Oliver & Company is a grossly underrated classic. I’m as in love with it now as I was years ago. The story is based so loosely on Oliver Twist as to be totally unique and original. The hip, catchy music and expressive animation are top-notch. And the movie gives us some of who I think are the greatest animated canine characters of all time (namely Rita, Georgette, and Dodger.) I really can’t say enough good things about those, or the film as a whole, so, I’ll leave it at—enjoy this beyond-awesome movie!

"Oliver and Company" is always mentioned as the movie who set the style and formula to the whole Disney movies that were to come in the 90's. Such an impresive statement, that I had to rent it just to see the value of these re-interpretation of "Oliver Twist" set in New York with a cat as a stellar character.
I must say first, that I have seen so many versions of the classic tale (Oliver!, the one from Oliver Stone and the new from Disney) and honestly haven't read the book, that came to the conclusíon that a film version of this type of adaptation always will differ from the personal vision of the director, specially if in this case comes from Disney.
So, I was extremely surpise from such an original vision that both the creators and animators took: it's dark, complicated, fast-paced and for some reason uneaven in most places. I'm not saying that is a bad movie (not at all), but is surprising that a couple years later of this, would come something as big as "The Little Mermaid".
And maybe the explanation of this is the fact that Disney was looking for that formula that everyone knows and for which is world-wide famous: adapt a famous story, usually with animals and funny sidekicks, and make it a musical (a really good musical).
Strangely I didn't found the Disney "essence" nowwhere in these movie: it just lack the finesse and cohesion that an animation of these studio should have, in any case just felt gritty and extremely experimental, with scenes changing second to second, no sense of direction and even of sensorship (it felt to intense to kids, at least for me). For example, the first time where I notice ALL this was in the Dodger hideout scene, too much happen in less than five minutes, or in the final persecusion where there was at least five different scenarios (the port, the subway, the bridge, the street...) where I couldn't even understand what was happening.
Still, that doesn't mean (as said before) that it's a bad movie: the songs and acting are great, the story developes well and as usual in a Disney movie you know that will be a happy ending and a good movie. It may look that I was trying to bash the movie, but it's not, simply I try to point the idea that (and if you look the date and time of release as well the amazing influence of this movie) "Oliver and Company" was a point in the history of Diney where the studio was searching for a different style, for me it's pure experimentation and it can be compared tu such masterpieces like "Little Mermaid" or a "Beauty and the Beast", as well I think it's not for everyone, since it was released in a bad time it probably it always had the distiction of being one of those "unnapreciated" movies...

RATE: 3 Stars. Maybe because I just simply didn't "connect", maybe I wasn't in the mood, maybe even because I was so annoyed for the "Special Edition" since it look so godammn dark that in some parts I couldn't see what's going on. Still, maybe it deserves the 3/2 stars since although it wouldn't be in my top ten, I still prefer its weird, dark style over the corny "too nice" Disney movies of the mid 90's.

Its a fun, touching story with some good animation. The music was really great! The characters were good, but half of them seemed like they were copied from "Lady and the Tramp" which is the only problem I had with this film.

I loved it! I thought it was sweet and cool at the same time. And the villian was awesome! Underappreciated Disney film. I recommend it. 3 1/2 stars!

When I think of Disney Animated movies, one of the last ones I remember is Oliver & Company. This in spite of Oliver being one of the Disney movies I saw theatrically as a kid. Its not too funny, the animation isn't too great- in fact it has a dirty grungy look. Oliver isn't that cute, the music isn't too memorable. You can see where this is going. Oliver is not a bad film, its just so plain all the way around.

Oliver (voiced by Joey "Whoa!" Lawrence) is an orphan cat that finds himself in the company of a bunch of dog thieves including the Piano Man Billy Joel as Dodger and Chihuahua Cheech Marin (Bette Midler also voices a rich "female dog" later in the film). But even though the dogs are thieves, they aren't bad, they are trying to help out their master (Fagin) who has gotten in too deep with some loan sharks. It probably all seems familiar if you have read Oliver Twist, on which this is based. Oliver is adopted by young Jenny, but good things in Disney movies never last (except for the happily ever afters). The dog pack "rescue" Oliver from the nice home he had found and then are offended that Ollie preferred the mansion to the dog's New York dump. Fagin decides that Oliver could bring in a nice ransom so he sends his demands to "the very rich cat owner person." Will she pay the ransom? Will Fagin turn over a new leaf? Will the loan sharks break Fagin's knee caps? I'll never tell...

