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Review: Oliver and Company Special Edition

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Review: Oliver and Company Special Edition

Old 05-15-02, 11:42 AM
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Review: Oliver and Company Special Edition

What up guys...here's my review for one of Disney's most underrated features, "Oliver and Company"

Film: This film gives the term VAPORWARE a whole new meaning, both on DVD as it was delayed numberous times and on video, upon which it dissapeared without a trace from its release in 1988 to 1996, when it was re-released to no fanfare whatsoever in the cinemas (Vaporware for those who dont know is a type of film, game, book, etc that is delayed time and time again to the point that its existence is relegated to a vapor like myth).

When initially released, this film was virtually ignored by critics and audiences alike. People who actually saw it gave it a cult following, as the music and interesting characters were a real departure from "the dark ages" of Disney animation (notably the Black Cauldron, Great Mouse Detective, Rescuer years, etc)...In fact, this can be argued by many to be the first of the new wave of films, along with "The Little Mermaid." One will also find that this film resonates well today, as its main locale is New York City, and they definately play up this fact. The film is merely 72 minutes long, but hey thats not a bad thing in this case, this is an Oliver with a twist- its merely "based" on Oliver Twist, it isnt a ripoff- there's no love interest for Oliver and there's no Mrs. Haversham. That said its very entertaining and a favorite of my childhood. On an interesting note, this film only has some 600 odd votes on the Internet Movie Database, so Id have to say it is perhaps THE most ignored Disney animation features ever, and the legacy of Little Mermaid and the musical extravaganzas to come would keep it in the dark.

Video Quality: An excellent anamorphic widescreen transfer. Looks great.

Audio Quality: A very capable 5.1 Surround Track accompanies the film.

Extras: There are a whole bunch. This is a full blown special edition with a very good making of doc (if not on the short side), animated featurette on the history of Animals in Disney Films, sing alongs for kids (although if obscure Disney songs gets picked for your Karaoke night- try "Once upon a time in New York City," which isnt among the sing-along songs, and see if anyone can place it! I bet they can't...)

Last edited by indiansbsa; 05-15-02 at 12:10 PM.
Old 05-20-02, 11:17 PM
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You say that it has "An excellent anamorphic widescreen transfer."

How does it rate against the Little Mermaid or Mulan? I found those transfers to be dark, cruddy and basically unwatchable. Based on those two, I'm not buying any Disney movie made before the DVD age, because Tarzan, Atlantis, Dinosaur and Emperors New Groove look GREAT.

CFG!

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