Tonight with the Family: Created 36 years ago, this forgotten Disney features one of the studio’s most beloved characters

From 6 years

In the heart of New York, in an old rain-stained cardboard box, a litter of kittens awaits adoption. Although all his siblings find owners, only Oliver remains homeless, left on his own in this giant American metropolis.

While he desperately tries to steal sausages from a hot dog vendor for food, the little cat meets Dodger, a clever street dog, and his gang of strays who commit petty theft on the account of Fagin, a debt-ridden beggar.

• Tonight with the Family: Released 38 years ago, this Disney classic was probably a staple of your childhood if you grew up in the 80s

Used Disney

Let’s be honest: Oliver and Company, Disney Studios’ 27th animated classic, is not one of the company’s essential works. Released at the end of a difficult decade for the Enchanted Kingdom—a time plagued by internal strife and lacking in inspiration—it suffers in particular from a slightly sloppy and not-so-thrilling plot.

Inspired by the works of Charles Dickens, from which he borrows the name of his protagonist, this feature film is still interesting to discover for several reasons.

Favorite hero

Indeed, if you’re a fan of the Disney studios, you’ll always find it enriching to explore their entire filmography, including their less prosperous periods, to understand their evolution and the connections that unite their works.

Featuring animation that is somewhat unique in the company’s history, Oliver and Company, for example, is one of the first Disney classics to rely on computer graphics to animate some of its scenes, most notably the final race chase. (Like the clock scene in Basil, Private Detective).

Scored with uneven quality songs, the film remains enjoyable entertainment, and especially thanks to its two main characters: the charming Rubard (voiced by Patrick Poive in VF) and the especially lovable Oliver, who is sure to please all cats. lovers.

What will you like…

• second song of the movie But why bother?Sung by Dodger and performed by Billy Joel in the original version of the film.

• A small gang of dogs accompanies Dodger, and in particular Tito, a ham-fisted Chihuahua.

What could be bothering them…

• The mostly evil Sykes, a terrible man with no mercy, is willing to go to great lengths to make Fagin pay.

(Re)discover all the hidden details in ‘Oliver and Company’…