Questlove to Direct Live-Action Remake of ‘The Aristocats’ for Disney

Disney is making a “live-action” remake of its animated film The Aristocats and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson will be directing it. Questlove is the Oscar award-winning director behind Summer of Soul.

The film will be a hybrid of live-action and CGI. Thompson will not only be directing but also overseeing and producing the film as well. It will include an adapted screenplay by Pixar’s Onward writer Keith Bunin and Peter Rabbit filmmaker Will Gluck. Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman will executive produce. Guck and his production Olive Bridge will be producing along Thompson’s Two One Five Entertainment.

Questlove is currently the drummer and co-frontman of The Roots, which is also the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Previously the band was the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Questlove has worked on films, music, and other projects throughout his career. He is one of the producers on the cast album of the Broadway musical Hamilton. He also is an adjunct professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.

The Aristocats is an animated musical that Disney released in 1970. It is the story of Duchess and her three kittens Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse who are set to inherit a fortune. However, the butler of their residence kidnaps them and they soon find themselves on an adventure to return home with the help of an alleycat named Thomas O’Malley. The film has some memorable songs like Everbody Wants to Be a Cat, and the main song The Aristocats. It was originally a box office success and brought in $191 million.

The live-action remake of The Aristocats continues Disney’s trend of re-imaging classic animated films in a new live-action format. Disney has done this already with Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and others. A released date for this iteration of The Aristocats is unknown at this point.

What do you think about this approach to The Aristocats with Questlove? Are you excited about it? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!