Often trying to mirror her master’s example, Duchess acts more human than cat half the time and has forgotten how to properly use her claws. Duchess has three kittens - the confident but brash Toulouse who thinks he must be tough in case he ever runs into alley cats; Marie, who tries to copy her mother’s elegance but has a short temper; and Berlioz, who is quiet but curious and mischeivous. The kittens’ father Marquis had no interest in being a parent, leaving with his master long ago, leaving Duchess with a firm distrust for males. Also serving in Adelaide’s family are the chatty horse Froufrou, and her loyal butler Edgar Balthazar, who has served her for thirty years.

Madame Adelaide reluctantly returns to Paris after an extended holiday in her countryside chateau, summoning her attorney and old friend Georges Hautecourt to discuss her will. Georges is an eccentric old man, a big fan of the motorcars, and makes his usual dramatic entrance into the house, Edgar having to carry the old fool up to Adelaide’s study. After spending the night reliving their youth, the two get down to business, but Adelaide makes an announcement that rocks the whole family: Since she has no living relatives, Adelaide intends on leaving her entire fortune to Duchess and the kittens. This surprises Georges and Edgar, since Adelaide had previously planned to leave her inheritance to Edgar for his loyal service. As Georges leaves, he meets with Edgar, concluding that Adelaide may be going senile.

Not understanding or really interested in Adelaide’s private affairs, Duchess focuses on her kittens’ education, but an attempted lesson at music and painting falls into chaos when the children get into a fight and trash the music room. An enraged Edgar scolds them and storms out, raging to himself about the way things have turned out, deciding on what to do after much moral debating but believes it is in Adelaide’s best interests. Duchess is upset by her kittens’ misbehaviour, ending up consulting the house’s resident mouse Roquefort on what to do. She laments on the lack of a father figure for the children, but Roquefort can do little to advice her, considering himself too small to aid any help. Edgar secretly drugs the cats and spirits them away into the French countryside, hoping to leave them somewhere for adoption.

However, Edgar’s noisy motorbike makes a racket as he passes by a British army outpost, and he is attacked by two guard dogs Napoleon and Lafayette. In the chaos, the basket carrying Duchess and the kittens tumbles out of the bike and lands under a bridge. Edgar alludes the dogs but is unable to find the cats, returning home hoping some farmer finds them. Unfortunately, Adelaide wakes up in the night, finds the cats are gone, and collapses, with only Roquefort to keep an eye on her til Edgar comes home.

 

[Evilgidgit]

Act 2

Hours later, a storm awakens a frightened Duchess who immediately panics, terrified of being outside her comfort zone, but manages to calm down her children when they wake up. They manage to go to sleep in the basket. By morning, Duchess has adapted to the countryside but struggles with her family’s predicament, Marie’s stroppiness, Berlioz’s curiosity, and Toulouise’s need to intimidate every critter he meets. A mangy alley cat suddenly emerges out of the river, accosting Duchess at first, but takes a shine to her. Duchess immediately fobs him off and leaves with her children, the cat telling Toulouise to look after his family.

The cats come across a farm but discover there are no cows to get milk from. The alley cat appears, now cleaned up and presenting a more charismatic demeanour. Introducing himself as Thomas O’Malley, a worldly cat trapped in the countryside. Offering to get the kittens milk, he recklessly leaps in the path of a milk truck. Duchess is taken aback by Thomas’ antics, but thanks him. Guessing the truck will go to Paris, Thomas offers to escort Duchess to the city. Duchess is distrustful but her kittens are already enchanted by Thomas and convince her to get on the truck.

On the truck, Duchess uncomfortably watches Thomas interact with her kittens, probing him on his pedigree and family. Thomas becomes a little touchy, claiming “it’s all in the past”. Duchess changes the subject to why Thomas was in the river, to which he explains that he was fleeing from some “haughty chicks”, further confusing Duchess. Just as Thomas gets the milk container open, the truck stops at the British checkpoint, where the driver spots the cats and chases them off. Napoleon and Lafayette, proud of chasing off Edgar the night before, ask the cats why they are in the middle of nowhere, but Napoleon congratulates Thomas for sticking with his family, assuming he is the father. Duchess and Thomas awkwardly try to explain the situation, before Duchess ushers away the kittens.

