Oliver & Company

Truth be told, Oliver & Company isn't one of Walt Disney Studio's most compelling titles, but it's still plenty of fun. It has a wonderful soundtrack featuring great talents such as Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, and Ruth Pointer. All of the musical numbers in the film are well-staged, nicely animated, and have fun tunes to carry them along. "Why Should I Worry?", Billy Joel's song and the film's show-stopper of sorts, is the most popular. While I like that song a lot, my personal favorites are "Once Upon a Time in New York City", the opening song sung by Huey Lewis, and "Perfect Isn't Easy", Bette Milder's song to go along with the character she voices: Georgette, a spoiled poodle.

The story itself isn't quite as strong as it could've been (which is why I award the movie an eight as opposed to a nine or a ten), but it still offers a lot of sweet, charming, heart-filled, and suspenseful moments. The characters also aren't *all* the way there, but they're still good as they are, and their voice actors do their jobs well. Each character has traits that make them appealing, even if they aren't the strongest characters in the Disney canon.

I'll end by saying that Oliver & Company is a very enjoyable Disney feature. Children will certainly be entertained by it, especially if they love cats, dogs, and fun musical numbers. Adults can enjoy it too if they appreciate the worlds of animation and Disney enough. Because of the film's level of fun and charm, I give it an eight. If the story and characters had been even better, I would've given it a nine or a ten.