Earning $53 million in 1988, this film was considered a pretty big success for Disney (at least until The Little Mermaid made huge waves in 1989). Surely songs by Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Huey Lewis helped fuel the film's box office. Actually though, I found that while the songs are pleasant enough, I won't soon be humming them while riding the subway, or even remembering them for that matter. There are just far too many Disney movies with far better tunes. Having said that, there is nothing here that offended my senses or totally sucked either and that's worth something. So, if you love Disney you better check this one out too, but if you are just looking for a good film to watch, there are probably better ones out there. Sorry Ollie, you get a C.

Oliver and Company is a good film, but it never was one of my favorites.
I think the characters could have been built up a lot more, and that's probably one of the reasons it's not in my top favorites. The cast was good, but Oliver's voice really annoyed me. The story was pretty good, fast paced, and had quite a few jokes scattered throughout it. Most of the songs are just ok, but "Why Should I Worry" is definitely the best, and the score was nice.
The animation isn't the best, but still good.
Overall it's a decent film, I'd recommend it for a Friday night rental.

This seems to be a popular movie for reasons that I can't point out. It's a complete dismantling of the classic tale of Oliver Twist. The songs are actually kinda pleasant, except for that obnoxiously boring song that the girl sings. But they seem inconsequential, like they're there just to be there, and in one song, the singing voice sounds completely disconnected from the speaking voice. I will admit, though, that I really like Georgette's song.

The movie itself seems to possess a positive energy, a sense of hipness, as exemplified by Dodger's carefree attitude. Yeah. It's hip. But you have to wonder what all this hipness is there for. It doesn't seem to serve a purpose like the hipness in Aladdin or The Emperor's New Groove does. Especially when you consider how weak the characters are. Oliver is just as bland and ordinary as any real life orange tabby. And the rest of the movie seems to be a whole bunch of character cliches and personalities with no purpose for those cliches being there. You've got the stereotypical latino. Okay. He's the motormouth. You've got the stereotypical poseur artiste. Hmm. . . Well at least this movie shows that bulldogs aren't vicious. Then you've got. . some other guys. And Dodger. I think the only characters with any sense of being are Dodger and the two stereotypical "enforcer" dobermans. It shouldn't be called Oliver and Company. It should be called Dodger, Some Other Dudes, and This Here Cat. The movie really is about Fagin, another down-and-out-loser who accidently borrowed too much money from a loan shark. Even in his sorry hobo state, it's pretty hard to care for him. Maybe it would've been better if the movie concentrated more on him instead of getting him mixed up up Jenny and a bunch of animals. The villain, too, is just another typical cigar-chomper in a limo. I'm not sure why Sykes even thought that someone like Fagin could cough up enough money to pay him back. Sykes could also have been a bit more menacing. I'm still not sure why he would put so much energy into kidnapping a kitten. I know Jenny is the daughter of a rich person, but it's just not believable. Sykes doesn't have a strong a presence like, say, Cruella does. And the movie really does try hard to make the audience care for Oliver by showing him going from getting beaten up by the elements to finding a home, but for all the movie's struggles, I just couldn't find myself becoming sad when it came to the scene where it seemed like Oliver was dead. The movie has its heart in the right place, but the pieces don't glue together so well.

Oh gosh, I'm surprised I didn't review this sooner!

I agree with Lupercal: Oliver and Company is very much underrated. It is a beautiful retelling of the Dickens classic, Oliver Twist.

Let me put it this way: this is a good mix.

1980s NYC setting + talking animals + a classic yet revamped Dickens tale = a wonderful Disney movie that shouldn't be missed!

The characters are wonderful and are well portrayed by their voices. The songs . . . they fit the changing moods perfectly. The animation, although it looks sketchy, is brillant. The story, based on the Dickens tale of an orphan boy, is so well redone that I never realized until a while back that it was based on an old classic. Perfect for kids and adults alike.

