One of my favorite childhood films is Oliver & Company: an extremely underrated Disney movie, that made its debut in 1988. The movie used some early computer image technology for scenes, as well as featured pop stars such as Billy Joel and Bette Midler. I watched this movie several times throughout my childhood, however, I was not aware of the connection it has the Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist”.
The Disney film and Dickens’ novel are both melodramas. In the Disney movie Oliver is still an orphan, but instead of a human boy, he was replaced with an orange cat. Both Olivers have a similar dream: to have a family and individuals who care for them. Oliver is oblivious in both cases that the crew are pickpockets. In the Dickens novel, Oliver, when taken out on a job, is arrested under the accusation of stealing and wrongfully put in jail in London, opposed to the Disney’s Manhattan setting.
What I loved most about this new found information, was the background for my favorite character from the Disney film, Dodger. Throughout the Dickens and Disney's adaptations, Dodger uses Oliver for his own gain, while promptly familiarizing him with the life of crime. Dodger is also the initial member of the group viewers meet in both pieces. Dodger in the Disney movie is a skilled singing dog who is a sort of ringleader among the collection of talking mutts that replace the hard street rascals. The Disney crew provides comic relief opposed to being the true illustrations of people trained to steal for a master that Dickens intended.
Oliver & Company did not embrace the criminal corruption included in Dickens writing. They change Fagin’s character to being terrified, shaking in the presence of Sykes; who in the book was Fagin’s companion, not a loan shark. Sykes is the only person in the movie who received a comeuppance. This differs from the general punishment imposed within “Oliver Twist”. The Disney rendition did stay true to Fagin’s desperation but does not tell the viewer why the money is needed. They also change Oliver from being kidnapped to the young girl Jenny whose family adopts Oliver in this version. They also changed the character Noah into the female dog character Georgette. Oliver & Company is once again an example of how Disney likes to leave their own mark on classic literature.
