As shared by Deadline, The legendary co-founder of The Roots, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is set to direct a live-action/hybrid adaptation of the Walt Disney classic, The Aristocats.
The feature film will be Questlove’s directorial debut, and he will also oversee the film’s music and serve as an executive producer (along with Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman of Two One Five Entertainment). The script is by Keith Bunin and Will Gluck of Olive Bridge, which is the other production company on board for the release.
The original 1970 animated picture, The Aristocats featured a Parisian feline family who discovers they will inherit a substantial sum of money from their owner. However, when their owner’s envious butler abducts them and abandons them in a rural area, they must collaborate with a charismatic tomcat to find their way back home before it’s too late.
The 70’s film was actually in the headlines again just a couple of years ago when Disney+ pulled it from children’s profiles on its service along with several other titles due to negative depictions and stereotypes. As reported by KTLA on March 9, 2021, “According to the [Stories Matter] section of Disney’s website, the decisions to restrict the content for some and add the advisory for everyone else was made for the following reasons…”
The Disney site cited the following reason, for The Aristocats, which most people would probably guess relates to the Siamese cats scene:
“The Aristocats (1970): ‘The (Siamese) cat (Shun Gon) is depicted as a racist caricature of East Asian peoples with exaggerated stereotypical traits such as slanted eyes and buck teeth. He sings in poorly accented English voiced by a white actor and plays the piano with chopsticks.'”
It’s unclear how Questlove is going to approach a live-action/hybrid adaptation of the film, but don’t be surprised if that scene doesn’t get a reboot. Either way, it’s a great music-centric film for a legend like Questlove to cut his teeth as a feature film director.
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