# Oliver & Company

Oliver & Company is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is inspired by the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. In the film, Oliver is a homeless kitten who joins a gang of dogs to survive in the streets. Among other changes, the setting of the film was relocated from 19th century London to 1980s New York City, Fagin's gang is made up of dogs (one of which is Dodger), and Sykes is a loan shark.
In late 1984 or 1985, Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg held a pitch meeting with the animation staff, in which story artist Pete Young pitched the idea to adapt Oliver Twist with dogs. The pitch was quickly approved, and the film quickly went into production under the working title Oliver and the Dodger.
Oliver & Company was released in the United States on November 18, 1988, the same day as The Land Before Time. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a box office success, grossing $121 million against a $31 million budget. The film was re-released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on March 29, 1996. It was first released on home video on September 24 of the same year. It was also released in 2002 and 2009 on DVD. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc in 2013, commemorating its 25th anniversary.

## Plot

On Fifth Avenue, several kittens are left in a box outside a shop. All but one, an orange tabby kitten, are adopted. Wandering the streets by himself in search of someone to adopt him, the kitten meets a laid-back Jack Russell Terrier named Dodger, who agrees to help him steal food from a hot dog vendor. Dodger then reneges on the deal and flees with the hot dogs.
The kitten pursues Dodger all over New York City. Dodger eventually arrives at a barge, where the kitten watches him share the hot dogs with a gang of poverty-stricken dogs (Tito the chihuahua, Einstein the Great Dane, Francis the bulldog, and Rita the Saluki). The kitten accidentally falls into the barge, startling the dogs; despite their initial objections, none of them harm him. Fagin, the bargeman and petty thief who owns the dogs, is indebted to Sykes, a nefarious loan shark and criminal. Sykes arrives and gives Fagin an ultimatum to repay the money in three days. Sykes' two Dobermanns, Roscoe and DeSoto, harass Fagin's dogs and threaten to eat the kitten until he scratches DeSoto's nose, earning Fagin and the dogs' respect. Roscoe warns that they will try to exact revenge.
The next morning, Fagin goes to pawn some of his stolen goods, while the dogs and the kitten try to steal more money for him. Through a theatrical ruse, the animals stop a limousine belonging to the wealthy Foxworth family, but the attempt to rob the limo fails, and the kitten is taken by the child Jenny Foxworth, who is missing her vacationing parents and desires a companion. The kitten makes himself at home in Jenny's house, much to the disgust of Georgette, the Foxworth family's spoiled, prize-winning poodle. Jenny names the kitten Oliver, and becomes very attached to him.
The next day, Georgette helps Dodger and the dogs steal Oliver back from the Foxworth household, returning him to the barge. Fagin recognizes from Oliver's new collar and gold name tag that he had been adopted by a wealthy family, and desperately decides to hold Oliver for ransom. His anonymously written ransom note reaches Jenny, who sets out to get Oliver back at the pier.
Jenny meets with Fagin, who is shocked to be dealing with a little girl whose "ransom money" is a piggy bank. Bothered by his conscience and Jenny's tears, Fagin gives Oliver back freely. Sykes, whom Fagin had informed of the deal beforehand, is watching from the shadows and kidnaps Jenny, intending to ransom her while declaring Fagin's debt repaid. Dodger rallies Oliver and the other dogs to free Jenny from Sykes, but Sykes and his Dobermans confront them as they attempt to leave. Fagin saves the group with his trike, and a chase ensues throughout the streets and into the subway tunnels. Jenny falls from the trike onto Sykes' car; Oliver and Dodger go after her and battle Roscoe and DeSoto, who fall off the car and are electrocuted and killed on the third rail of the subway. Fagin leaves Tito to drive and saves Jenny, while Dodger and Oliver are thrown from Sykes' car onto the pavement of the Brooklyn Bridge just before an oncoming train strikes Sykes' car, killing him. Tito drives the trike to safety, and Jenny and Oliver are reunited.
Later, Jenny celebrates her birthday with the animals, Fagin, and the family butler Winston. Oliver opts to stay with Jenny, but promises to remain in contact with Dodger and the gang.

