Review of Oliver & Company (1988) by Logan M — 12 Nov 2016

Disney presents the animated film Oliver & Company. As the film's title somewhat suggests, the movie is based on David Copperfield's novel Oliver Twist. The character Oliver Twist is portrayed by a stray cat Oliver (Joey Lawrence), who finds himself among a pack stray dogs. These stray dogs are led by a jazzy cool dog named Dodger (Billy Joel), a feisty Chihuahua Tito (Cheech Marin) and a few others. Each of the dogs are owned by a poor criminal Fagin (Dom DeLuise), and they represent the orphan aspect of the original novel.

Together they are trying to scrape by to survive and are hoping to acquire enough money to pay off a debt that Fagin owes to crime boss Sykes (Robert Loggia). Oliver eventually winds up at a home and the owner's daughter Jenny falls in love with him and decides to keep him. This is much to the dismay of the dog of the house, a spoiled poodle Georgette (Bette Midler). The girl's father is rich, so Fagin comes up with a scheme to ransom Oliver to get the money he owes Fagin. Fagin finds himself in too deep, when Sykes decides it's much more profitable to steal Jenn and ransom her instead. It soon becomes up to Oliver and Company to set everything straight again.

Oliver & Company has some intriguing ways of setting up characters to compare to the original novel so that kids can enjoy it. The story is somewhat weak, but makes up for some great characters. Dodger is an excellent hero, and Oliver is a cute "underdog" that you root for. The supporting cast of Marin and Midler provide much of the film's comedic output. Each of the dogs in the pack has a different personality that keeps the film entertaining. The film's music, and New York backdrop play well with each other to make a well packaged film. The song "Why Should I Worry" is one of the better Disney songs. Sykes and the two dogs make for reasonable villains, but are mostly forgettable amongst some of the iconic Disney villains. The idea of Fagin appearance, and him as a lowly bandit that is trying to do his best, may be confusing at first to early age viewers, but his moral compass eventually steers in the right direction. Oliver & Company is one of the more forgettable Disney classics, but Dodger and Oliver make it stand the test of time.

-11.12.2016.