Drummer and Summer of Soul director Questlove is set to direct and executive produce a remake of The Aristocats, also taking on soundtrack duties.
Questlove won the Academy Award for ‘Best Documentary’ following the release of Summer of Soul. However, his new project, based on Disney’s animated 1970 film, will be his first fictional effort, mixing live-action with animation.
Talking to Pitchfork, he explained: “During those first months of the pandemic back in 2020, I allowed my inner 9-year-old to have a voice he wouldn’ta had back in 1980. I made space for myself every day to enjoy an hour or two of fun. (Eventually, it turned into more work: books, nightly DJ sets, films. But it started as fun.) What grew out of that, in part, was nightly viewings of old Disney classics from my childhood. The Aristocats was one of them.”
“Having been involved in Soul that year, I was able to see so-called kids’ art with new eyes, was able to connect with a certain feeling. I don’t think I would have been fully able to find inspiration in those movies if I wasn’t forced by circumstance to sit silent. I needed that pause. (Also, full confession, The Aristocats was how my mom made jazz seem interesting to me back then.) There’s nothing more rewarding than continuing down that same creative path, taking a part of my past and making it part of my future,” he continued.
There is no release date yet.
