• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Services and Products
    • Educational Guide
    • Travel Agent

Disney in your Day

A blog all about Disney

  • Disney World planning
    • Theme parks
    • Resorts
  • Disney Subscription Boxes
  • Gift Guides
    • Disney Stocking Stuffers Guide
    • Disney Etsy Holiday Gift Guide
  • Disney at Home
    • Recipes
    • Crafts and DIY
You are here: Home / Disney Movies and TV / Thoughts on Oliver and Company

Thoughts on Oliver and Company

March 29, 2016 by Becky 24 Comments

Oliver and Company - Disney in your Day

This is part of my series “Thoughts on Disney movies,” where I’ve gone back to watch all of the animated Disney features, starting with Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, and then share my thoughts on the blog.

Highlights:  There are a lot of reasons why this film is a personal favorite of mine.  As a kid I was obsessed with the musical Oliver! (I played the Artful Dodger when I was in middle school), and I loved the novel Oliver Twist.  This movie is very loosely based on that story.  It’s also got an adorable cat, and it’s the Disney film of my birth year.  Oh, and Billy Joel music – did I mention I grew up on Long Island?

Low Points:  There are a lot of interesting characters, but I didn’t feel like we got to know all of them as well as I would have liked to.  It also has one of those crazy, unbelievable endings.  Not that that’s always a bad thing, you just have to be prepared for it.

Oliver and Company - Disney in your Day

Music:  There is one really excellent song in this movie, and it’s Billy Joel singing “Why Should I Worry?”  The only other one that stands out is the simple and sweet “Good Company,” sung by Jenny as she is practicing piano.  Georgette has a song as well, though that one is pretty over the top.  The opening number “Once Upon a time in New York City” is a decent one to start things off.  Overall there is one really good song from this movie, and a few others that are okay.

Villain:  Sykes is the main bad guy here, and he’s a pretty stereotypical villain.  He’s dark and shady, conducting some sort of evil business in a creepy place.  He doesn’t have much of a unique personality though, making him less interesting than some other Disney villains.  We also don’t see too much of him throughout the movie until the end, which means that although evil is a presence throughout the film, it’s not neccesarily related back to him all that well.  Fagin is a much more interesting “villain” in that I really wouldn’t call him a villain at all.  He’s more of just a scared, pathetic guy who does bad things because he doesn’t see any other options.  But his change of heart toward the end of poignant and sweet.

Oliver and Company - Disney in your Day

Fun Fact:  Roy E. Disney had originally suggested a plot line where Fagin was attempting to steal a rare panda from the city zoo.  It was ultimately cut because they couldn’t make it work.  Sounds like it would have been pretty crazy and random if they had tried to keep it in the film!

Where in the World:  There are really no connections to Oliver and Company in Disney World that I know of.  Let me know if you find any!

My rating:  8 out of 10.  I love the story done with animals.  And the music is pretty good, though I think it could be stronger – if you’ve got Billy Joel on your project give him more than one song!

Filed Under: Disney Movies and TV, Thoughts on Disney Movies Tagged With: Movie, Oliver and Company, thoughts

Comments

  1. The Animation Commendation says

    March 29, 2016 at 10:42 am

    Eh, I’m not really a fan of this movie. I don’t even like that ‘Why Should I Worry’ song. I much prefer ‘Good Company’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in New York City’.

    You were the Artful Dodger? Awesome! I didn’t know they let girls play that part. My dream is to play Fagin one day! On Broadway, in an alley, in my living room in front of nobody, I don’t care how, I just wanna play him!

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 29, 2016 at 5:00 pm

      I was! I think when you’re about 12 years old the difference between a boy and a girl is not all that apparent yet so it didn’t matter 😉 I just stuck my hair under a cap haha. Fagin would be awesome part to play. Now it’s my dream to be Nancy one day.

      Reply
      • The Animation Commendation says

        March 29, 2016 at 6:02 pm

        Nice! Did you put on a Cockney accent when you played the Artful Dodger or used your regular voice?

        Reply
        • Becky @Disney in your Day says

          March 31, 2016 at 12:51 pm

          I had to use my regular voice – since we were kids they wouldn’t let us use accents even though I wanted to! I guess they thought we weren’t good enough at it haha

          Reply
  2. Tori Gabriel says

    March 29, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    I saw this again recently (desperately trying to encourage my toddler to watch a film that ISN’T FROZEN!) My first thought is it is sooo 80’s. I like the kitty though. It’s sad that there is no reference to this film anywhere in the parks.

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 29, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Haha, it is pretty 80’s! Anything with a cat is always a plus in my book though. I wish there was more Oliver merchandise around too, he’s so cute!

      Reply
  3. jessica--a monkey and his mama says

    March 29, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    This makes me want to get the DVD and watch it with my animal loving toddlers! And I’m totally going to have that billy joel song in my head now 🙂

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 30, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      I hope your toddlers enjoy it too!

      Reply
  4. Katie Brooks says

    March 29, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    I thought this was such a cute movie! I can’t edit to watch all these again with my kids!

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 30, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      It’s so interesting to see some of the older Disney movies through the eyes of a child!

      Reply
  5. Monika says

    March 29, 2016 at 6:56 pm

    I love Disney movies! My perfect day is curling up with hot chocolate watching animated movies 😀 I have’t seen this one though. Great write-up and I will definitely check it out. Hope you are having a great day 🙂

    Love,
    Monika | http://www.palateforstyle.com

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 31, 2016 at 1:08 am

      That sounds like a pretty perfect day to me too!

      Reply
  6. TCK1995 says

    March 29, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    If I could sum up Oliver and Company in one sentence, it would be ‘crazy 80’s movie’, and I’d say that as a compliment. This is a fun and slightly nutty movie with a good soundtrack, even if it could stand to be ten minutes longer. In fact, both Oliver and Company and The Little Mermaid made their way onto my top 10 Disney Canon films list, so I guess I’m fond of late-80’s Disney. 🙂

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 31, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      Haha, I’d say that’s a pretty good way to sum it up! It definitely has some craziness in it.

      Reply
  7. Lindsay Katherine says

    March 29, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    I loved this nostalgic post, especially the Oliver Twist Artful Dodger reference – I’m a high school teacher and just taught Oliver Twist! ; )

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 30, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      Aww that’s so great! I love the book too 🙂

      Reply
  8. Jenn says

    March 29, 2016 at 8:45 pm

    Aww, I always thought this movie was underrated! So cute. And HELLO?? Why didn’t Billy Joel have more singing time?? Agreed, his song is the best.

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 31, 2016 at 5:52 pm

      I agree, I don’t think it gets all the love it deserves!

      Reply
  9. Natalie V. says

    March 31, 2016 at 1:30 am

    I remember watching this ALL of the time when I was little–I LOVED the music! 🙂 🙂

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 31, 2016 at 12:52 pm

      Me too! I have Why Should I Worry on my running playlist too so I hear it all the time 🙂

      Reply
  10. Adriana says

    March 31, 2016 at 9:24 am

    OMG I haven’t seen this movie in sooo long! I can’t wait to have kiddies so I can watch old Disney movies again!

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      March 31, 2016 at 5:52 pm

      Haha, I don’t have kids and I still go back and watch them!

      Reply
  11. Ariel @ Keys to My Life says

    May 11, 2016 at 3:02 pm

    I LOOOOVE this movie! I’m a self-proclaimed 80s child so this movie is my childhood. And I love the entire soundtrack! Billy Joel is the best, but I honestly love all of them!

    Reply
    • Becky @Disney in your Day says

      May 12, 2016 at 9:04 am

      Yes, for some reason it’s always been really special to me too!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Me

Hi, I'm Becky!

I'm a huge Disney fan in my early 30's and always trying to find a way to put a little bit of Disney into everyday life. I live in Pennsylvania but travel to the theme parks several times a year - I'm an annual passholder at Disney World! In addition to Disney I love traveling, running, and theater.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
[popup_manager id="51"]

Archives

© 2023 · Disney In Your Day · Theme Design by Rakshi Creations