## Voice cast

* Joey Lawrence as Oliver, an orange orphaned tabby kitten who is looking for a home. He joins Fagin's gang of dogs before being taken in by Jenny.
* Billy Joel as Dodger, a charismatic, laid-back Jack Russell Terrier. He displays considerable "street savoir-faire." He is the leader of Fagin's gang of dogs, and is Oliver's first acquaintance, as well as his eventual best friend and surrogate big brother.
* Cheech Marin as Tito, a Mexican-accented Chihuahua in Fagin's gang who serves as the comic relief in the film. He is fast-talking and rapidly develops a crush on Georgette, although she is initially repulsed by him. His full name is Ignacio Alonso Julio Federico de Tito.
* Richard Mulligan as Einstein, a gray Great Dane in Fagin's gang. He is named ironically as he is fairly dull-witted.
* Roscoe Lee Browne as Francis, a Bulldog with a British accent in Fagin's gang. He appreciates art and theatre, particularly Shakespeare. He also detests anyone abbreviating his name as "Frank" or "Frankie" (which Tito frequently does).
* Sheryl Lee Ralph as Rita, a female Saluki in Fagin's gang. She is street-wise and very protective of Oliver.
** Ruth Pointer provided the singing voice for Rita.
* Dom DeLuise as Fagin, a lowly but well-meaning thief who lives on a barge with his dogs. He desperately needs money to repay his debt to Sykes.
* Taurean Blacque and Carl Weintraub as Roscoe and DeSoto, respectively: Sykes's violent Doberman Pinschers who bully Dodger and his friends. Roscoe is the apparent leader, while DeSoto seems to be the more vicious of the two.
* Robert Loggia as Sykes, a cold-hearted, immoral loan shark and shipyard agent who lent a considerable sum of money to Fagin and expects it paid back.
* Natalie Gregory as Jennifer "Jenny" Foxworth, a friendly, rich girl who adopts Oliver.
** Myhanh Tran provided the singing voice for Jenny.
* William Glover as Winston, the Foxworth family's clumsy but warm-hearted butler.
* Bette Midler as Georgette, the Foxworth family's prize-winning poodle. Vain and spoiled, she becomes jealous of Oliver but eventually accepts him and Fagin's gang.
* Frank Welker (uncredited) as Louie the Sausage Vendor, an aggressive, bad-tempered hot dog vendor who appears early in the film when Oliver and Dodger steal his hot dogs. He is described by Dodger as "a well-known enemy of the four-legged world," meaning that he hates both cats and dogs.

## Production
### Development

Oliver & Company was the first animated film developed by Disney to begin production under the supervision of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg; the duo, who had previously worked at Paramount Pictures as chairman and head of production, respectively, joined the company in 1984.
In late 1984 or 1985, Eisner and Katzenberg invited twenty film executives to pitch potential ideas for upcoming animated features, infamously called the "Gong Show". After Ron Clements had pitched The Little Mermaid (1989) and Treasure Planet (2002) to Eisner and Katzenberg, story artist Pete Young suggested, "Oliver Twist with dogs." The next day, Katzenberg, who had previously developed a live-action adaptation of the musical Oliver! at Paramount, approved the pitch for possible development, along with The Little Mermaid. Production started with a table reading of the novel Oliver Twist and watching the musical Oliver!. George Scribner and Richard Rich were announced as the directors of the project, while Pete Young was appointed as story supervisor. However, Young died unexpectedly in the fall of 1985, and Rich was fired from Disney about six months into production, leaving Scribner as the sole director. The film took six to nine months to be developed, and went through several rewrites during production. The first year of production was proved to be difficult. Some producers, directors, and male storyboard artists felt unhappy with the direction of the film, who thought that "it had lost some of its contemporary edge." Because of negative feedback, Scribner tried to change the film to be "less obvious with the material" and include "more sarcasm, more wit, [and] more bite." Scribner also desired the film to "bring a more hip, contemporary sensibility" of the period.
The film was named under the working title of Oliver and the Dodger, but it was later changed to Oliver & Company. It was once analyzed that it could be a homage to Oliver! due to some of the musical numbers being designated to be "performed by Oliver and Company." Oliver and Dodger were originally two kittens, then two dogs, changing back and forth before it was decided that Oliver would be isolated if he was a "different type of character." Due to considering Tina Turner to voice Rita, Rita's first name was Tina, but it was changed to Nancy and later, in August 1986, Rita. Georgette was created by Scribner and its animators for the film. Sykes was the final character to be created for the film. The writers came up with the idea of Sykes's breed being a Dobermann. Early drafts include Sykes developing a relationship between Oliver and Rita to establish the Dobermann's attack. In the final adaptation, Scribner turned Oliver into a naïve kitten, Dodger and the gang into dogs, and Fagin into a human.
Some characters that were intended to appear in the film were also discarded. As work continued on Oliver, Roy E. Disney came up with an idea that Fagin would attempt to steal a rare panda from the Central Park Zoo, along with the gang, and that Oliver would have helped a panda return to the zoo. These concepts were seen in a Rough Working Copy, written as late as August 1986. The writers worked with the idea for approximately nine months before problems would occur with the story. According to Scribner, he explained that they were "dissipating [their] focus of sympathy." The panda subplot was eventually dropped when he suggested to have Fagin hold Oliver for ransom because he was a valuable, rare Asian cat. The panda was also eventually replaced by Jenny. Jenny was originally intended to live with her mother, but the story crew changed her mother into a maid, and later, a butler. A policeman's horse, Kaminski, who would always ask Dodger if he is staying out of trouble, was also intended to appear in the film.

