Nowadays, Oliver & Company is not the most well-known Disney movie, but many fans of the studio still remember it and discuss it from time to time. That being said, those parents who do know about the movie usually see it as a fun and entertaining watch for their children.
But what really makes Oliver & Company stand out is its historical context and its creation story. In fact, it marked the beginning of a new period in Disney's history, even though it wasn't a noticeable difference at the time. This and many other facts are some of the most important things many fans of the movie may still not be aware of.
10 It Is Based On Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist"
The title of Oliver & Company does not suggest that there could be a connection to the famous work of literature, but the film was based on Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist."
Some of the most notable changes made in the adaptation included the time and setting (from 19th century London to modern New York) and characters (Oliver is a homeless kitten who befriends a group of street dogs).
9 It Has Some Notable Names In The Crew Including James Mangold And Mike Gabriel
The screenplay for the movie was co-written by none other than James Mangold who would go on to direct Girl, Interrupted, Identity, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolverine, Logan, and Ford v Ferrari.
Other filmmakers involved in the development of the story include Mike Gabriel (co-director of Pocahontas), Joe Ranft (co-writer of Toy Story), Kirk Wise, and Gary Trousdale (co-directors of Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire), Roger Allers (co-director of The Lion King), and Kevin Lima (co-director of Tarzan and director of Enchanted).
8 It Features Some Well Known Voices Including Cheech Marin And Billy Joel
Much like the movie's crew, its cast has some very interesting people voicing the characters. For example, Dodger is voiced by Billy Joel, one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Tito was voiced by Cheech Marin who also voiced characters in The Lion King, Cars, and Coco. Fagin was voiced by Dom DeLuise who was known for voicing characters in Don Bluth's works. Other notable cast members include Robert Loggia, Bette Midler, and Frank Welker.
7 It Was The First Disney Animated Movie To Go Into Production Under Michael Eisner And Jeffrey Katzenberg
For those who studied the history of animation or just Disney's history, the names of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg will probably ring a bell, but some viewers may still be unaware of the importance of these two people.
Oliver & Company became the first animated movie to enter production at Disney under CEO Michael Eisner and studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. Eisner and Katzenberg are credited with revitalizing the studio during the 1980s-1990s when Disney released such classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King among others.
6 The Movie Was Meant To Be Much Darker
When Oliver & Company was released, many critics noted its colorful visuals and lighthearted atmosphere. However, originally, the movie was intended to be much darker.
Allegedly, way back when it was called Oliver and the Dodger, the movie had an opening sequence planned where two Dobermans belonging to one of the characters kill Oliver's parents. The story would then go on to focus on Oliver getting his revenge.
5 Traditional Animation Was Done By Disney's Next Generation Of Animators
Though there are a total of eleven minutes of computer-assisted imagery in the movie, the majority of the animation is traditional and was done by Disney's next generation of animators as the "Nine Old Men" (Disney's main animators since the studio's founding) were all retired by that time.
Some of the next generation animators involved included Glen Keane, Ruben A. Aquino, Mike Gabriel, and Mark Henn all of whom worked as animators on such projects as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog, and many others.
4 Its Soundtrack Features Famous Singers Including Billy Joel
The score for Oliver & Company was written by J.A.C. Redford, but what's more curious is that Katzenberg was allegedly the one who had the idea to involve well-known singers and songwriters.
These singers and songwriters ended up being Billy Joel (who performed the award-nominated song "Why Should I Worry?"), Huey Lewis (who performed "Once Upon a Time in New York City"), and Barry Manilow (who co-wrote "Perfect Isn't Easy").
3 Disney Didn't Remove The Twin Towers From The Movie
After what happened on 9/11, many movies were edited to remove the scenes that contained shots of NYC's iconic Twin Towers in order to avoid upsetting viewers who could be sensitive to the tragedy.
However, Disney decided not to remove such shots from Oliver & Company because it would be expensive and would take too much time. Moreover, the movie's original main title card contained the Twin Towers and would be ruined if they were removed.
2 It Was Released On The Same Day As The Land Before Time
Back in 1988, Oliver & Company was released on the same day as The Land Before Time, but even though the latter debuted at number one, the former eventually outperformed it at the box office.
Obviously, the two were compared by critics who gave Oliver & Company mixed reviews noting that it could be a good watch for kids, but still had a very predictable story.
1 It Was Nominated For Several Awards
Despite the mixed reviews, Oliver & Company was still in luck becoming a commercial success and even getting nominated for several awards.
At the Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated for Best Original Song, and at the Young Artist Awards, it was nominated for Best Family Feature Film - Animation. It also went on to win Best Sound Editing at the Golden Reel Awards.
