Duchess is one of the main characters of ‘The Aristocats’. Duchess is a white Turkish Angora Cat. She is a pet of a rich noble lady and is a mother of three kittens.
The portrayal of this cat character was so amazing that it inspired Disney to create a few more characters like Duchess in other movies and shows.
The Disney movie came out in 1970 and even after over half a century of its release, the characters of this movie, still get mentioned among the best fictional characters of all time.
Movie Synopsis
Duchess is a cat who lives in a big mansion with her three kittens. Her owner, Madame Adelaide is very fond of them all and takes good care of them.
When Adelaide decides to leave her inheritance to Duchess and the kittens, her jealous butler kidnaps the cats and leaves them far off in the countryside.
But luckily Duchess and the kids come across an alley cat named Thomas who decides to help them get back home.
Duchess’ role in The Aristocats
Duchess is the central figure in the movie and the whole movie revolves around her. She is a beautiful white cat with three kids. Since her master is from a noble family, Duchess always have tried to live her life as a proper lady.
She also makes sure that her kids learn good manners and act like ladies and gentlemen. Duchess is very protective of her kids and also deeply cares for her master.
She is kind, friends, brave, and has a pure heart. She even puts her kids and her owner above her desires and happiness. She is willing to sacrifice her love for the good of everybody.
Duchess: A Turkish Angora cat
Duchess is a beautiful white Turkish Angora cat. The breed finds its origin in present-day Turkey. In this segment, we compare the traits of the cat breed shown in the movie with the attributes of the cat character and check if the makers did proper research work while creating a particular cat character.
We found a lot of similarities between the character of Duchess and an average Turkish Angora cat and it’s a good thing:
- Turkish Angora cats are very affectionate towards their family and Duchess is also very caring towards her family.
- Turkish Angora cats are friendly towards strangers and Duchess’ character is shown to be friendly with strangers.
- Turkish Angoras are considered an intelligent breed and Duchess is quite smart as well
- Turkish Angora cats are highly playful and Duchess does have a fair amount of playfulness in her.
Major Relationships of Duchess
- Madame Adelaide: Duchess shares a very sweet bond with her owner, Madame Adelaide. Both love each other very much and are very caring for each other.
- Marie: Marie is the only daughter of Duchess. The mother-daughter has a great relationship. Duchess wants to make Marie a proper lady and also teach her to sing.
- Toulouse: Toulouse is the notorious son of the Duchess. Duchess wants to act like a gentleman but he is more interested in becoming more like an alley cat.
- Berlioz: He is the third and final kitten of Duchess. He is a very good piano player and Duchess makes sure that he practices regularly, even when he acts childishly.
- Thomas O’Malley: Thomas is an alley cat that gets smitten by Duchess’ beauty and decides to help her and the kittens. Along the way, Duchess also falls for him.
- Edgar: Edgar is the butler of Madame Adelaide and caretaker of Duchess and the kitten. Though he cared for the cats, his greed made him their foe in the latter part of the movie.
Movie Clip: Duchess & Thomas’ sweet moment
Catflix Review
The Aristocats is a legendary cat movie that is in the top 10 of every cat lover. There are many cat characters in the movie but we’ll focus on the role of Duchess, the white cat, and the impact that she made on the audience.
Duchess is a sweet animated cat character that reached iconic status. Unlike many popular cat characters, who are notorious and highly caricaturish, Duchess is completely different and is portrayed as mature and more like a human.
Her dialogs though not funny but always bring a smile to our faces. Also, there are many good lessons that we can take from her characters like loyalty, bravery, honesty, and compassion.
The movie is a must-watch for kids and recommended for adults as well.