### Writing and script revisions

Throughout several scripts, some revision goals include giving Oliver "more attitude" and developing Oliver and his two relationships with Dodger and Rita in a draft dating September 24, 1985. In the novel and several adaptations, Oliver's abandonment was in a workhouse. For the film, it was moved to the opening scene, depicting Oliver and the kittens in a box instead of a workhouse. The film's opening was also intended to include Sykes's two Dobermanns murdering Oliver's parents, setting the story to focus on Oliver exacting his revenge as detailed in a draft. Dodger originally had a smaller role. Oliver's most important relationship was intended to be with Rita (similar to Oliver and Nancy's relationship in the novel and adaptations), but it was changed to focus his relationship with Dodger instead. The writers intended for Fagin to visit Sykes' office with Einstein, who was attacked by the Dobermanns and "carried out, bloodied and lifeless." During the film's climax, Einstein was also intended to shake off Sykes' bandages, leap at the dogs, and then fling them back into the car. In the final film, Dodger took over Einstein's "two big scenes."
Rita originally had an implied relationship with one of the Sykes' Dobermanns, being referred as "[her] ex". Their encounters include a sexual undertone during the alley scene and Rita turning on the television "with a sexy bash of the hip", though both of the Dobermanns saw her romantically at that time. In the final film, the latter scene was cut, and Rita became a minor character. According to early story drafts, Rita was also going to be murdered like in the novel and adaptations. In a draft dating September 26, 1985, the writers were deciding whether to kill Rita or not. Later, in a draft dating October 21, 1985, they eventually decided to not kill her. However, Rita was planned to be injured with bandages, but it was revised. Tito's romance with Georgette was not in the script, but it was developed later in the production during recording sessions. At the end of the film, the birthday party was originally for Georgette, but it was later changed for Jenny's birthday party to be held instead. Tito's slap was also intended to appear during the film's ending; it was later moved to an earlier scene.