This is a must see for all Disney fans or anyone that enjoys lots of talking animals as the stars of the show. Check it out!

I think it's fair to say that 'Oliver and Company' is the most underrated Disney Feature ever made. Just to demonstrate that this is no idle boast, if you go to imdb, where five or ten thousand 'normal' people are likely to vote on a film, you'll find that 'Oliver' gets the third lowest average rating of any animated Disney feature, even including obscurities like 'Make Mine Music' and 'Melody Time'. Rating 6.2, it only narrowly beats 'The Black Cauldron (6.1). Good God, even 'Dinosaur' got 6.3 (the fact that this the same rating they gave to 'Balto' suggests to me that not many people would know a good animated movie if it bit them on the bum.)

But a review is expected...

Ok, well 'Oliver & Company' is basically a quite clever re-setting of 'Oliver Twist' in late 80's New York. It's certainly Disney's most imaginative re-working of a classic tale that I can think of, particularly since nearly all the characters are replaced with dogs or cats. Even the two who stay human are creatively re-invented: Fagin as a loveable, kindly tramp voiced by Dom de Luise, and Bill Sykes as a cruel cigar-puffing crime boss who only appears inside a limousine with blacked out windows.

(you might wonder why I'm praising this re-setting, when I bagged 'The Lion King' so badly, but TLK was barely re-set at all, and I doubt that anyone at Disney would claim never to have heard of Charles Dickens)

The story can move seamlessly from bouncy ( Dodger's invigorating opening song) to touching (the first appearance of Fagin, as an hugely likable, ugly homeless guy who animals adore).

The songs are really good, and considering how much I hate 80's music, that's an accomplishment.

The artwork is very distinctive and quite different to most Disney movies. The backgrounds are often quite deliberately sketchy and ramshackle, in a style which is a million miles from say, 'The Fox and the Hound' or 'The Lion King'. If it looks like anything, perhaps it's One Hundred and One Dalmatians', but whereas I can perhaps understand people's gripes with the look of 101D (even if I don't share them), this time the "my God you can see the pencil lines" look actually swings along with the feel of New York hustle and bustle - almost like the film's artwork is in just as much of a hurry as the city itself.

Perhaps it falters a little in the second half, but overall 'Oliver and Co' is a really fun and creative film, and frankly I'm boggled as to why, before I'd seen it, people had told me it was the worst Disney movie ever made (in case you're wondering, I didn't even see it until the late 90's, when I was quite adult thank you, so this can't be explained by fond childhood memories.)

I would probably have given this one 3 and a quarter if it were an option, but since I had to choose, it gets a 3.5 from me.

(Oh, and if you're wondering about the one Disney feature on imdb that rates even lower than 'Black Cauldron', the answer is 'Pocahontas', which cops a jaw-droppingly low 5.7. You can make up your own minds as to whether that confirms or disproves my theory about people's tastes. It may not be the greatest thing Disney ever did, but I'm not sure it deserves to be absolutely stomped flat by 'Robin Hood' either.)

Are your eyes blurry: Ok, short version:

Oliver & Company = good film.

HistNote: it struck me tonight, that 'Oliver and Company' really marks the end of a long period of Disney history, which I haven't seen identified before, so I'll do it here.

The Talking Animal Period (1955-1988). This was a huge 33 year chunk of Disney's history, starting with 'Lady and the Tramp' and ending with 'Oliver and Company', during which the studio almost solely produced films where the main characters are talking animals. 10 out of 13 movies. We may as well call it Disney's 'furry period'.

Compare what happened after this: two out of the next five were talking animal films, finishing with the blockbuster 'Lion King' and then - count them - starting from 'Pocahonatas', 10 (TEN) IN A ROW without central talking animal characters (if you don't count the guy who turns into a Llama).

Did this help sink the disney ship? I remember after Lion King came out, and I saw the production list for their next 7 movies, I thought "You hit the jackpot with a talking animal movie, and THIS is your plan for the rest of the decade? Are you NUTS?"