Oliver & Company (1988) - Disney Movie with a New York State of Mind

Oliver & Company Takes on New York City

Walt Disney Pictures was still getting up off the canvas after the beating it had taken with "The Black Cauldron." While "The Great Mouse Detective" had been a financial success, it really hadn't changed perceptions about the overall viability of animated feature films or the direction in which they should go - every Disney movie couldn't be about cute talking mice. That all changed with "Oliver & Company" (1988), directed by George Scribner from the classic Charles Dickens tale "Oliver Twist," and a few other animated films released that year by other studios: "The Land Before Time;" "Akira;" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." They completely altered perceptions about the future of animation. While not an astounding creative success, "Oliver & Company" demonstrated that the new pool of animators who had been hired after the departure of Disney's "Nine Old Men" could take the ball and run with it themselves. After the success of "Oliver & Company," grand plans were laid for the release of an animated feature film every year, leading to "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and the rest of the Disney movie Renaissance.

Oliver being adorable

It is the present in (1980s) New York City, and orphaned kitten Oliver wanders the streets of an uncaring city. Oliver is a nice kitten, but is tricked by a smooth-talking dog named Dodger into helping steal food from a hot dog vendor. Dodger runs away with the food without sharing it and returns to the barge where he lives. He is owned by a pickpocket named Fagin. There, Dodger shares the food with Tito the Chihuahua, Einstein the Great Dane, Francis the Bulldog and Rita the Saluki.

Dodger knows his way around town

Oliver follows Dodger and sneaks onto the barge. When spotted, he is welcomed by the dogs and, ultimately, Fagin. Fagin reveals that he owes money to Sykes, a loan shark. When Sykes comes to collect, Sykes' dogs Roscoe and DeSoto try to attack Oliver. They are kept away by Dodger and the rest of Fagin's dogs. Sykes gives Fagin three days to come up with the cash.

He's very Artful, you know

Fagin takes the dogs and Oliver out to sell some knock-off merchandise and see what he can find. Oliver is caught while trying to hot-wire a limo and taken home by its passenger, Jenny Foxworth, and her butler Winston. Jenny is lonely because her parents are travelling, so she wants Oliver's company. Her poodle Georgette isn't happy about the new guest, however. Dodger tracks Oliver down and, helped by Georgette, removes Oliver from the residence. Fagin then comes up with a plan to ransom Oliver to Jenny for the money with which to pay Sykes.

Fagin's gang

Jenny really liked Oliver and decides to meet Fagin's ransom demands. Fagin, in turn, also likes Jenny and gives her Oliver back for free. Sykes, though, is lurking nearby and kidnaps Jenny. His plan is to ransom her to get his money back. This leads Dodger and the others to try and rescue Jenny from Sykes, which they almost manage to do, but Sykes and his two Dobermans then come after them. Sykes gets in a car and chases Fagin and the dogs through the streets of New York and into the subway tunnels, where Sykes' dogs fall off the car and are killed. Sykes himself runs head-on into a train and is killed, winding up in the Hudson River. Everyone else survives, and Jenny is extremely grateful to Fagin and the others.

867-5309

With all of the cityscapes and related geometric forms in "Oliver & Company," this Disney movie was the perfect opportunity to use some CGI to lessen costs and make everything look precise. While computers had helped draw a few scenes in 'The Black Cauldron" and "The Great Mouse Detective," here for the first time computers were used heavily throughout. There was so much CGI, in fact, that Disney created a department specifically for it. The technology was still in its infancy, so later CGI films look much fancier and more fluid.

Georgette, it turns out, is quite a singer

The previous two Disney movies also had not been musicals. "Oliver & Company" is a full-on musical, which after this would become the norm again for animated Disney movies. The score was by J.A.C. Redford, with musical contributions of one sort or another by Howard Ashman, Barry Mann, Phil Ramone, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow and Billy Joel, among others (how you feel about the music will revolve around how much you like fairly pedestrian offerings by all these terrific artists). There also was extensive use of product placement, which Disney somewhat weakly claimed was inevitable in an urban environment. New sound effects also were created, replacing ones that had lasted for fifty years or more. To lessen the impact of all these changes at once, animal characters from such Disney movie classics as "Lady and the Tramp" and "101 Dalmatians" make cameo appearances to provide a sense of continuity.

