It turns out not everybody wants to be a cat.
Disney has scrapped Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson‘s live-action adaptation of The Aristocats, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
In 2023, it was announced that Thompson would helm a live-action remake of the 1970 animated feature. The Aristocats centers around a wealthy cat and her three kittens, whose owner has passed down her fortune to them. When their butler throws them out, they set out on an adventure to return home to Paris with the help of Thomas O’Malley, the musically inclined alley cat.
Thompson was set to direct and work on the film’s music, while Will Gluck and Keith Bunin penned the script. Gluck and his production company, Olive Bridge, were slated to produce alongside Thompson’s Two One Five Entertainment. Thompson, Tarik Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman previously joined as executive producers.
The news of the Aristocats movie’s tabling comes roughly a few months after a live-action remake of Tangled was put on pause. Notably, Disney’s live-action adaptations have received mixed receptions. While Snow White was subject to controversy earlier this year, Lilo & Stitch was a box office hit, becoming the first movie of 2025 to cross $1 billion globally. Because of its success, development on a sequel is already underway.
Thompson himself revealed that Aristocats had been sidelined during an Aug. 20 episode of Score: The Podcast. There, he explained that Disney underwent a few “administration shuffle[s].” Thompson explained, “By the third time, I was just like, ‘Maybe this isn’t meant for me.’”
