Oliver & Company - 3 stars out of 10
The word that I would use to describe “Oliver & Company” is “underwhelming.” The original story by Charles Dickens leaves this film with so much potential in the realm of character development, emotional themes, and catchy music. Instead, we are left with a rushed and confused desire for more. Disney had found success by placing animated characters in a modern setting (such as Dumbo and 101 Dalmatians), and this film had the same potential with its unique 1980’s flair; unfortunately, the script failed to capitalize on this opportunity and instead created a 73-minute runtime (including credits) that feels like an undeveloped quick release, drastically falling short of Disney’s standard. In this short film, the characters and emotions are not given time to develop (like, at all) and it gives the film a sense of being hastily thrown together without consideration for the important themes introduced in Dickens’ story (i.e. saying “This is a kids movie. Cartoon dogs will be enough to satisfy them.”) This may account for my enjoyment as a child but criticism as an adult, and also might contribute to its box-office success in spite of negative reviews. The sense of being hastily thrown together is accented by the odd and unnecessary placement of the poodle’s show-stopping number (that literally stops the momentum of the film) by completely killing the 1980’s vibe. I understand that they probably put this in for Bette Midler but this is the antithesis of the writers creating a kids movie instead of a work of art like most of the Disney films. Unnecessary fluff is not the Disney way; in fact, I did not even know that this was a Disney film until a few years ago - I had assumed that it was the off-brand. The film will draw you in with its all-star cast (Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Cheech Marin, Roscoe Lee Browne, Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia, etc.), but these stars are misused. I don’t understand why you would feature a 1980’s pop star (Joel) as the voice of one of the main characters... but then begin the movie with Huey Lewis (another 1980’s pop star) singing the first song. Also, an occasional monologue from the bulldog with Browne’s eloquent speaking tone would have been hilarious... but every line out of his mouth was about culture and it lost its charm after the eighth monologue. Finally, there is the issue of the gang. Oliver is seeking their acceptance when he is adopted during their first heist. I don’t understand their attachment to him (shouldn’t he become “one of them” first?) But then when they kidnap him after a short amount of time, he wants to go back to the house instead of wanting to hang out with the cool gang. If you had the chance wouldn’t you want to hang out with Dodger in lieu of living with some people that you just met? These moments work in Dickens’ story because they are given time to develop relationships. A simple thought toward pacing could have made this into a rewarding watch but instead, it has become one of the more confused Disney animated features.
The word that I would use to describe “Oliver & Company” is “underwhelming.” The original story by Charles Dickens leaves this film with so much potential in the realm of character development, emotional themes, and catchy music. Instead, we are left with a rushed and confused desire for more. Disney had found success by placing animated characters in a modern setting (such as Dumbo and 101 Dalmatians), and this film had the same potential with its unique 1980’s flair; unfortunately, the script failed to capitalize on this opportunity and instead created a 73-minute runtime (including credits) that feels like an undeveloped quick release, drastically falling short of Disney’s standard. In this short film, the characters and emotions are not given time to develop (like, at all) and it gives the film a sense of being hastily thrown together without consideration for the important themes introduced in Dickens’ story (i.e. saying “This is a kids movie. Cartoon dogs will be enough to satisfy them.”) This may account for my enjoyment as a child but criticism as an adult, and also might contribute to its box-office success in spite of negative reviews. The sense of being hastily thrown together is accented by the odd and unnecessary placement of the poodle’s show-stopping number (that literally stops the momentum of the film) by completely killing the 1980’s vibe. I understand that they probably put this in for Bette Midler but this is the antithesis of the writers creating a kids movie instead of a work of art like most of the Disney films. Unnecessary fluff is not the Disney way; in fact, I did not even know that this was a Disney film until a few years ago - I had assumed that it was the off-brand. The film will draw you in with its all-star cast (Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Cheech Marin, Roscoe Lee Browne, Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia, etc.), but these stars are misused. I don’t understand why you would feature a 1980’s pop star (Joel) as the voice of one of the main characters... but then begin the movie with Huey Lewis (another 1980’s pop star) singing the first song. Also, an occasional monologue from the bulldog with Browne’s eloquent speaking tone would have been hilarious... but every line out of his mouth was about culture and it lost its charm after the eighth monologue. Finally, there is the issue of the gang. Oliver is seeking their acceptance when he is adopted during their first heist. I don’t understand their attachment to him (shouldn’t he become “one of them” first?) But then when they kidnap him after a short amount of time, he wants to go back to the house instead of wanting to hang out with the cool gang. If you had the chance wouldn’t you want to hang out with Dodger in lieu of living with some people that you just met? These moments work in Dickens’ story because they are given time to develop relationships. A simple thought toward pacing could have made this into a rewarding watch but instead, it has become one of the more confused Disney animated features.
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