Oliver & Company [G]

Orphaned and alone in New York City, a little kitten is befriended by a street smart dog named Dodger and made a member of a gang of pick-pocketing pooches working with a broke man named Fagin who’s indebted to a ruthless tough-guy money lender named Sykes. Whilst on a job, Oliver gets separated from the gang and adopted by a rich little girl named Jenny. Soon though, as a means of clearing Fagin’s debts, Sykes kidnaps Jenny and it’s up to Oliver, Dodger and the gang to rescue her. 

Aw I used to love this movie when I was littler and I still think it’s really, really cute now. It’s not the greatest Disney movie to be made, but there’s something timeless about it. It’s got loveable characters, great music, and a really lovely little story with a nice and warm happy ending. All you need in a good family film really. 

Orphaned and alone in New York City, a little kitten is befriended by a street smart dog named Dodger and made a member of a gang of pick-pocketing pooches working with a broke man named Fagin who’s indebted to a ruthless tough-guy money lender named Sykes. Whilst on a job, Oliver gets separated from the gang and adopted by a rich little girl named Jenny. Soon though, as a means of clearing Fagin’s debts, Sykes kidnaps Jenny and it’s up to Oliver, Dodger and the gang to rescue her. 

Inspired by Dickens’ classic tale, Oliver Twist, Oliver & Company is a great little movie and one of the only Disney films, I think, to really show the harsher side of life. Set against the concrete jungle of New York City, the backdrop features no magic walks in the park, no incredible underwater fantasies, and no glamorous ballrooms. Instead our characters are pounding the pavements and the littered streets of what is commonly regarded as a very dirty city. The animation brings the city streets’ brutality into sharp relief and provides a lot of the drama in the movie. 

We then have this great mesh of loveable misfits that make up Fagin’s cohorts and friends and the relationships between them all are very funny to watch. 

An upbeat and jazzy-infused soundtrack underscores the brighter of the film’s scenes with Dodger’s signature tune ‘Why Should I Worry?’ becoming an instant classic that’s hard to not bop along to. 

Featuring the voice talents of Joseph Lawrence, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Dom DeLuise, Natalie Gregory, William Glover, Robert Loggia, Billy Joel and Bette Midler, Oliver & Company is a classic little family film that still manages to bring a tear to my eye. Filled with friendship, drama, loveable characters, danger, catchy songs, and comedy, it’s another film from my childhood that stands the test of time…at least for me anyway.