Oliver & Company (1988)
The narrative of Disney's filmography is one with a continual swing between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Clearly split between a series of different eras defined by the studio's shifting momentum, the 1980s marked one of these lower points for the studio as it seemed the company was struggling to find a way to speak with new audiences. While the Disney Renaissance was right around the corner, the studio had a much less successful attempt at delivering something new with 1988s Oliver & Company. Tagged as "The first Disney movie with attitude", Oliver & Company would see a retelling of Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist story from the 1830s. Set in New York City, this version focuses on a young kitten named Oliver (Joey Lawrence) who meets a sly mutt named Dodger (Billy Joel) who leads a gang of dogs who look out for their owner, a thief named Fagin (Dom DeLuise). Attempting to bring a new concept of what the sound and style of a Disney feature could look like, Oliver & Company is so concerned with creating a sense of energy that it loses focus on the fundamentals of what makes an enjoyable viewing experience.
Starting with what the film gets right, the world and animation of the film is undoubtedly an exciting change in pace for the studio. Consistently moving and kinetic, there is a sense of energy that is refreshing and engaging. Especially for little kids, it is hard not to imagine being sucked into such a stylized and unique animated space that carries a certain grit not always seen in major animated projects. While the actual character design and movement of characters are far more standard, the unique eye for iconography and depth in the film's composition does create a feature that is visually recognizable and memorable.
The main cast of characters, specifically Dodger's gang, are also quite likable. Each is given their own distinct trait and personality that while simple, is effective enough to entertain for the film's 74-minute runtime. The voice cast is a huge help here as Sheryl Lee Ralph, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Cheech Marin are all quite strong. Of course, Billy Joel also carries a level of coolness and personality to his work for Dodger that helps the character stand out and have a real presence. The design of the character also helps, any dog wearing a pair of sunglasses with a chain of sausages they just stole is going to be cool.
Sadly, beyond this the film can struggle. While it is easy to want to praise the unique choices in song and score behind the feature, the film uses a more blues inspired sound than most Disney projects, the fact that they repeat songs so often is clearly noticeable and can feel annoying. Specifically, Billy Joel's rendition of "Why Should I Worry?" feels like it comes up far too often which is especially noticeable considering how distinctive the song sounds. While this isn't a bad soundtrack of songs, it is used incredibly ineffectively.
The story is easily the film's weakest aspect. Despite following a classic tale, the film struggles to feel truly engaging or worthy in conflict and narrative. From the rushed opening segment to the lackluster third act climate, the feature consistently drops the ball with hooking the audience and making them invest in the conflicts and developments throughout the film. Every piece of the plot feels incredibly basic with no real sense of depth or urgency. The main meat of the Oliver Twist story also gets pushed to the background in favor of more generic and forced conflicts that are easy enough to resolve with the main focus shifting to the story of a young girl named Jenny (Natalie Gregory) who gets kidnapped. It is obvious that the film was so worried about creating the world and language of the film that it allowed for sacrifices to be made in substance and drama.
While Oliver & Company is an undeniably unique entry into the Disney lexicon as it embraces a specific style and tone, it is hard to say the film ever truly finds its purpose. While the characters are likable and the world is fun to explore, the film never does anything overly interesting with these pieces and ends up building a final picture that ranges from poor to passable.
Starting with what the film gets right, the world and animation of the film is undoubtedly an exciting change in pace for the studio. Consistently moving and kinetic, there is a sense of energy that is refreshing and engaging. Especially for little kids, it is hard not to imagine being sucked into such a stylized and unique animated space that carries a certain grit not always seen in major animated projects. While the actual character design and movement of characters are far more standard, the unique eye for iconography and depth in the film's composition does create a feature that is visually recognizable and memorable.
The main cast of characters, specifically Dodger's gang, are also quite likable. Each is given their own distinct trait and personality that while simple, is effective enough to entertain for the film's 74-minute runtime. The voice cast is a huge help here as Sheryl Lee Ralph, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Cheech Marin are all quite strong. Of course, Billy Joel also carries a level of coolness and personality to his work for Dodger that helps the character stand out and have a real presence. The design of the character also helps, any dog wearing a pair of sunglasses with a chain of sausages they just stole is going to be cool.
Sadly, beyond this the film can struggle. While it is easy to want to praise the unique choices in song and score behind the feature, the film uses a more blues inspired sound than most Disney projects, the fact that they repeat songs so often is clearly noticeable and can feel annoying. Specifically, Billy Joel's rendition of "Why Should I Worry?" feels like it comes up far too often which is especially noticeable considering how distinctive the song sounds. While this isn't a bad soundtrack of songs, it is used incredibly ineffectively.
The story is easily the film's weakest aspect. Despite following a classic tale, the film struggles to feel truly engaging or worthy in conflict and narrative. From the rushed opening segment to the lackluster third act climate, the feature consistently drops the ball with hooking the audience and making them invest in the conflicts and developments throughout the film. Every piece of the plot feels incredibly basic with no real sense of depth or urgency. The main meat of the Oliver Twist story also gets pushed to the background in favor of more generic and forced conflicts that are easy enough to resolve with the main focus shifting to the story of a young girl named Jenny (Natalie Gregory) who gets kidnapped. It is obvious that the film was so worried about creating the world and language of the film that it allowed for sacrifices to be made in substance and drama.
While Oliver & Company is an undeniably unique entry into the Disney lexicon as it embraces a specific style and tone, it is hard to say the film ever truly finds its purpose. While the characters are likable and the world is fun to explore, the film never does anything overly interesting with these pieces and ends up building a final picture that ranges from poor to passable.