### Casting and recording

An open audition was held to find actors that suited the characters' personalities and designs. According to Disney's former senior vice president for feature animation Peter Schneider, it was easy to cast pop music artists because they all had children on their own. Scribner and the executives wanted voices that believably represented a wide range of New Yorkers.
Billy Joel was one of the first actors in the film to be cast and the fifth person to audition for Dodger. Prior to his audition for Dodger, he turned down film roles for years because he was convinced that "cameras would do terrible things for him." His former wife Christie Brinkley tried to convince Joel that that he should act because he might be a good actor, but Joel felt miserable. Joel also received several film scripts, but was never interested. A few years earlier, he was supposed to audition for Sergio Leone for the film Once Upon a Time in America but felt "too scared." During the film's production, Scribner was told to pick someone who is "New York street-smart" with a "savoir-faire attitude". Joel was recommended by a music director, but Scribner initially had mixed thoughts, questioning whether he could act. Because Joel was residing in New York at the time, Scribner had to choose whether he was right for the part before auditioning him. Joel auditioned for the role by telephone after being given dialogue, with Scribner as Oliver and Joel as Dodger. When Joel was hired, he was reluctant to perform an animated voice, but he confirmed he did it because it was a Disney movie, saying: "I had just had a little girl. It's a great way to do something that my little girl could see that she could relate to right away," referring to daughter Alexa, born in 1985. Joel also confirmed that he loved the "old Disney movies" and Oliver Twist, stating that his grandfather read all of Charles Dickens' novels. Joel started recording lines when his daughter was already born at the time. Many of his sessions were recorded at the Power Station, the Hit Factory, and East Hampton Studios in New York City. Others were being held during The Bridge Tour in the United States, Canada, the Soviet Union, and other countries. His sessions were recorded for over two years. Using "method singing", Joel immediately used Leo Gorcey of the Dead End Kids as an inspiration for his character when he started reading the script, acting as the "epitome of a tough kid who deep down was a nice guy." Scribner wanted Joel to "sound like New York", but Joel responded, "Nah, nah. We're between Broadway and Eighth Avenue." Throughout his recording sessions, Joel felt that it was "easier to get into character with each recording session." Joel has also stated that he was comfortable with recording his sessions and did not feel different from recording his songs. Despite script rewrites throughout the years, Joel suggested changes to his lines. Joel was finished with his sessions in December 1987.
Joey Lawrence auditioned for at least three or four times, had a callback, and was screen-tested before he was cast. Lawrence was assigned for ten sessions to record his lines for Oliver, but he has stated that he had done "at least [twenty sessions]." Lawrence recorded his dialogue for two-and-a-half years, starting his first session when he was the age of 10. Lawrence commented that his voice was "extremely high" when he started, but his voice "dropped" and "struggled to [speak higher]" as the months passed. Although Lawrence recorded his lines solely in most of his sessions, he once worked with Joel for approximately three hours. His final recording session was held in February 1988. Comedian Cheech Marin was the fifth person to audition for the chihuahua Tito. Because energy proved to be the key to Tito's personality, Marin claimed, "I was encouraged to ad-lib, but I'd say I just gave about 75% of the lines as they were written. The natural energy of a Chihuahua played right into that feeling. George [Scribner] was very encouraging as a director: He kept the energy level high at the recording sessions." Marin was assigned for four sessions, but it was estimated that he had done 15 sessions for the film. He recorded his dialogue for a course of one year. Marin overall felt enthusiastic about his role, stating he was in a film his child "[could] watch everyday." 34 actresses auditioned for the role of Georgette before it went to Bette Midler. William Glover was cast as the Foxworth's family butler, Winston. In 1989, Scribner talked about Glover in an interview, stating "He was great to work with; he was very professional, and he gave readings you'd never expect." Other cast members include Sheryl Lee Ralph for Rita and Roscoe Lee Browne for Francis. Ralph recorded her dialogue for 18 months.
In the recording studio, the actors read the lines to Scribner. Several recording sessions were done while the film went through several rewrites, causing Scribner to ask the voice cast to re-record different scenes that they already done. The cast recorded for two years, with each recording session lasting nearly two to three hours. According to Scribner, the actors enjoyed recording their lines, though some had to be shown early animation tests to know what the characters were doing.

### Character designs

Andreas Deja and Mike Gabriel were the two main character designers that were involved in the film. Deja designed the basic look of the characters, while Gabriel added extra features to the characters. Tito was animated and designed by directing animator Hendel Butoy, and Fagin and Sykes were designed by character animator Glen Keane. An animal trainer brought each of the dogs' breeds in a small area of Walt Disney Feature Animation as a guide for the animators. After the characters were cast, the character models were redesigned to match the vocal performances. Dodger's design started to evolve to look like Joel after his lines were recorded. Dodger's design was also thinner before getting "beefed up". Winston was redesigned after William Glover had recorded his lines, in which the character was given a slightly heavier stature. His features were also revised, including his head being drawn slightly smaller, his "rear end" becoming slightly larger, and his hands and feet being slightly more delicate. Oliver's character design was based on the kitten from the Mickey Mouse short "Lend a Paw" (1941).

