Oliver & Company

Oliver & Company is a 1988 animated feature film that was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. It is the twenty-seventh animated feature released in the Disney animated features canon, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 18, 1988. It was distributed in the United Kingdom, Austria, and Finland by Warner Bros. It was re-released in the USA, Canada, and the UK on March 29, 1996.

The plot was loosely based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, which has been adapted many other times for the screen. In this version, Oliver is a cat, Fagin's gang is made up of dogs, and the story is set in modern-day New York City.

Plot
Taking place in 1988, Oliver, an orange kitten lost in the streets of New York City, gets found one spring day by a street-smart wise-talking mongrel named Dodger (judging from appearances, Dodger is probably some sort of Terrier crossbreed). He recruits Oliver to steal some hot dogs from a hot dog vendor, but the orphan feline later receives no share in the deal.

Dodger runs to the barge of his owner, a pickpocket by the name of Fagin, along with his meal, to give to his other friends: Tito the fiery Chihuahua, Einstein the ironically-named Great Dane, Rita the Afghan Hound and the ever-serious Francis (Frankie), the Bulldog. No sooner does Oliver sneak into their home, located below the city's docks, than the dogs get into a fit of fighting and confusion over their visitor. Breaking it up is Fagin himself, coming in to see what goods the dogs have stolen during the day for them to live on. He's terrified to discover that the dogs have returned with some worthless trinkets. He informs them that he is running out of time to repay the money he borrowed from Sykes, a ruthless shipyard agent and loan shark. When Sykes arrives, he sends in his two savage Doberman Pinschers, Roscoe and Desoto to fetch Fagin. Going out on a long quay, he finds out his conditions from the agent: that money, Sykes warns, must be paid in three days, or else. Fagin knows that he can't find the money, and that he is in a lot of trouble. During this scene, Roscoe flirts with Rita as Desoto finds a cat, the dogs defend Oliver and the two Dobermans leave when Fagin arrives.

Next day, he sets out into the city with his canine menagerie, Oliver included, and tries to sell his wares at a pawn shop, with no success. The animals, meanwhile, come face-to-face with a limousine driven by a butler named Winston. Winston is employed by the Foxworth family and is taking care of their daughter Jennifer while the couple is out of the country, taking a business trip in Europe. The dogs stage an elaborate ruse in order to get Winston out of the car. Tito and Oliver slip in and attempt to steal its radio to give to Fagin so that he'll have something to pawn to pay back Sykes. In doing so, Tito gets shocked by the electrical system, and Jennifer finds the cat all tangled up in the wires near it. Oliver finds a good home and a caring owner in Jenny, to the chagrin of Winston and the Foxworth's pampered, pedigreed poodle, Georgette.

Back on the street, Fagin's dogs are discussing on a plan to retrieve the cat back to their home barge. The plan is activated the following day, not knowing that Oliver is now happy where he is. During the operation, Tito falls in love with Georgette, much to her disgust.

Back at the barge, Oliver feels that he does not want to go back to his dog friends because Jenny is his owner now. Little does he know that he himself is Fagin's best hope for paying Sykes, for when the poor man comes back from business, and sees the gold tag on the cat's collar, he has an idea: with only pencils and paper, he writes to the "Very Rich Cat Owner Person" at Oliver's address, along with a map to guide the addressee to his home.

When Jenny returns home from school, she finds the letter. Reading it, she realises that she has to pay a ransom in order to get her cat back. That night, she sets off for the city docks along with Georgette to do so, along with the enclosed map.

Fagin now has to convince Sykes that his plan is air-tight enough to pay him his money. Entering Sykes' building, the loan shark is not pleased to see Fagin does not have the cash, and orders his dobermans to attack. Dodger defends Fagin, and Fagin pleads once more with Sykes. When Sykes sees Oliver's gold tag, he believes that Fagin is finally "starting to think big", and calls off the dogs, giving Fagin twelve hours, telling him this is his last chance.

Later, Jenny and Georgette have become lost, unaware that they have arrived at her destination. Frightened and upset, Jenny meets Fagin and explains that she's trying to find the awful person who stole her kitten. Fagin is distraught that his "wealthy cat-owner" is just a little girl who has brought her piggy bank to try and save her pet. Feeling guilty, he returns Oliver to her. No sooner does she get Oliver back than Sykes kidnaps her in order to ransom her to her wealthy parents, telling Fagin to keep his mouth shut, and that their debt is settled. The gang goes after the villain, tracking him to his shipyard.

Once they arrive there, Fagin's dogs and Georgette concoct another series of plans to save Jenny. But while they try to do so, Sykes and his Dobermans get in their way before Fagin crashes in on his minicycle to pick them all up. A chase on the city streets and the subway ensues, Fagin and the gang racing away with Sykes raging behind them. Jenny is thrown onto the hood of Sykes's car, and Oliver jumps and bites his hand, in order to save Jenny. Unfortunately, he's sent to the back seat, where Roscoe and DeSoto are waiting for him. Dodger saves Oliver by forcing the two Dobermans out of the car, and cause them to fall onto the electric tracks, killing them both. But, as a train approaches all of them, everyone else swerves over on the left side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. But for Sykes, it is too late: he meets his demise when the train crashes on him and his black limousine, sending what was left of both into the river.

Descending from the railings, everyone wonders what has happened to Oliver and Dodger; but, as Dodger brings him out before the rest, the cat weakly mews, a joyful sign that he is alive.

Next morning, Fagin and the entire group celebrate Jenny's birthday party at her home. That same day, Winston receives a phone call from Jenny's parents in Rome that they will be back tomorrow.

After the party Dodger promises Oliver that he will return from time to time to visit him. Soon, Fagin and his companions say good-bye to the Foxworths and Oliver as they head home through the crowded streets of New York City.