Thomas catches up with Duchess, guiding her and the kittens across a railway bridge that he claims leads to Paris. In Paris, Roquefort and Froufrou overhear Edgar talking to himself, discovering he was responsible for Duchess’ disappearance. Adelaide has become bedridden after last night, and Edgar is kicking himself for his actions, and decides to head out to find the cats. Roquefort hitches a ride on Edgar’s motorbike, determined to find his friends.

The cats cross the bridge, Thomas inquiring about the kittens’ father, but Marie admits they don’t have one. Duchess becomes upset, explaining the absence of their father and her home life with Adelaide. Thomas is amused, referring to her as a pet, which Duchess angrily takes offence to, commenting she wouldn’t normally associate her family with a common cat. Thomas interrupts the argument, feeling the
bridge shaking. Suddenly, a low flying German bomber plane crashes out of the sky and smashes through the bridge. Duchess rescues Berlioz and Toulouise, but Marie plummets into the river below. Thomas leaps in after her, promising to show Duchess “what a common cat can do”. Thomas rescues Marie but they are dragged downstream, with Duchess in pursuit.

That night, Edgar retraces his steps for where the cats may have been lost. Roquefort falls off the bike and gets lost, wandering into the British camp where he is confronted by Lafayette. The mouse cowers before Lafayette til Napoleon arrives, and learns of Roquefort’s presence. Realising they have met Duchess and the kittens, the dogs agree to help Roquefort find the cats. By daybreak, Duchess,
Toulouise, and Berlioz still follow the river, exhausted and driven by a frantic Duchess. She is about to give up, when she hears Marie’s laughter. Rounding a corner, Duchess finds her daughter and an injured Thomas being cared for by two British gossipy geese named Abigail and Amelia, who are on holiday.

Thomas awakens but freaks out, revealing the geese are the two “chicks” he was running from. Abigail and Amelia scold Thomas, claiming he took their Uncle Waldo for a wild night in Paris, but Thomas blacked out and woke up in the countryside. The geese gang up on Thomas, but Duchess surprises herself by coming to his aid, claiming he is a good person. Duchess suggests they travel to Paris and find Uncle Waldo, which everyone agrees to, and they waddle their way to the city, Thomas and Duchess thanking each other. The kittens giggle amongst themselves as Duchess and Thomas walk closer together.

By nightfall, the cats and geese have reached the outskirts of Paris, learning from other cats that Uncle Waldo is being held in a restaurant kitchen to be cooked. Thomas sneaks in to rescue Waldo, finding the elderly goose marinated in wine to the point of tipsiness. The French chef enters and catches Thomas and Waldo trying to flee and attacks them with a meat cleaver. Watching from outside, Duchess runs in to help Thomas, using her long forgotten reflexes to dump a bag of flour on the chef’s head before escaping with Thomas and Waldo. Uncle Waldo is grateful, but comments he would have preferred to be marinated in cherry. The laughter is interrupted as air sirens go off. The
Germans are coming.

The geese flee as bombers fly over head and begin unleashing fiery hell upon the city. The bombings are unseen, only as noise and flashes of light to the horrified cats, Thomas leading them to safety. Duchess and Thomas protect the kittens from the racket. After the carnage has ended, Duchess asks Thomas to take her family home. He agrees, but suggests they rest for the night. That idea goes straight out the window when they visit a dancing hall’s disused loft, but find it is occupied by Thomas’ old friend Scat Cat and his musically-inclined
friends, who welcome Duchess with open arms. Duchess informs the charmed Scat Cat of her woes, and he tells her to embrace being a cat, playing a jazzy number that drawns in alley cats. The cats dance the night away, Duchess realising that regardless of their homes,
they are all cats.

Scat Cat and his gang later depart, and while the kittens fall asleep, Thomas and Duchess go onto the roof for some air. Duchess is in awe of the starry night, and they realise just how much misery the war brings to Paris’ citizens as they go about dealing with the mayhem. Duchess fears for her mistress’ health, Thomas reminding her that she is Adelaide’s pet. Duchess objects, asking Thomas why he can only view her as a pet. Thomas laments that all relationships between humans and cats are the same, and they will end up abandoning you, Duchess realising he was once owned himself and starts grooming him. Duchess plucks up the courage and admits she has difficulty relying on males, explaining what became of her children’s father Marquis, disinterested in being a parent and left with his master, rejecting his children to live a life of luxury. The two embrace over their misfortunes and end up kissing in the moonlight, witnessed by the overjoyed kittens.