Jenny playing the piano for Oliver

The best thing about "Oliver & Company" is that it makes the story of "Oliver Twist" accessible to children. The music is so-so despite the top talent, though many really like "Once Upon a Time In New York City" by Ashman. Other songs like "Streets of Gold" and "Why Should I Worry" have their fans as well. The film has an inordinate number of loud-spoken admirers these days because many present-day adults saw this as children and have a romanticized memory of "Oliver & Company." The story is heart-warming, as the animals are cute (as always) and everyone but the evil bad guy and his minions gets what they want in the end. "Oliver & Company" does suffer a bit in reputation by comparison because, unlike later Disney movies and those from Pixar, DreamWorks etc., this film clearly was intended just for children (though adults can like it too, obviously), whereas the modern trend is to make animated films accessible to just about anyone.

A nice birthday party with Oliver

The voice casting shows the mark of genius. Having Cheech Marin voice one of the characters, Tito, when he still was known as a druggie from his "Cheech and Chong" act worked out fabulously and helped guide Marin toward a more mainstream Hollywood career path. Bette Midler and Billy Joel were ideal choices to voice and sing for their characters Georgette and Dodger because they are identified with New York City in various ways and, of course, are popular singers. Joey Lawrence, who voiced Oliver, was known among kids from television shows like "Gimme a Break" and went on to become a teen heartthrob on "Blossom."

Tito and Georgette make an odd pair, but opposites attract....

So, there are a lot of great things about "Oliver & Company." There also are some issues. The animation is stiff due to the new CGI and developing crew of animators, while the plot is a bit simple and seems almost like it could have played out in a Saturday morning cartoon. There are several set pieces grafted together without a feel of continuity, and it is easy to ask "what is the point?" about this entire Disney movie. Fans will call this a classic, but at best it is a harmless piece of fluff that is nowhere near the quality of true classics like "The Aristocats"or even "The Rescuers." "Oliver & Company" is rated PG for scenes of mild violence.

Oliver is cute as a button

"Oliver & Company" is fun and inoffensive. Oliver and Dodger are cute characters, and the songs are all right with a modern feel. A 20th Anniversary Edition DVD came out in 2009 and is the one to get. This is a good animated feature to set on repeat and entertain the kids when they get tired of "Aladdin" and "The Lion King."

Below is a trailer for "Oliver & Company":






2013

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A Christmas Carol (2009) - Robert Zemeckis' Favorite Time Travel Story

A Christmas Carol: Casting Jim Carrey As Scrooge Really Required Lateral Thinking

Everybody always wants to take a crack at Charles Dickens' classic novel, and here is another try, "A Christmas Carol" (2009). Bill Murray did well with it in Scrooged, and it seems like someone else tries it in one form or another each year. Robert Zemeckis of ImageMovers Digital/Walt Disney Pictures is no stranger to Christmas animation films (The Polar Express), so he signed on Jim Carrey and went for it. Zemeckis, of course, is as close to a living Hollywood animation legend as you can get these days - besides "Polar Express," he directed "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," which heralded the return of animation to the big time back in 1988. In any event, here the 3-D animation results are delightful and very faithful to the book.

Scrooge confronting a spirit

Ebeneezer Scrooge (Carrey) is a bitter old moneylender who hates Christmas. He is a mean man in general, and won't celebrate it in any way. Not only that, but he won't let his employee Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman) take the day off unless he makes a special request that he approves. As far as Christmas is concerned, his attitude is "Bah, humbug."

Young Scrooge waiting for his father

On Christmas Eve night, he goes home as usual but has a vision. It is his old business partner, Jacob Marley (Oldman), who died seven years before. He has come to warn Scrooge that things haven't turned out well for him in the afterlife because of his greedy days working with Scrooge: he must walk around with heavy chains as penance. He tells Scrooge that three other spirits will come to visit and he had better heed them; then, he leaves.