Soundtrack
The instrumental score was composed by J. A. C. Redford. The music supervisor was Carole Childs.

Soundtrack listing

 * 1) Once Upon a Time in New York City - Huey Lewis
 * 2) Why Should I Worry? - Billy Joel
 * 3) Streets of Gold - Ruth Pointer
 * 4) Perfect Isn't Easy - Bette Midler
 * 5) Good Company - Myhanh Tran
 * 6) Sykes (instrumental)
 * 7) Bedtime Story (instrumental)
 * 8) The Rescue (instrumental)
 * 9) Pursuit Throught The Subway (instrumental)
 * 10) Buscando Guayaba - Ruben Blades
 * 11) End Title (instrumental)

Trivia

 * Lady and the Tramp's Jock, Trusty and Peg, as well as Pongo from 101 Dalmatians, make cameo appearances during Dodger's "Why Should I Worry?" musical number near the beginning of the film.
 * This was the first Disney movie to make heavy use of computer animation, since previous films The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective used it only for special sequences. The CGI effects were used for making the skyscrapers, the cars, trains, Fagin's scooter-cart and the climactic Subway chase.
 * This was a test run before The Walt Disney Company fully committed to returning to a musical format for their animated films; Oliver & Company was the first such film to be a musical since 1981's The Fox and the Hound. It was a test run before The Little Mermaid was released.
 * One of the first animated Disney film to introduce new sound effects for regular use, to replace many of their original classic sounds, which would be used occasionally in later Disney movies. However, The Little Mermaid introduced even more new SFX. The new sound effects were first introduced with The Black Cauldron, while The Great Mouse Detective released a year after the previous film used the classic Disney SFX. This included some sounds the audience was familiar with for years, including Pinto Colvig's original Goofy yell. However, the Disney television animation studio continued extensively using the classic Disney sound effects for several years, while the feature animation studio retired the original sound effects.
 * The film was released in 1988 on the same day as The Land Before Time.
 * It was the first animated Disney film to include real world advertised products. Many placements of real product names Coca-Cola, USA Today, Sony, and Ryder Truck Rental were some of the most used examples.  It was said on the Disney's Wonderful World show on ABC-television network that this was for realism, was not paid product placement, and that it would not be New York City without advertising. There was with-in this program a commercial for McDonald's advertising Christmas musical ornaments of Oliver and Dodger.
 * Cheech Marin repeats one of his famous lines from his Cheech & Chong fame: "Hey man, if this is torture, chain me to the wall!"
 * The subway train seen in the end is going in the wrong direction. Also, when the group is driving through the station, the trains on both tracks are going the same way.
 * The chase through the subway starts out on the left-hand track, but unexplainably switches to the right-hand track upon reaching the bridge.
 * There have been no subways on the Brooklyn Bridge since 1944.
 * Oliver & Company is the fifth Disney animated feature to take place in present day (1988), following The Rescuers.
 * At a certain point, Penny, the little orphan girl who originally starred in The Rescuers was also meant to be the main character in Oliver & Company, now living in New York City with Rufus the cat as well as her new adoptive parents. This idea was eventually scrapped because the producers had felt that the story wouldn't be convincing.
 * This was the first Disney film to have a department created specifically for computer animation.
 * The first song "Once Upon a Time in New York City", was written by lyricist Howard Ashman.
 * Sykes's Car is a Lincoln Continental Mark IV.
 * The car that Dodger jumps on and scares the lady driving it is a Volkswagen Beetle.
 * Early in the film a New York Yankees cap falls on Oliver.

Crew members

 * Directed by George Scribner
 * Produced by Kathleen Gavin (production manager)
 * Animation screenplay by Jim Cox, Timothy A. Disney and James Mangold
 * Art director Dan Hansen
 * Production stylist Guy Deel
 * Production consultant Walt Stanchfield
 * Character design by David Gabriel, Andreas Deja and Glen Keane
 * Computer animation by Tina Price and Michael Cedeno
 * Computer graphics engineer Tad Gielow
 * Effects graphics by Bernie Gagliano
 * Original score by J. A. C. Redford and Barry Manilow
 * Music supervisor Carole Childs
 * Assistant director Tim O'Donnell
 * Casting by Mary V. Buck and Susan Edelman
 * Edited by Jim Melton and Mark Heston (film) and Segue Music (music)

Cast

 * Joey Lawrence as Oliver
 * Billy Joel as Dodger
 * Natalie Gregory as Jennifer "Jenny" Foxworth
 * Dom DeLuise as Fagin
 * Cheech Marin as Ignacio Alonzo Julio Federico de Tito
 * Bette Midler as Georgette
 * Robert Loggia as Sykes
 * Richard Mulligan as Einstein
 * Roscoe Lee Browne as Francis
 * Sheryl Lee Ralph as Rita
 * William Glover as Winston
 * Taurean Blacque as Roscoe
 * Carl Weintraub as DeSoto
 * Frank Welker - Louie the hot dog man, additional voices

Supervising animators

 * Ruben A. Aquino
 * Hendel Butoy
 * Mike Gabriel
 * Mark Henn
 * Glen Keane
 * Doug Krohn

International release dates

 * U.K. 🇬🇧: October 13, 1989
 * Spain 🇪🇸: November 28, 1989
 * France 🇫🇷: November 29, 1989
 * West Germany : November 30, 1989
 * Norway 🇳🇴: November 30, 1989
 * Austria 🇦🇹 December 1, 1989
 * Sweden 🇸🇪: December 1, 1989
 * Italy 🇮🇹: December 1, 1989
 * Australia 🇦🇺: December 14, 1989
 * Finland 🇫🇮: December 15, 1989
 * Netherlands 🇳🇱: December 22, 1989
 * Japan 🇯🇵: July 21, 1990