 

[Evilgidgit]

Act 3

By morning, Duchess is embracing her abilities as a cat and bonding with Thomas. However, the family run in to Roquefort, Napoleon, and Lafayette. The family are thrilled to see Roquefort, while the dogs offer to escort Duchess home, distrusting Thomas. Duchess convinces the dogs otherwise and they return Duchess and the kittens home, just as Edgar returns from the hospital with Adelaide. Adelaide is thrilled to have her cats back home, and Edgar is both relieved and nervous if they start behaving differently around him. Duchess is saddened to leave Thomas, but he quietly departs, telling her he can’t belong in her world, fear of rejection.

Napoleon and Lafayette go to depart, but they pick up the scent of Edgar’s motorbike and track it into the stables, but are locked in by Edgar so they do not disturb Adelaide. Edgar’s fears come to light when the cats hiss at him, forcing him to reveal to Adelaide his crimes. Adelaide is shocked but when Edgar tries to reason with her over her decisions regarding the will, air sirens announce the return of a new attack from the Germans.

Edgar desperately tries to plea with Adelaide to get to a shelter but she locks herself in her bedroom with the cats. Just then, German planes start bombing Paris again and Adelaide’s mansion is caught in the devastation, causing part of the roof to cave in and Adelaide to be trapped. Edgar is pinned under rubble, leaving the cats and their mistress trapped with an approaching fire. The kittens call for
Roquefort and tell him to find Thomas. The brave mouse races out the house, while Froufrou and the dogs try to force their way out of the stables to rescue the others. Roquefort quickly finds Thomas and informs him of the tragedy. Thomas races off to save Duchess, sending Roquefort to find Scat Cat and his gang. Roquefort is quickly reduced to babbling terror when he is accosted by Scat Cat’s gang, but when he manages to explain what is happening, the cats run off to help.

At the mansion, firefighters and policemen come to the rescue to put out the fire but can’t get into the house. That is until Froufrou breaks out of the stable and is used to kick the front doors in. Thomas and Scat Cat’s gang follow and manages to get into Adelaide’s room through a hole in the roof, guiding Duchess’ kittens to safety, but Duchess refuses to leave Adelaide. Outside, Edgar spots the cats on the
roof and despite being wounded, charges in to save his mistress. Using Froufrou as a battering ram, Edgar manages to break into Adelaide’s room and retrieves her, but Duchess and Thomas remain trapped under the bed with Edgar unable to rescue them. Embracing her feline abilities, Duchess manages to jump to the roof, but Thomas is burnt whilst climbing and plunges into a fire below.

A distraught Duchess reunites with her kittens and presumes Thomas perished. However, Roquefort, while a mouse, braves the fire and smoke to find Thomas. Locating his body, Roquefort manages to drag him out of the flames before he is found by firemen who take him outside. Adelaide is taken to a hospital while the cats are taken into Georges’ care, and Thomas manages to recover but his condition
leaves him unable to walk properly. Months later, Adelaide has recovered and lives in her country home with Duchess, her kittens, and a domesticated Thomas. Adelaide still has some recovering to do and is cared for by a housekeeper named Marianne. Georges visits, accompanied by Edgar, who has done a short prison sentence for his crimes.

Adelaide is welcoming to Edgar who repeatedly apologises to her and the cats for his actions. Adelaide apologises for meandering mind and decides to compose a new will, but Edgar declines to be a part of it when offered, believing he must earn his own keep. However, he suggests that Adelaide’s love for cats could play a role. Adelaide works off that and founds a charity for animals and pets in Paris to find new homes. Roquefort and Froufrou are still with the family, while Napoleon and Lafayette were returned to the army but gained recognition for their bravery. Duchess and Thomas become a couple, and the kittens have a father figure, something which Duchess is very happy about. Her family is complete.