19. Oliver & Company- 1988

Rating: 👌🏼 ok

This reimagining of Oliver Twist features Oliver, an orphaned kitty in NYC who joins up with a gang of street animals to learn how to survive in the big Apple.

This movie had a lot going for it that I really loved. To describe this movie in one word I’d say it’s jazzy! Oliver & Company brought a totally new style that was unlike any of the other Disney animated features that preceded it. From the voices of Joey Lawrence and Bette Midler, to music by Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, and Huey Lewis I personally loved the more modern approach that this movie took. But where this movie lost me was the villain. We have Fagin the derelict who originally catnapped Oliver for a ransom, but then turns into an ally after he discovers that he stole Oliver from a little girl. The ultimate villain is Sykes the mob boss. I felt like the villain was underdeveloped and as a result I felt underwhelmed by the scenes he was on screen. I may have been a bit harsher than I wanted to be on this movie with the rating, but I feel like this movie had so much potential to be amazing but it fell a bit short, and that disappointment is impossible for me to ignore. Oliver & Company is definitely still worth watching and I may end up changing my mind about this rating down the road…