The Time

The Time is a 1988 American animated musical dark comedy-drama film produced by Warner Bros and Screen Gems and released on November 18, 1988, by Warner Bros.
== Plot ==
On Fifth Avenue, an orphaned kitten named Oliver is left abandoned after his fellow orphaned kittens are adopted by passersby. Wandering the streets by himself in search of someone to adopt him, Oliver meets a laid-back mongrel named Dodger who assists the kitten in stealing food from a hot dog vendor named Louie. Dodger then flees the scene without sharing his bounty with Oliver. Oliver follows Dodger all throughout the streets until he eventually arrives at the barge of his owner, a pickpocket named Fagin, along with his meal, to give to his friends: Tito the chihuahua, Einstein the Great Dane, Rita the Afghan Hound, and Francis the bulldog. Oliver sneaks inside, located below the docks, and is discovered by the dogs. After a moment of confusion, he is then received with a warm welcome. Fagin comes in and explains that he is running out of time to repay the money he borrowed from Sykes, a nefarious shipyard agent and loan shark. Sykes tells Fagin that the money must be paid in three days, under the threat of resolving to violence. Sykes's dobermans, Roscoe and DeSoto, attack Oliver, but the cat is defended by Fagin's dogs. Immediately thereafter, a depressed Fagin returns to the barge, lamenting that he only has three days to find the money he owes Sykes. After the dogs cheer him up, Fagin is introduced to Oliver, and, considering that they all need help, accepts him into the gang.
The next day, Fagin and his pets, now including Oliver, hit the streets to sell some shoddy goods and perhaps steal money. Oliver and Tito attempt to sabotage a limousine driven by Winston, a butler who is chaperoning Jenny Foxworth, a lonely rich girl whose parents are away on a trip. However, the plan backfires when Oliver accidentally slips on the ignition keys, starting the car and electrocuting Tito. Jenny then helps untangle Oliver from the wires and adopts him out of loneliness, much to the disgust of Georgette, the Foxworth family's pompous and pampered poodle. Dodger and the others manage to steal Oliver from the Foxworth family and bring him back to the barge, but he explains that he was treated kindly and did not want to leave, much to the shock of Dodger who feels that Oliver is being ungrateful, but allows him the opportunity to leave. However, Fagin arrives and concocts a plan to ransom Oliver, then sends Jenny a ransom note. Jenny discovers the note and sets out to get Oliver back, while Fagin informs Sykes of his plan.
Later, Jenny meets up with Fagin, who is shocked that the "very rich cat owner person" is only a little girl. Bothered by his conscience after seeing Jenny distraught over losing Oliver, Fagin gives Oliver back freely. Just then, Sykes comes out of the shadows and kidnaps Jenny, intending to ransom her and declaring Fagin's debt paid.
Dodger rallies Oliver and the other dogs to rescue Jenny from Sykes, but the animals are confronted by Sykes and his Dobermans after they free her. Fagin saves the group with his scooter and a chase ensues throughout the streets and into the subway tunnels. Jenny is pushed onto the hood of Sykes's car after he rams it against the scooter, where she holds onto the hood ornament, and Oliver and Dodger attempt a rescue. Roscoe and DeSoto fall off the car in the struggle and land on the subway's third rail, electrocuting them. Tito takes control of Fagin's scooter as Fagin manages to retrieve Jenny, and Tito drives the scooter up the side of the Brooklyn Bridge as Sykes' car drives straight into the path of an oncoming train, killing him and throwing him and his car into the East River. Dodger and Oliver manage to avoid the collision thanks to Sykes throwing them off him before the impact and are reunited with Jenny and the others. Later, Jenny celebrates her birthday with the animals, Fagin and Winston. That same day, Winston receives a phone call from Jenny's parents in Rome saying that they will be back Stateside in Manhattan tomorrow. Oliver opts to stay with Jenny, but he promises to remain in contact with Dodger and the gang.
== Cast and characters ==
* Joey Lawrence as Oliver: an orange orphaned kitten who is looking for a home. He joins Fagin's gang of dogs before being taken in by Jenny. He also saves her life from the black-hearted loan-shark, Sykes.
* Billy Joel as Dodger, a carefree, charismatic mongrel with a mix of terrier in him. He claims to have 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 bodyguard. He is the object of Rita's affection.
* Cheech Marin as Tito, a tiny yet passionate Chihuahua in Fagin's gang. He has a fiery temper for his size, 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 and a member of Fagin's gang. He is named ironically as he is not particularly bright, representing the stereotype that Great Danes are friendly but dim-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 (Ruth Pointer, singing) as Rita, an Afghan Hound[3] and the only female dog in Fagin's gang. She is street-wise and takes Oliver under her wing.
* Dom DeLuise as Fagin, a lowly thief who lives on a barge with his dogs. He desperately needs money to repay his debt with Sykes. Because of his economic situation, he is forced to perform criminal acts such as pick-pocketing and petty theft, but in truth he is well-meaning and genial most of the time.
* Taurean Blacque and Carl Weintraub as Roscoe and DeSoto respectively: Sykes's vicious Doberman Pinschers who have a hostile history with Dodger and his friends. Roscoe is the apparent leader, while his brother DeSoto seems to be the more savage of the two. Both of them are killed in the climax after falling onto the electric rail tracks while fighting with Dodger and Oliver. Roscoe wears a red collar and DeSoto wears one that is blue.
* Robert Loggia as Bill Sykes, a cold-hearted, immoral loan-shark and shipyard agent who lent a considerable sum of money to Fagin and expects it paid back. He is ultimately defeated at the film's climax when he indirectly drives his car into a train, killing him in the process.
* Natalie Gregory (Myhanh Tran, singing) as Jennifer "Jenny" Foxworth, a kind-hearted, rich girl who adopts Oliver.
* William Glover as Winston, the Foxworth family's bumbling but loyal 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. When Tito displays his attraction to her, she initially responds with revulsion. At the end, however, she displays considerable attraction to Tito, so much, in fact that she sends him running for his life when she tries to bathe, dress and groom him.
* Frank Welker as Old Louie, 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 ==
== Music ==
== Release ==
== Reception ==
== Home Media ==
== See also ==
=== Movies ===
* The Time 2 (1990)
* The Time 3 (1994)
* The Time 4 (2003)
* The Time 5 (2012)
* The Time 6 (2018)
Category:Musical films
Category:Comedy films
Category:Drama films
Category:Musical comedy films
Category:Musical drama films