Marie Day - Celebrate the Star of The Aristocats

Although more than half a century has passed since The Aristocats first delighted fans, the popularity of the entire cat cast is just as strong today, with one cute kitty character gaining worldwide fame. A little Turkish Angora with a lot of ‘cat‘ittude, Marie is so well loved by fans of felines that she is celebrated each year on Marie Day!

When is Marie Day?

Every year, Marie Day is observed on February 22. The date of Marie Day was chosen to coincide with Cat Day in Japan. Marie Day was first launched by Disney Japan.

Fun Facts About The Aristocats

Over the years, the animated adventures of animals in Disney movies have helped to nurture a love for all creatures great and small in the hearts of children. While Bambi and The Lion King taught compassion for our friends in the wild and One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Lady and The Tramp offered a lesson on the devotion of dogs, in 1970 The Aristocats Disney movie was released that showcased a feline family’s love for each other.

To mark Marie Day, we found a few fun facts about everyone’s favorite prim and proper Parisian kitten:

Did you know that the character of Marie was named after the Queen consort of France prior to the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette?

Marie speaks with the voice of Liz English, in her sole Disney role.

Did you know that at one point actress Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady from The Brady Bunch) was considered as the voice of Marie? She may not have won the role, but over the years the pop culture icon has used her voice to help kittens in need as a member on the board of directors of Precious Paws animal rescue.

Disney devotees in the United States saw the famous white cat and the rest of the animated cast for the first time when The Aristocats premiered in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve in 1970.

In the Italian-dubbed version of The Aristocats the character of Marie is known as Minou, which happens to be a French word for “kitty.”

The character of Maria is so popular in Japan that she has even appeared in a manga! Published in 2015 (and released in the United States in 2018), Miriya & Marie weaves a tale of a young Japanese girl who discovers that she is a witch when she magically travels from present day Japan to 1910 Paris, where Marie teaches her the ways of sorcery.

Little ones can enjoy further adventures of Marie and her brothers through the children’s book series The Aristokittens. Published by Disney Press, the book series includes Welcome To The Creature Cafe, The Great Biscuit Bake-Off and The Fantastic Rabbit Race.

Marie’s popularity almost led to the filming of Aristocats: The Animated Series, which would have followed the adolescent adventures of the pretty Parisian kitty and her brothers, Toulouse and Berloiz. Sadly, both this concept and a planned Aristocats II were scrapped in 2006.

Disney devotees and fans of felines alike can collect an array of Marie merch! The breakout star from The Aristocats is featured on items ranging from party supplies, plush toys and fleece blankets for children to more sophisticated fare, such as figurines, a teapot, a bathrobe and wine glasses.