Oliver & Company | 
| Director: George Scribner
Actors: Joseph Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
List Price: $22.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $22.98 (100%)
New (34) Used (148) Collectible (16) from $0.01
Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 277
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Hifi Sound, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 74 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6304100507
UPC: 786936009101
EAN: 9786304100509
ASIN: 6304100507
Theatrical Release Date: November 18, 1988
Release Date: September 25, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Average used video with original case * * We carefully inspected this * Great customer service * Satisfaction Guaranteed!
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Amazon.com
Disney does Dickens in this animated version of Oliver Twist, in which a homeless New York City cat falls in with a bunch of mischievous dogs under the leadership of the appealing scoundrel Fagin. The roots of Disney's success with animation in the '90s begins with this clever, energetic, atmospheric movie, which succeeds in capturing the grim world Dickens conjured. Lyricist Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid) worked on the songs, the best of which is sung by Billy Joel, who provides the voice of (the Artful) Dodger. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
 Absotively, Posolutely Wonderful! July 5, 2001
Monty Moonlight (TX)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
Poor, abandoned kitten Oliver is homeless on the streets of 1980s New York City, until he meets a streetwise dog named Dodger. The cool canine takes Oliver under his wing and, with the help of the rest of his all-dog pickpocket gang, begins to teach him how to survive on the wrong side of the law. But when one of their con jobs goes awry, Oliver ends up in the hands of a sweet, lonely, little rich girl named Jenny. Suddenly, Oliver is living the high-life in a Fifth Avenue penthouse, much to the chagrin of Jenny's prize-winning, pampered poodle, Georgette. When the old gang shows up to rescue Oliver from his ritzy new life, they're disappointed to find that he wants to stay with Jenny. Their human ringleader, Fagin, however, is more than happy to send Oliver home, if he can get a healthy ransom in the process. Fagin isn't really a bad guy, he's just one step above homeless and has a really nasty loan-shark breathing down his neck. Jenny shows up on the dark and dangerous docks to pay Oliver's ransom and rescue her little kitty, and her sadness is too much for Fagin to take, but loan-shark Sykes has no troubles from a conscience and sees a chance to make even more dirty money. He snatches up Jenny and plans to hold HER for ransom! Suddenly, Oliver, Dodger, Fagin and the gang find themselves on a desperate rescue mission to save Jenny from the ruthless Sykes and his bloodthirsty Doberman Pinschers, Roscoe and Desoto, and even Georgette is getting in on the heroic action!
There's no doubt about it, Disney's wonderfully charming classic "Oliver and Company" is one of the most dated animated films you'll ever see. Of course, that's a big part of its charm. What could be more "`80s" than 1980s New York City? How about the music of Billy Joel and Huey Lewis? I know they were two favorites of mine in the `80s! Okay, to be honest, Billy Joel and Huey Lewis aside, the `80s is something you look back on and mock rather than view fondly, especially the clothes, and Oliver and Company captures that aspect, along with many others, perfectly. So, it's dated. Everything is, really. Call it nostalgia. Anywho, as strongly `80s as "Oliver and Company" is, it rises above it! It is simply a great film! That's something that's easy to forget if you haven't seen it in a while. "Oliver and Company" is Disney's twist on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," and it is an EXCELLENT modernization! All the best characters are there, and the cast is star-studded! The piano man himself, Billy Joel, voices the artful Dodger, a canine so cool he puts Snoopy to shame (we still love ya, Snoopy)! The hilarious Cheech Marin is Tito the Chihuahua, animation alumnus Dom Deluise is Fagin, the divine Bette Midler is one of Disney's funniest characters as Georgette, Robert Loggia is the excellently slimy villain, Sykes, and a very young Joey Lawrence plays Oliver, just to name a few! With seamlessly incorporated computer animation and painstakingly acquired "dog's eye view" shots of New York City, "Oliver and Company" was the film that kicked off Disney's big comeback as an animation heavyweight, though this cute little film was easily forgotten in the wake of Disney's mega-hit, "The Little Mermaid," the following year. But don't let that stop you from enjoying the magic of "Oliver and Company" yourself! Even the soundtrack is terrific, despite that it is powerfully "80s." And, it's amazing how well Disney has translated "Oliver Twist" into a tale about cats and dogs on the streets of New York without losing the heart of the tale and its underlying messages. The DVD is fantastic as well, especially for a single-disc Disney release! This is the way DVDs should be! In addition to the widescreen presentation of the film, you get a behind the scenes featurette from the original theatrical release, 2 shorter featurettes, a TV spot, theatrical trailers, a scrapbook gallery of art and other materials, 2 sing-along-songs, and the best part: You get two classic Disney shorts! Included as extras are "Puss Cafe," a hilarious Pluto cartoon where the pup goes up against two troublesome felines invading his backyard, and "Lend a Paw," the Oscar winning Mickey Mouse short in which Pluto saves a kitten from drowning and quickly regrets it. Outstanding stuff, and an amazing selection of extras for a single-disc Disney DVD! Rediscover this Disney Classic on DVD today! You won't regret it!