### Animation

When development began, Scribner initially ignored colloquialisms and references to the period at the time, which were done to avoid Oliver being topical and dated. Scribner reversed his decision when he thought that the "feeling that [Oliver] is really occurring" would decline if it was not true to the period, which included the art of New York City and several billboards, advertisements, and etcetera. Scribner borrowed a technique from Lady and the Tramp (1955) by blocking out the scenes on real streets, and then photographing them with cameras mounted 18 inches (46 cm) off the ground. In this way, the animators would use the photos as templates to provide a real dog's-eye view of the action. A lot of animators also shot references on videotape and printed them out with a Minolta printer.
As of April 20, 1988, Oliver & Company was already in the phase of animation, which is the final phase of production for the film. The traditional animation was handled by a younger generation of Disney animators, including supervising animators Glen Keane, Ruben A. Aquino, Mike Gabriel, Hendel Butoy, and Mark Henn, as the "Nine Old Men" had retired in the early 1980s. Throughout two and a half years of production, 300 artists and technicians were involved in the film, and a million of story sketches and 119,275 animation cels were produced. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was the database for the New York City skyline, which was recreated for the film. Backgrounds were made with "very simple washes without an acetate line on the top" to match the main setting and the characters. Backgrounds were also done using the xeroxgraphic process. The backgrounds of Jenny's apartment were originally tended to include gray Xerox lines to balance a distinction between the environment of Fagin's barge and the wharf, and Jenny's apartment, but never happened. The characters' movements were based on their actors' movements, which were sketched by artists from videotape recordings of the movements of the actors, including Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, and Joey Lawrence. The walking and running movements of the animals were timed from the animated works of cats and dogs in Lady and the Tramp and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), which included work from Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Frank Thomas, and Milt Kahl.
According to the animation team's experiences, Jenny was the most difficult character to animate. In an article of The New York Times in 1988, Katzenberg explained that "audiences are more critical of the realistic animation of humans than they are of the caricatured animation of humans and animals." Katzenberg also commented that they had to be prepared because most of the lead characters in The Little Mermaid (1989) are humans.
Eleven minutes of the film used "computer-assisted imagery", such as cityscapes, Sykes's limo, the Brooklyn Bridge, Fagin's trike, the interior of the tunnel, and the stairway scene during "Perfect Isn't Easy". Prior to its additions, the backgrounds would be lined over and painted. The computer animation would then be generated with small pieces and hooked together by a computer with "time-consuming effects". Afterwards, the characters would be traditionally animated. The first object to be tested with computer animation was Fagin's trike, which was being made up of 18 parts. According to Scribner on The New York Times in 1988, he has stated that it helped "generate the rhythm and action that goes with the [New York City setting]."

