10 Things toi Didn't Know About the Aristocats 

Awww Music Oh, Snap! Quiz Retro Silly Whoa Yum

It looks like we’ll be celebrating more than just the holidays this weekend, as

is also celebrating its 45th anniversary today. Since we’ve never really stopped wanting to be a cat after watching the film for the very first time all those years ago, we figured the perfect way to celebrate was to brush up on our trivia skills. Are you ready to test your knowledge? Keep on reading!

The film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, which centers around a real family of cats that inherited a fortune back in 1910.

2. Scat Cat was originally going to be voiced by Louis Armstrong.

Animators modeled Scat Cat (originally named Satchmo Cat) after Louis Armstrong because they wanted him to voice the character. Everything down to the gap in his teeth to the way he played the trumpet was based on the singer. When Armstrong was too sick to play the part, Scatman Crothers was offered the role.

The original script featured a fourth kitten named Waterloo, but he was removed because the writers thought four kittens was too many.

back in 1954. It was Walt himself who decided the story was better suited for animation.

5. Some of Napoleon and Lafayette’s barks were recycled.

A couple of the barks heard in the film were actually recycled from the Twilight Bark scene in 101

6. A famous singer left retirement to sing the opening song.

Composers Richard and Robert Sherman convinced Maurice Chevalier to come out of retirement to sing the film’s title song “The Aristocats.” We’re glad they did, because that song is great.

was the final film to be approved by Walt Disney, the first to be completed after his death, and the last to include the phrase, “A Walt Disney Production” at the end.

, was used as inspiration for Thomas O’Malley. In fact, the writers let the actor change some of his lines to better suit his personality. The first song he sings bears a strong resemblance to Baloo’s famous tune “The Bear Necessities.”

9. Eva Gabor (Duchess) and Pat Buttram (Napoleon) were co-stars on a famous TV show during filming.

While they were recording their parts for

In one of the earlier scripts, Edgar had a partner-in-crime named Elvira. Elsa Lanchester (Katie Nanna in

Which fact surprised you most? Let us know in the comments!

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