 Actually, I wanted to rank this 4.5 stars. April 14, 2006
Any - Ren He (Nanning, Guangxi/Wuxi, Jiangsu China)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I watched this movie when I was in middle school, and I bought the DVD and soundtrack CD. Atually, this wasn't an excellent movie, at least, it wasn't as good as "The Little Mermaid", which was published 1 year later after it. But I don't know why I love this movie so much even more than 10 years past.
In the movie, what attracted me firstly was the character designing. My favourite characters were Oliver, Jenny and Rita. Especially Oliver, he was a young cute furry kitten, I love his face and his big eyes. So I couldn't figure out why nobody adopted him when he and other kittens were on sale. Rita was a beautiful and spirited female. When she looked at Dodger and Oliver sleeped together, she looked so gentle and charming! Fagin was a good person, he was poor and ugly, but then he was so kind and gentle, or he wouldn't adopt those dogs and Oliver.
The story of this movie was interesting, and I knew it was adapted from the novel "Oliver Twist". This movie carried the novel on screen, and changed the miserable story into a comedy. With the help of many friends, the orphan kitten became happier and happier day by day. Through adventure of life, he became stronger and braver. Finally, he got the happiness he deserve.
One of the facets which attracted me most was the music, that's why I collected 2 edition of its soundtrack. "Once Upon A Time in New York City" and "Streets of Gold" were my favourites, "Why Should I Worry" was famous for all "Oliver&Company" fans, "Perfect Isn't Easy" was comical and good!
Well, it wasn't an exceptional movie of Disney's, but it's still a good movie to behold, and you will love it if you find its excellence!
Once upon a time in New York City February 28, 2003
Drez (Barberton, Ohio United States)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Great disney movie! Great songs by Billy Joel, Huey Lewis and The News and others. Oliver, a homeless kitten, meets Dodger (voiced by Billy Joel) and his gang. Soon, Oliver is living on 5th Avenue living the life until he is "rescued" by Dodger and the others.
 Not up to Disney's standards! April 24, 2005
Catherine Brown (Dundas, Ohio)
9 out of 21 found this review helpful
I recently picked up a copy of Disney's animated "classic," Oliver & Company, a somewhat twisted retelling of Charles Dickens' novel, 'Oliver Twist'. What we have here is a ridiculous story about a kitten, taking the role of Oliver lost in the streets of New York and picked up by a bunch of street dogs lead by the poor Fagin, an outcasted, poor man who's problem is the need to pay a huge debt he has with mean Mr. Sykes, a gangster of the most evil kind. However, you really can't feel bad for Fagin, since he borrowed money it is his duty and he should have to pay back, not be able to get off the hook easily by literally getting rid of the gangster Sykes. Oliver joins this street-wise gang for a few days until he is brought home by the kind Jenny Foxworth, a somewhat remade of the sweet orphan girl, Penny from a previous Disney release, The Rescuers. The story-line is pretty strong, not at all like the original Dickens' tale but rather well-plotted, the animation is good but the whole film has a dirty feeling due to too many details in the backgrounds of the streets of New York.
It's films like these that give a bad name to the Disney animation releases of the '80s, a period in which Disney release lack-luster films such as The Great Mouse Detective (1986) or The Black Cauldron (1985), which were unable to capture the charm they had achieved previously with hits like The Rescuers (1977) or Pete's Dragon (Also, 1977). The film is good for a one time viewing, this DVD lacks quality, so it is very unlikely that you will find it worthy of your money.
Oliver & Company Special Edition DVD June 30, 2002
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Disney's 27th animated classic does suffer from the fact that it was the last feature from the studio to hit before "The Little Mermaid." Of course this caused inevitable comparisons, and of course there is no competition between the two an any way."The Little Mermaid" is in fact a superior film, but the comparisons are unjust because each film is supposed to be very different. The characters are all likable, with the exception of Tito the chiwaua who just goes over the top sometimes to the point of annoyance. The story is very contemporary, simple, and it works very well. The songs, although every 80's, are still catchy. The animation in "Oliver & Company" consists of stylized backdrops of New York City and characters that seem flat and hard edged. The best older classic that you could compare it to was 1961s 101 Dalmatians. The film makers made a commendable effort in making this film feel true to it's setting, and moreover give us NYC through a dog's perspective. The film's artists actually endured strange glances from New Yorkers, as they squatted or laid down on the sidewalks to draw the city from a dog's eye level. It's also a great kick to see all the animated human characters on the streets in 80's fashions. ( O/T Seriously, what were designers thinking back then? ) The Twin Towers also make a bittersweet appearance. "Oliver & Company" also was the first Disney film to extensively use computers. Whereas "The Great Mouse Detective" used computers for the impressive Big Ben sequence, in "Oliver" the computer is used more. The cars, the subway and many other elements are impressive uses of the new technology, which led the way for everything from The Flying Carpet in "Aladdin" to the ballroom sequence in "Beauty and the Beast." "Oliver & Company" is a fun way to kill 80 min of your time. It has many things to appreciate, it does what it was meant to do. I do not think it was meant to be a classic of Bambi-proportions. And because of it's humble roots, I find this movie to be well worth the purchase.
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