Review of Oliver & Company (1988) by Robert T — 21 May 2008

I was first exposed to this animated feature when I saw one of its musical sequence in a Sing-Along-Song compilation released by Disney on VHS many years ago. I had never heard of the film before, but it peaked my interest when the song I heard was so catchy.

I was surprised when Disney released this film on VHS, because I always wanted to view it. When I did, there were some fun moments, but there were also some moments were just boring. One of the best things about this film was the animal characters -- they were great! Each had their own personality, which was cool.

Another thing I liked about this was that the human did not literally communicated to the animals in plain English. Honestly, I always had a hard time connecting the communication relationship when an animal speaks English to an animal -- particularly in a film that was supposed to be located in modern time.

If the film was set in a magical world, then it was fine. I wasn't sure if this film was based on the old children's book "Oliver's Twist," but I noticed some similarities. Though I have never seen any "Oliver's Twist" films before, I was just guessing on assumptions.

Oliver in this film was an orphanage similar to the original book. The film's animation echoes the old fashion style that were popular in Disney films during between the 50s and the 70s. Though it was neat that Disney went back to that style, I was hoping Disney would do more and bridge old and new.

They kind of did, but I wanted more. Overall, the film was just average. The story and plot was alright -- nothing that interesting. I wouldn't mind viewing this film again. I do own it on VHS, and who knows, it might change my opinion now that I am older.