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Movies / On DVD / Oliver and Company
Oliver and Company

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Oliver and Company (1988)

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44 %
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Reviews Counted:32

Fresh:14

Rotten:18

Average Rating:5.5/10

Runtime: 74 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: This animated Disney film, loosely based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," revolves around a cute orphaned kitten named Oliver, who is given shelter by a streetwise gang of dogs. A human beggar... This animated Disney film, loosely based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," revolves around a cute orphaned kitten named Oliver, who is given shelter by a streetwise gang of dogs. A human beggar named Fagin does his best to provide for these homeless (and tuneful) animals. But Fagin has a problem: he owes the wicked loan shark Sykes a lot of dough, and has only three days in which to cough it up. Oliver and the pooches take it upon themselves to help Fagin out of the doghouse. Meanwhile, Oliver is adopted by a lonely (and rich) girl named Jenny -- who Sykes later kidnaps. Can Oliver and his canine cohorts find a way to save both Fagin and Jenny? [More]

Starring: Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Bette Midler

Starring: Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Bette Midler, Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Richard Mulligan

Director: George Scribner

Director: George Scribner
Screenwriter: Jim Cox, Timothy J. Disney, James Mangold, Roger Allers

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Oliver and Company

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Lacks the classic Disney charm that works for adults as well as kids

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/13/09
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The general quality of the animation and script would disappoint more sophisticated viewers.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/13/09
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Much cornball adventure ensues, punctuated by healthy helpings of singing, dancing and general merriment.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The computer-assisted animation is relatively stiff and inexpressive.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
11/13/09
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The animation is fairly unexciting though serviceable, and the overall mystification of class difference would probably have made Dickens shudder, but kids should find this tolerable enough.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/13/09
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

Even as a cartoon poodle, Bette Midler stops the show.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
11/13/09
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

The last gasp of Disney Animation's post-Walt malaise before the 1990s Disney renaissance … retains Dickens's seamy milieu, but not his morality-play tableau.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
03/17/09
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

Far from classic but it is interesting to watch for its take on the pre-Disnified New York landscape following the company's real estate foray into the iconic downtown core.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
02/17/09
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views

The animation is clumsy, the songs are forgettable, the attempts at late-80s relevance now come across as dated and slightly embarrassing.

Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
02/10/09
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
DVDTalk.com

I guess I can cut the Mouse House a little slack when it comes to paint-by-numbers mediocrities like Oliver & Company.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/02/09
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

More notable for what it isn't than what it is, it's one of the gangly middle children of the Disney animation family, not quite sure how to fit in, or even if it's valued.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
01/30/09
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Surely one of Disney's weakest full-length animated features, Oliver and Company features terrible, badly dated songs and some shoddy, patchwork animation with precious few dazzling moments.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/29/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
08/17/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Animated Dickens makes for a surprisingly successful translation, and in my book Billy Joel can do very little wrong.

comment Comment
06/13/05
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
ÜberCiné

Cute but forgettable cartoon musical; a solid voice cast does a decent job.

comment Comment
04/06/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/25/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Pure ‘80s drivel.

Full Review Source: Movie Gurus | comment Comment
06/10/04
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Movie Gurus

...the virtual nadir of the Disney oeuvre.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
08/01/03
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Simply put, Oliver & Company didn't work for me not because I'm many years past my sixth birthday but because it never scared me into forgetting that fact.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/11/03
Margaret Moser
Margaret Moser
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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