Oliver & Company: Rambo Kitty

We're back with another nostalgia classic, at least for us. This week Aly & Sarrah are discussing Disney's 1988 movie Oliver & Company!

Aly starts off with a biography of Charles Dickens and a quick recap/Coles' Notes rundown of Oliver Twist and how it relates to this movie. So if you need info for your highschool lit class.....don't source us. We're not reliable.

Sarrah discusses how this movie concept came to be (a gong-show) and where it started (picture either Batman or a panda. No joke).

Together we welcome Cheech Marin to the Disney Voice Cast family, and discuss the impact of releasing the same day as Land Before Time!

So sit back and listen as we defend this personal favourite against the haters (Siskel) and rejoice in pointing out all it's good points!

Why should we worry? This movie is pretty doggone good!

Hey, remember us?

Well we’re back!

And Aly wants to make it clear that Sarrah had nothing to do with this hiatus! It was all her. She apologizes. Now let’s move on.

This week we are heading back into late 80’s nostalgia with Disney’s 1988 masterpiece: Oliver & Company!

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Aly starts us off by telling us all about Charles Dickens (you may have heard of him), the author behind the source material for this movie: Oliver Twist (you may have heard of it). She also breaks down Oliver Twist itself and what elements were taken or altered for Disney’s family friendly film purposes. So if you’ve ever wanted the Cliff’s Notes of Oliver Twist for your highschool purposes….I mean don’t fully trust us. But here you go!

Our man Dickens

Sarrah chimes in with some fun facts about where this movie began. From gong show meetings to an original opening where dobermans kill Oliver’s parents Batman-style, to the fact that there was almost a panda? Yeah, this movie went weird places.

In Voice Cast Corner we see the Disney debut of Cheech Marin and Dom DeLuise! We also learn that this was the first Disney movie to contain real-world advertising (because New York).

Some quick updates since this episode was recorded:

As of at least fall 2018, the Disney Store does have Dodger and Oliver plush. Yes, Aly owns the Dodger plush. Don’t judge.

The store Aly bought the bandanna from was called “Whosits and Whatsits”. Here is a photo of Poddog modelling it for your pleasure.

Poddog says hello.

So try not to worry, because while perfect isn’t easy…this episode comes pretty close. So let’s all hit the those streets of gold with Dodger and the gang and watch Oliver & Company!

Star Rating for Oliver & Company: 4 1/2 Stars

Voice Acting: Full Star- This cast is amazing. Each actor brought so much character and detail to their role. From DeLuise’s endearing patheticness as Fagin, to Midler’s outstanding choices and bravado as Georgette. This movie is driven by it’s characters.
Music/Songs: Full Star - These songs are catchy as hell. Sure, there’s some less memorable ones. But try to tell us that ‘Why Should I Worry’ isn’t one of the best Disney songs. We’ll fight you. Looking at you Siskel.
Script/Story: Half Star- It was a valiant effort to adapt a massive story. There were some fun one liners and great characters, but the plot was chaotic and the whole finale was super messy.
Animation - Full Star - Sarrah looked for faults and couldn’t find any.
Style -Full Star - This movie differs from most other Disney movies. It brings us back to the sketchy style of 101 Dalmatians and has some beautiful watercolour-esq backgrounds. We like it’s uniqueness.

Our Sources:

IMDb page for Oliver & Company
Wikipedia Article for Oliver & Company

Wikipedia Article for Charles Dickens
Britannica.com Entry for Charles Dickens
Biography.com Page for Charles Dickens
Charlesdickensinfo.com

Disney Parks website page remembered Oliver and Company

Dickens, C. and Horne, P. (2003). Oliver Twist,. London: Penguin Books.