Tarantino: The Aristocrats Inspired This Iconic Scene From Pulp Fiction!

A movie that inspires another is nothing new, but a cat that inspires dance is intriguing. The dance scene from Pulp Fiction is perhaps the most iconic moment from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film, and whether you’ve seen it or not, you’ll have images of John Travolta and Uma Thurman on the dance floor in their own way.

But what many may not know is that this memorable sequence originates from an unlikely source: a cat cartoon. In 1970, Disney released The Aristocats. Directed by Wolfgang Reitermann, the film follows a cat named Duchess and her three kittens as their butler tries to prevent them from inheriting. This happens after the butler overhears a conversation between their landlady, a retired French opera diva, and her lawyer about her will. When she dies, the old lady plans to leave the entire estate to her pets, and the butler will only take over after their deaths. And it was the Duchess’s dance in the film that sparked Tarantino’s imagination, leading to the birth of an unforgettable scene. Pulp Fiction.

What makes a sequence? Pulp Fiction A gem in the world of cinematic dance is its unexpectedness, its delicious choreography, its 50s kitsch setting and the way it adds depth to the characters who perform it.

The inspiration for Tarantino’s cat

Quentin Tarantino is a filmmaker who draws inspiration from many sources, from his own experiences to his dreams… apparently including Disney movies! But it was especially the way the Duchess danced to the song “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” that inspired her to dance Mia (Uma Thurman).

“When Vince squirms, I wanted him to be stiff. But when Mia flinched, I was thinking of the cat Zsa Zsa Gabor (Duchess) from The Aristocats“- he revealed.

Indeed, her fluid dancing and hand gestures caught the attention of the director, as she confided to English TV on the set of The Graham Norton Show – Imitation Please, as you can see in the video below.

What’s fascinating is that a cartoon cat dance performance became the inspiration for such an iconic moment in film history – and the two scenes are somehow connected. Indeed, the connection between the two characters is intriguing in that Mia looks for something deeper in Vincent, mirroring (perhaps?) the Duchess’s attraction to the alley cat, Thomas O’Malley.

However, Tarantino’s inspiration for the dance Pulp Fiction Beyond the duchess. It was also inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 crime film, Bande à Part. In the film, Anna Karina’s interpretation of Odile’s sensual and subversive dance captivated the audience as she danced with two powerful characters in a Parisian club. Band to Part Also shares its name with Tarantino’s production house Pulp Fiction.

The lasting impact of the scene Pulp Fiction In popular culture, nearly three decades after the film’s release, it is a testament to its iconic status. Thus, it became a symbol of cinema history, but it all started when Tarantino saw a cartoon cat dancing…

Pulp Fiction is available to stream on Netflix. The Aristocats can still be seen on Disney+.