Cratchit and Tiny Tim

Scrooge soon sees the first spirit: the Ghost of Christmas Past (Carrey). The spirit shows Scrooge that he became the way he is because his father neglected him during the holidays, while he only was brought home from boarding school by his sweet sister Fan (Robin Wright). Later, he was engaged to a woman named Belle (Wright), but she left him because of his money-grubbing ways. Scrooge dismisses the spirit by extinguishing him with his candle snuffer.

DVD cover

A little later, the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, arrives. He shows Scrooge that his nephew, Fred, jokes about Scrooge's tight ways, while Cratchit is barely able to make ends meet with the pittance paid by Scrooge. Cratchit also, unknown to Scrooge, has a young son named Tiny Tim (Oldman) who is sickly and may not live much longer. The spirit also shows Scrooge two children who become insanely violent criminals because they were neglected every Christmas.

Marley warning Scrooge

The third spirit then shows up, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Carrey). He frightens Scrooge and chases him through London, then shows him his own future: when Scrooge passes away, Fred welcomes only his inheritance from Scrooge and dishonors his memory; his maid robs him for petty proceeds; nobody wants to attend his funeral except to get free food; and Tiny Tim dies through lack of expensive care. Scrooge himself, the spirit strongly implies, will wind up burning in the fires of Hell, then departs. The next morning, Scrooge is a changed man and shows it to everyone he meets.

Scrooge up close

The film was a smash hit both in the US and the UK, topping the box office in both places. It is a treat for the eyes, with striking imagery emphasized by the half-real visual style. Dialog is lifted straight out of book, which enhances the points made and keeps the film-makers from making their own points instead of those intended by Dickens. The score by Alan Silvestri blends wonderfully with the on-screen action, and you get bits of traditional holiday tunes which help keep you in the holiday spirit. The opening title sequence, when the camera flies through the air giving us a view of Victorian London, is breathtaking, especially in 3-D.

There are great visuals throughout

The film, though, isn't perfect. The early scenes drag, and Carrey - well-intentioned, I'm sure, and a classic physical comedian - really isn't the ideal choice to add depth to a very serious story told in thick period British accents. A scene where a miniature Scrooge is chased by a carriage just hits the wrong notes, fun as it is on screen (some would say the sequence is the highlight of the film), one that Carrey the comedian could handle with ease, but hamstrings Carrey the dramatic actor. It is quite difficult - and vital - to get the tone right in an adaptation like this, where everyone knows the story and is looking for execution over plot. The personal nature of the story can only be conveyed by raw human expressions of true emotion - something that animation, for all its tremendous virtues, is not well-crafted to convey, and Carrey especially is not the right messenger. In animation in any event, it is difficult to convey raw human vulnerability, and this story, like no other, requires that sensation to succeed. Unfortunately, that aspect is lacking, though many will be quite satisfied without that sort of depth.

Scrooge - will he learn his lesson?

This is a dark version of the story, which, to be truthful, is the only way to be faithful to the book. Dickens was a great author, but he was surrounded by the horrors of the burgeoning industrial age. Child workers, dangerous factory jobs seven days a week from dawn to dusk, poor people thrown into ghastly, disease-ridden jails - he saw it all. When he wrote that Scrooge was destined for Hell, he wasn't thinking of some cartoony aren't-those-cool-flames kind of place like you might see in, oh, not to pick on anybody in particular ((cough cough) Southpark (cough cough)). The ending is a little too Carrey-the-comedian, not "Thank the sweet baby Jesus I might yet escape that burning pit of damnation for all eternity."

Scrooge having a little fun

Along those lines, this really is a difficult film for children. Marley's ghost has a flapping jaw that is pretty gruesome, and some other scenes are edgy. The film is rated PG, and is not the cutesy Mickey Mouse tale (though that is a wonderful version, too!). This is best for adults, perhaps families, but certainly not for toddlers or even every tween.

Special Amtrak "A Christmas Carol" exhibition train in 2009

Overall, it is a worthy addition to the Christmas catalog, but only for the right audience. If you fit into that category, this could become an annual treat every December. Just try to watch it in 3-D, it makes a difference.

Below is the official trailer.

2012

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