### Music

An attempt was made earlier on to involve the music with the film. Scribner wrote a "mental note" to not treat Oliver as a musical where the story would "abruptly stop" and "go into a song." Each song of the film was instead written as an extension of a character. The soundtrack of Oliver & Company had multiple producers, with each song written with a different composer and producer, and a different arrangement date. Various songwriters submitted songs in a range of musical styles, but many of them did not fit with the film's premise.
Dodger's song "Why Should I Worry?" was the first song written for the film. It was originally written as dialogue, but Scribner suggested the songwriters, "Forget where we're going to take this music, or the fact that it will be on an album. I don't care if it's released as a single or not. Write for the picture, write for character." Joel was initially approached to write a song, but he decided he would "rather act in the movie." Joel agreed to sing the song despite the song not written by himself. It was the first song sung by Joel that he did not write. A gospel and blues musical number was intended to open the film, but it was considered "too dark". At his suggestion of his friend David Geffen, Katzenberg brought in lyricist Howard Ashman, who composed the song "Once Upon a Time in New York City". Tina Turner was also intended to sing the opening number. "It's a Jungle Out There", written by Herbie Hancock, had Jenny playing with Oliver while playing a record with a "jungle rhythm", causing the setting to transition from Jenny's bedroom to an imagination taking place in a jungle. The song was meant to be used in the film, but it was discarded after the story was revised.
Katzenberg wanted to recruit a team of singer-songwriters to provide a song, which included Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, and Huey Lewis. Schneider felt Katzenberg's idea was a wrong way to approach a musical. According to Schneider, The Little Mermaid, which was concurrently in development, was the right approach as the film needed "a unifying score and lyrics." Billy Joel and Bette Midler, who voiced Dodger and Georgette respectively, also performed their characters' songs, "Why Should I Worry?" and "Perfect Isn't Easy". The soundtrack of Oliver & Company contains an instrumental score by J. A. C. Redford, under the supervision of Carole Childs. Redford was hired to compose the score because of his previous collaboration with Disney music executive Chris Montan on the television series St. Elsewhere. The soundtrack was first released on November 11, 1988 by Walt Disney Records. It was the first soundtrack album release under the Walt Disney Records label. No songs were released as singles due to contractual agreements. However, "Why Should I Worry?" did receive radio airplay in Philadelphia. The soundtrack was re-released on February 29, 1996.
The songs of the film received acclaim from film critics, particularly "Why Should I Worry?" and "Perfect Isn't Easy". Vincent Canby of The New York Times gave a positive review on the songs in his review, praising three songs, including "Why Should I Worry?" and "Perfect Isn't Easy". Beth Dunlop of The Miami Herald commented that "the music has a wonderful range from sweetness to syncopation." Bob Ross of The Tampa Tribune praised the soundtrack as "sappy". Dave Jewett of The Columbian commented that "Why Should I Worry?" "sounds like like it could be Joel's next hit." Lin Connery of Calgary Herald praised "Why Should I Worry?" and "Perfect Isn't Easy", the latter being stated that Midler "almost steals the show with her petulant performance." Joe Baltake of The Sacramento Bee stated that "the few songs [there] are delightfully urbane in a childlike way." Glenn Lovell of Knight-Ridder picked "Why Should I Worry?" and "Perfect Isn't Easy" as the most memorable songs in the film. Malcolm L. Johnson of Hartford Courant described "Once Upon a Time in New York City" and "Why Should I Worry?" as "boffo opening numbers" and "Perfect Isn't Easy" as a "show-stopper". Jeff Strickler of Star Tribune commented that "Why Should I Worry?" is the "snappiest song", with the other songs that stood out being "Streets of Gold" and "Perfect Isn't Easy". Ben Yagoda of Philadelphia Daily News stated that a few of them are "so catchy that [he was] still humming them a week after seeing the film." Linda Cook of Quad-City Times had an enthusiastic response about the music, praising the songs as "great, particularly 'Why Should I Worry?'." Cook also commented: "Other offerings from Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, and Ruth Pointer could a provide a best-selling soundtrack." Bruce R. Miller of The Sioux City Journal said that the "Top 40 score", along with the choreography, "both work beautifully". Miller described "Once Upon a Time in New York City" as "Oscar-worthy" and stated that "by the time Billy Joel checks in with 'Why Should I Worry?', the film is rocking." Jack Daugherty of Record-Journal positively reviewed the soundtrack as "one of the most contagious musical scores of any of Disney movie in recent memory." During the film's theatrical re-release in 1996, Barry Walter of The San Francisco Examiner praised "Perfect Isn't Easy", saying that it "suggests the wit and panache of gay sensibility that Disney would embrace with great success in The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast."

#### Track listing (1988 original release)
## Release

Oliver & Company premiered theatrically in North America on November 18, 1988―the same day on which Disney celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse short, Steamboat Willie (1928). It was also the first to be released as a part of a brand new schedule requested by Katzenberg, which called for a new animated Disney film to be released every single year, similar to Walt Disney's intentions for his animated features during the 1940s.

### Marketing

Oliver & Company was the first Disney animated film to include real world advertised products. More than 30 company logos and brand names were shown in the film, including Kodak, Dr. Scholls, Sony, Diet Coke, Tab, McDonald's, Yamaha, Ryder, and USA Today. Katzenberg urged the marketing campaign to focus on the classic Dickens novel and the pop score, and promotional tie-ins included Sears, which produced and manufactured products with themes inspired from the film, and McDonald's which sold Christmas musical ornaments based on Oliver and Dodger, and small finger puppets based on the characters in a Happy Meal. For its theatrical re-release in 1996, the film was accompanied with a promotional campaign by Burger King. Later, for its debut home video release, the film was also promoted with consumer rebate and refund offers up to $15 from Kodak, Con Agra Cuisine, and Walt Disney Home Video.

### Home media

Despite its successful box office performance, Oliver & Company was not released on home video, although it was one of the most requested Disney films. After its theatrical re-release, Oliver & Company was released on VHS and widescreen LaserDisc in the United States on September 24, 1996, for a limited time. The VHS release sold 10 million copies. The film was also released on home video in the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, France and other countries in 1997. It was later released on VHS and for the first time on DVD on May 14, 2002. A 20th Anniversary Edition DVD was released on February 3, 2009, and a 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released on August 6, 2013. Oliver & Company became available for streaming on Disney+ since it launched on November 12, 2019.

