Jim On Film
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101 Reasons:
Oliver & Company
Before a mermaid bartered for legs, before a beauty loved her books, and before a cub became king, there was a little orange kitty who wanted a home and found financial success to boot.
Unfortunately, as The Little Mermaid surpassed little Oliver’s impressive box office gold of over $50 million, the little orange kitty who could found himself abandoned. Despite big voice talents, when Oliver & Company was re-released to theaters in 1996, people forgot the film, and while it made a respectable sum for a reissue, it never gained the fame it deserved.
This is partially because, for its theatrical reissue, the film was never really promoted as much as it could have been (as, say, in comparison to Return to Never Land), and while it received all the standard hoopla for its original video release, its recent DVD and video reissue was slipped out with minimal promotion. Even Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is said to have sparked the idea for the film, called it, in Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston’s The Disney Villains, a training film, implying that it was merely a stepping stone to greater works, such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Sure, those are excellent films, but Oliver & Company stands well on its own despite its somewhat under-appreciated reputation among animation fans.
The richest asset to Oliver & Company is its vividly portrayed characters, due to strong character animation, strong voice casting, and strong story work. Just three years prior, critics commented on the large number of characters in The Black Cauldron and how the studio had failed in juggling them all, but Oliver & Company also has a considerable cast, and whatever problems the studio had in 1985, they solved them by 1988. Oliver & Company is full of original characters, each one strongly depicted.
(c) Disney
Oliver himself is not as cute as Disney kittens usually are. Instead of cute, he’s street smart and in his own way, a strong personality. When Dodger ditches him, Oliver doesn’t give up easily. Dodger moves throughout New York City, but Oliver chases him the whole way. Even when he falls through the roof of the barge and is faced by a gang of growling dogs, Oliver doesn’t give in. He’s a determined little kitty. His bravest act, of course, is to jump from Fagin’s trike to attack Sykes as he grabs Jenny. Oliver is small, but he’s got enough moxie for a lion.
Dodger, too, is a particularly strong, multi-faceted Disney character. He’s tough, but his toughness is more exterior than interior. He plays it cool to impress Rita and the other dogs, such as when he lies about fighting for the sausages; however, he does show true bravery when he comes through for Fagin when the Dobermans attack. When this brave act is over, he lets his exterior go as he limps out of Sykes’ warehouse, replacing it with the cool facade when he sees Rita again. If he’s not really all that tough, he’s still street smart. He navigates the streets of Manhattan by hopping on taxis and construction equipment. Most importantly, however, Dodger also has heart. He first rejects Oliver by ditching him, but when Oliver arrives at the barge unexpectedly, he earns Dodger’s affection, who is impressed by the spirit inside the tiny kitty. This is further evidenced when Oliver curls up with him at night and Dodger looks on with parental affection. It is because of this bond that he reacts so strongly when Oliver, after being "rescued," wants to go back. In the end, it is his sincere affection for Oliver that drives him to help rescue Jenny and eventually, reconcile with Oliver through his cool demeanor before taking off for the streets. It is this rough exterior housing a soft heart that makes Dodger such a great and lovable character.