Oliver

Oliver is the main character of Oliver & Company. He is Jenny Foxworth's cat who was voiced by Joey Lawrence.

Personality
Oliver appears as a small orange ginger Tabby kitten. About half-way through the film, he acquires a blue collar with his name on a gold tag. He is very brave and caring.

Role in the film
In the movie, Oliver is the main character and star of the film.

Oliver is first seen in a box in New York City with other kittens (brothers and sisters) who need homes. The other kittens are bought quickly, but Oliver is left in the box alone. One rainy night, Oliver gets out of the box, after having been filled up with water from a pipe next to it and torn into pieces; almost sending Oliver into a sewer hole, to find a dryer spot to sleep but then, he comes across some dogs who begin to chase him, but he manages to escape by jumping over a big fence where he finds a dry place to sleep on the top of a truck's wheel.

The next day, when Oliver hears the truck starting up, he jumps off and goes off to explore New York City. He soon meets a little boy who is about three years old and begins to play with him. The boy's mother pulls him away, telling him that he can play with Oliver some other time. Oliver smells hot dogs which are being sold by a guy named Louie. Oliver's first two attempts to procure hot dogs are unsuccessful. Oliver meets a dog named Dodger, who offers to help Oliver. Oliver refuses at first, until he is assured that Dodger will not try to make a meal out of him. He accepts Dodger's help. Dodger begins to chase Oliver, which distracts Louie and allows Dodger to get the hot dogs while Oliver escapes. Dodger reveals that he conned Oliver, forcing him to give chase for his meal (Why Should I Worry?).

Oliver secretly follows Dodger to his barge home where he climbs up onto the roof and listens as Dodger gives his dog friends Francis, Rita, Tito and Einstein the hot dogs, and tells them the story about how he got them. Dodger describes Oliver as a monster coming right at him with burning eyes, but before he can finish the story, Oliver falls from the roof and into the barge where the gang run frighteningly thinking he's the monster, but Oliver explains that he was the one who helped Dodger get the hot dogs and the gang laugh about Dodger's story. Then Fagin, the owner comes in and sees Oliver but before he can examine him, Sykes' two dogs Roscoe and DeSoto come in and shoo him out to talk with their master Sykes. Then, DeSoto notices Oliver but Oliver manages to scratch him on the nose to which the two dogs try to attack him but Dodger and the gang manage to stand in front of Oliver and protect him and shoo the 2 evil dogs away to which Roscoe says Dodger and the gang will pay for what they've done starting with Oliver. Fagin walks in all wet (after falling off the pier) and says he saw DeSoto's nose and wondering who did it and is proud that it was Oliver. After Fagin reads a story to the dogs and cat, Dodger turns off the lights, hops on his bed, and goes to sleep. Oliver who is 2 seconds napping on Fagin's lap looks at him, runs to his bed and snuggles beside him. Dodger smiles and curls beside him. Oliver does this to show that he likes Dodger.

The next day, after Fagin tells the gang to go out and search for food while he finds away to earn or even steal money, Oliver agrees to help the gang with their master's problem and then is given a lesson by the gang, mainly Rita while singing; Streets of Gold, about "how the best survive by keeping their dreams alive".

When Dodger notices a limo, he has an idea on how to steal its radio so as to help Fagin with his financial problems. As part of the plan, he assigns Oliver as someone to help Tito, who will handle the stealing of the radio, during the operation. In the car while the driver (Winston) is out tending to Francis whom he supposedly bumped into when it was actually Einstein who did the bumping, he asks Tito some questions, which begin to annoy him a bit. Tito, despite being annoyed, asks Oliver to be the lookout while he takes out the wires of the radio. Oliver doesn't know what it means so he asks him another question. Tito answers him by telling him to look outside the window and "see if it's still daylight". While looking outside, Oliver hears, turns his head, and sees something at the back. Feeling a bit scared, he informs Tito but Tito is too busy with the last wire but before Oliver can continue, he slips on the ignition, causing the car to start up thus, electrocuting and sending Tito "flying" out of the car, and Oliver gets caught by 1 of the wires.

Luckily, a little girl named Jennifer "Jenny" Foxworth, who was the one Oliver saw sitting at the back, comes to his aid and unties him instead of harming and chasing him away. Later, he is taken to her upscale mansion on 5th avenue, with Dodger and Tito in pursuit. Winston, the driver and Foxworth family's butler, is against the idea of Jenny adopting Oliver for the reason that they have a dog; a poodle named Georgette, Winston was left responsible for Jenny by her parents, and they have to wait for her parents' approval. In the kitchen, Oliver has a special meal prepared by Jenny, who made a mess in the kitchen while preparing the meal, which annoys Winston a bit. When Georgette enters the kitchen, she's shocked and disgusted to see a cat in the house and eating out of her bowl. Georgette does everything she can to handle Oliver with sarcastic questions and finally a scold. Luckily, Jenny comes in after having had a talk with her parents on the phone and tells Georgette that they have approved about her descision of keeping Oliver and that they're going to be "the best of friends".

Meanwhile, back on the street, Dodger and Tito come back to Fagin and the rest of the gang and inform them everything, thinking Oliver is in "danger" and being "tortured". Dodger comes up with an idea on how to "rescue" Oliver.

A few moments later, Oliver and Jenny are in the practice room where Jenny always practices piano lessons. As Jenny begins to do so, Oliver somewhat helps her by playing a discordant note. Then, Jenny sings "Good Company" while playing the piano with Oliver. Later, Oliver and Jenny spend the rest of most of their fun of the day at Central Park; riding in a small boat in the lake, playing with fences, greeting people they pass by, eating strawberry ice cream, riding in a horse carriage, and finally, buying Oliver's things with his name on them in a shop, including his bowl and finally of course, Oliver's new golden blue collar name tag with his name and the address on it. Oliver is so happy and excited that he jumps on Jenny and licks her to show that he's grateful, happy, and that he loves her very much. At night, as Jenny is getting ready for bed while singing a few words from Good Company, Oliver jumps in as well to sleep with her, snuzzles his nose with Jenny's as she picks him up, is tucked in, and is told "Good night, Oliver".

The next morning while Jenny is at school, Dodger and the gang arrive to launch their "rescue" mission. When they see Winston is banging something with a rolling pan, they think he's "torturing" Oliver. Winston is distracted by them, mainly Einstein and Francis, and left outside.

When they come to Georgette's room, she thinks they're after her, she's disgusted by them; especially Tito, who has taken a sudden "love" interest in her, and tries to call Winston. But when Dodger mentions that "we'll leave as soon as we get our cat", Georgette is cooperative for the reason that she's a dog and dogs hate cats, she's been jealous of Oliver ever since she 1st laid eyes on him, and had hoped to get rid of him in some way. Later, Oliver is seen sleeping with joy on his pillow in Jenny's room. Rita is the 1st one who seems convinced that he's okay but, Georgette, eager to get rid of him, persuades them that "he's so traumatized" and hands him to them in a pillow sack held by Einstein and Francis, and later Dodger, and allows them to flee through the fire escape.

The gang bring a sleeping Oliver back to Fagin, but Oliver becomes upset upon waking when he realizes he has been taken away from Jenny. This angers Dodger, who accuses Oliver of looking down on him and the other dogs as "the riffraff". Dodger's wrong because to tell the truth, Oliver admits he really loves his friends but when it comes to having a new home, things get a bit complicated; especially when being taken away from it. Despite still being upset, Dodger allows Oliver to leave. Oliver leaves with great sadness and sorrow, not before Fagin arrives back and takes him back in. After noticing Oliver's gold collar and its address, Fagin has an idea for ransoming him.

At night, at Sykes' warehouse, Fagin goes over his plan of ransoming Oliver before entering the warehouse; pretending that Dodger is Sykes. Oliver is taken in where Fagin discusses his plan with Sykes. Fagin, at 1st discusses it awkwardly causing Sykes to lose his patience and snap his fingers to order his Dobermans to attack him, not before Dodger jumps into the scene and fights them off while Fagin discusses his plan properly and loudly this time and showing him Oliver as proof. Sykes snaps his fingers again to order his dogs to cease the attack. After Sykes notices the collar and the address on it, he's convinced. He pets Oliver, tells Fagin that he's proud of him because he's "starting to think big", and gives him 12 hours left as his "last chance" while Fagin and Oliver come to Dodger's aid after having received severe but invisible injuries from the attack.

Later, at night, Jenny follows the map she was given along with the ransom note by Fagin earlier in the day (unknown to her) with Georgette in order to meet him at the rendez-vous. She appears lost when, in reality, she has arrived at right place upon meeting and asking for directions from Fagin. Fagin and Jenny have a small conversation, not knowing that Sykes and his dogs are watching them in his car far from them, resulting in Fagin finding out who is Oliver's "rich cat person owner", Jenny bringing some small change in her piggy bank as payment for getting Oliver back, Jenny bursting into tears, and Fagin's hard descision about whether to follow to follow his good heart or not and feeling guilty to see Jenny and Oliver sad.

House of Mouse
Oliver makes regular guest appearances on The House of Mouse. His most notable appearance is in Max's Emberrassing Date, where he is sitting at a table with Dodger, onlytipped over by Goofy.

Trivia

 * Oliver isn't actually named Oliver until Jenny buys him his collar. Jenny is the only one in the movie who ever calls him Oliver- otherwise, he is called "kid" or "cat". One interesting note is that Jenny actually calls Oliver by his name once before buying his collar.