## Reception
### Box office

Oliver & Company and Don Bluth's The Land Before Time opened on the same weekend in the United States and Canada; the latter film debuted at number one grossing $7.5 million in 1,395 theaters while the former opened in fourth place, grossing $4 million in 952 theaters. Nevertheless, Oliver & Company out-grossed The Land Before Time with a total gross in the United States and Canada of $53 million compared to the latter's $46 million. In the United States, the film surpassed Bluth's An American Tail as the highest grossing animated film from its initial run. It was also the first animated film to gross $100 million worldwide in its initial release. Its success prompted then-Disney animation executive Peter Schneider, to announce the company's plans to release animated features annually.
On March 29, 1996, Disney re-released the film in direct competition with All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, grossing $4.5 million in its opening weekend. It went on to earn $21 million in total taking its lifetime domestic gross to $74 million and its worldwide total to over $121 million.

### Critical response

Despite its financial success at the box office, Oliver & Company received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 53% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. Its consensus states, "Predictable and stodgy, Oliver & Company isn't one of Disney's best, though its colorful cast of characters may be enough to entertain young viewers looking for a little adventure." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Some critics praised the film for its animation, characters, and songs. Animation historian Charles Solomon wrote a favorable review, stating the film "offers virtually ideal family holiday fare. The cartoon action will delight young children, while older ones, who usually reject animation as 'kid stuff,' will enjoy the rock songs and hip characters, especially the brash Tito." Writing for People magazine, Peter Travers opined in his review, "Too slight to rank with such Disney groundbreakers as Pinocchio and Fantasia, the film is more on the good-fun level of The Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians. But why kick? With its captivating characters, sprightly songs and zap-happy animation, Oliver & Company adds up to a tip-top frolic." Desson Howe of The Washington Post felt that the film "retrieves some of the old Disney charm with tail-wagging energy and five catchy songs." Likewise, fellow Washington Post film critic Rita Kempley praised the songs and animation, and called it a "happy adaptation of the Victorian classic."
Other critics found the animation "uninspired", the musical scores "insipid", and the storytelling "witless". On the television program Siskel & Ebert, Gene Siskel gave the film a thumbs down. Siskel stated, "When you measure this film to the company's legacy of classics, it doesn't match up" as he complained "the story is too fragmented…because Oliver’s story gets too sidetracked from the story in the film that gets convoluted, too calculated for the Bette Midler, Billy Joel crowd as well as little kids." Roger Ebert gave the film a "marginal thumbs up" as he described the film as "harmless, inoffensive." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote the film "looks cheesy and second-rate. The animation is somewhat better than the usual stuff seen on Saturday morning television, but not much. It is totally without distinctive visual style, suggesting only the sort of bland cartoon drawings one finds in a manual of first-aid instructions."
Retrospectively, it continued to receive mixed reviews. In 1991, film historian Bob Thomas wrote that some of the Disney animators he interviewed unfavorably viewed the film as "another talking dog-and-cat movie." The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi suggested that the film was derivative of Ralph Bakshi's works, and jokingly suggested its use as a form of punishment. During the film's re-release, Barry Walters, reviewing for The San Francisco Examiner, panned the film as "a rather shabby transitional work, one that lacks the sophistication of today's 'toons and doesn't hold up to the Disney classics of yesteryear." TV Guide gave the film two out of four stars, saying that although the film "is fairly entertaining and better looking than the average Saturday morning cartoon show, the computer-assisted animation is relatively stiff and inexpressive. The gangster story line has unpleasant elements that may upset younger kids -- but then, so does Dickens." Halliwell's Film Guide called Oliver & Company an "episodic film, short on charm, that only now and then provides glimpses of stylish animation." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film three out of five stars, saying that the film "has some scary moments, but kids will appreciate the way that Oliver takes care of himself and the way that the dogs take care of him, each other, and their human friend, the hapless Fagin."

### Accolades

| Award | Category | Result |
| Golden Globes | Best Original Song | Nominated |
| Young Artist Award | Best Family Feature Film – Animation | Nominated |
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing | Won |

## Legacy

Like other Disney animated characters, the characters of the film have recurring cameo appearances in the television series House of Mouse. In the episode "Pluto Saves the Day", Dodger (voiced by Jess Harnell instead of Billy Joel) leads a musical group known as Pet Shop Dogs, formed by other dogs of Disney animated films, also including Tito, Francis and DeSoto, performing the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Woof" (a parody of the song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from The Aristocats).
Along with other Walt Disney Animation Studios characters, the characters of the film have cameo appearances in the 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio.