SYNOPSIS:
Experience a magical adventure, filled with friendship, fun and "paws-itively" cool music in the new 20th Anniversary Edition DVD of Walt Disney's OLIVER AND COMPANY -- featuring tail-wagging bonus and new digital mastering! Oliver, a feisty young cat, explores New York in this thrilling animated classic cleverly based on Charles Dickens' timeless story, OLIVER TWIST -- featuring unforgettable songs performed by musical greats Billy Joel, Huey Lewis and Bette Midler! Joined by a pack of hilarious characters -- dogs Dodger, Tito and their pals -- Oliver knows he's found a lifelong friend and a real home. The new 20th Anniversary Edition includes the all-new Oliver's Big City Challenge Game, the Academy Award?-winning animated short "Lend A Paw" (1941, Short Subject, Cartoon) and much more! Hightail it to your home theater for a fun and exciting movie-watching experience your family will enjoy again and again!
MOVIE REVIEW:
There is a certain charm about traditional 2D animation that still rocks. No matter how advanced technology has become, with all the complex and complicated methods of making that animated dog look real (you begin thinking to yourself: why don’t they film a real dog instead?), there is something which will bring a smile to your face when a 2D animated dog twitches its animated eyebrows and talks with its animated snarl. The very likeable canines (and one brave kitty) in this Disney animated feature does just that – creating moments of magic which you’d never get in a live action movie starring not so likeable dogs which talk with computer generated mouth movements.
Inspired by Charles Dickens' classic story “Oliver Twist", this picture follows a homeless kitty (that’d be Oliver for viewers who like pure faithfulness in their adaptations) who roams the streets of New York, where a gang of rowdy canines provide him with shelter. A human beggar does his best to provide for these singing stray animals, while facing problems with the large amount of debt he owes a loan shark. The animals help their saviour through a series of fun misadventures, while Oliver gets adopted by, yes, you’ve guessed it – a rich girl. Cue conflicting issues of loyalty and even more fun misadventures.
Being a Disney production, you can expect all things wholesome and fun. It’s also educational, if you want to consider the themes portrayed in the movie, without losing its entertaining factor. The first thing that will please old school animation fans is the collection of lovely songs performed by musical legends Billy Joel and Bette Midler. Unforgettable tunes like “Why Should I Worry?” and “Perfect Isn’t Easy” will stay in your mind long after the 74 minute movie ends. Huey Lewis also performs the title song “Once Upon a Time in New York City”, the first Disney song written by Howard Ashman (1950-1951), the man behind other great tunes like “Under the Sea” and “Beauty and the Beast”.
The storyline is interesting to keep viewers young and old engaged throughout its runtime. Being a 1988 production, this may have missed your radar if you were a Disney fan from The Little Mermaid (1988). So do make sure you include this in your favourite list, because there is much to like, from the wonderful music (you’d enjoy it even more if you watched the Broadway musical version), the adorable character design (each animal looks uniquely endearing), the exceptional look created by the animators to showcase New York City, to the spot on comedic elements of the movie. It’s definitely a family friendly adventure worth repeated viewings.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD is generous with its bonus features because it is, after all, the 20th Anniversary Edition. Two Sing-Along Songs “Why Should I Worry” and “Streets of Gold” are included in the Music and More section. In “Oliver’s Big City Challenge”, you need to complete three tasks to be part of the gang. Help is provided by the other dogs along the way to play this kid friendly game. “The Making of Oliver and Company” is a six minute clip which describes the movie as a “new twist on an old twist”. It features footages of the cast voicing their characters – during the 1980s. “Disney’s Animated Animals” showcases the animal characters in a one minute promo clip.
The “Oliver and Company Scrapbook” is a collection of concept art, story and character development sketches from the movie. “Publicity Materials” include the original 1988 theatrical trailer, the 1989 TV spot, the 1996 re-release trailer and a “Return of a Classic” spot. “Fun Film Facts” feed you with information like the number of animators who worked on the project and how the filmmakers got inspiration from researching on how dogs moved around. There are also two bonus shorts included on the disc. The eight minute “Lend a Paw” is an old school technicolour short where Pluto saves a kitty (who looks like Oliver!) and makes a new friend. Also making you smile is the seven minute “Puss Café” which has two disagreeing cats trying to set up a café, with much displeasure from Pluto. “Sneak Peeks” include trailers for other Disney releases like Pinnochio, Space Buddies and Up.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer is clear, and you can choose to watch the movie in either 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound English and Korean, or 2.0 Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Cantonese and Thai audio tracks.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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