Back in 2023, Disney announced that a live-action/CGI remake of The Aristocats was in the works with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson attached to direct, executive produce, and oversee the music. The script was set to come from Peter Rabbit writer Will Gluck and Onward’s Keith Bunin. After that announcement, though, updates were basically nonexistent — until now.
Questlove recently spoke on Score: The Podcast and made it clear the project isn’t moving forward.
“Disney had their third president… usually when a new administration comes in, we got a little reshuffle. The first time, this is the third time in which a new administration came in. And then I was like, okay, well, this is what I plan to do… here’s some of the music examples and this is the team I’m working with. And then they had another administration shuffle and it was like, okay, well, alright. So by the third time I was just like, maybe this isn’t meant for me.”
Where the Project Stands
Questlove says he “would have loved to have done that project,” but he’s now focused on a full slate of films that will keep him busy until the end of the decade.
“There’s like 20 others that I can get to. What I don’t do is I don’t make announcements until it’s ready. But there’s literally four other films — I’ll be working till, you know, 2029, 2030. So, just wasn’t meant to happen. Maybe it’ll happen in the future, but…”
That’s as close as it gets to confirmation: The Aristocats remake is shelved. It’s not officially dead, but there’s no movement on it right now.
A Quick Refresher: What The Aristocats Is
Disney’s original The Aristocats (1970) told the story of Duchess and her three kittens, who are kidnapped by their owner’s butler in a scheme to steal their inheritance. Stranded in the French countryside, they team up with alley cat Thomas O’Malley to make their way home. The film is remembered for its Parisian setting, its jazzy soundtrack, and the classic number “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat.”
The remake would have been part of Disney’s ongoing wave of live-action reimaginings, which has produced everything from billion-dollar hits like The Lion King to recent flops like Snow White.
Disney’s Live-Action Future
The shelving of The Aristocats falls in line with other recent Disney pauses, including Bambi and Tangled. Still, remakes aren’t going anywhere — Moana is scheduled for 2026, and Lilo & Stitch was such a massive success that a sequel is already on the way.
For now, though, Disney’s Parisian cats are staying put. Questlove has moved on to other projects, and The Aristocats goes back into the vault — maybe for good, or maybe just until Disney decides to dust it off again.