Disney axes Questlove's live-action "The Aristocats"

The 1970 Disney animated musical 'The Aristocats' is remembered, if at all, for the jazzy tune 'Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat.' The song has little to do with the plot, which follows pampered Parisian cats whose wealthy owner plans to leave them her fortune. Her butler tries and fails to kill them, leaving the cats stranded in the countryside. They set out to return home with the help of a streetwise feline, making for an odd storyline.

Questlove is best known as the drummer for The Roots, but he has turned to filmmaking in recent years. His directing credits are documentaries, largely about music, including a well-received one about Sly Stone.

With its cat-heavy cast of characters, the live-action version of 'The Aristocats' would have relied heavily on photorealistic animation. Would have is the key phrase.

Questlove said the project stalled as Disney went through three leadership changes while he waited to make the film. By the time he was pitching to a third set of executives, he thought, “Maybe this isn’t meant for me.” Still, he noted he’s not discouraged: “I would have loved to have done that project, but there’s like 20 others that I can get to.”

Disney’s live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' was the first American film of 2025 to cross the $1 billion mark, though 'The Aristocats' never carried that kind of cachet. Questlove himself is arguably better known than the 1970 animated film. His version might have been an intriguing curio, but audiences won’t be seeing a photorealistic Scat Cat anytime soon.

(h/t Deadline)