Why Should I Worry? (Disney's Oliver & Company, 1988)

In this animated update of the classic "Oliver Twist" tale, Oliver is an orphaned kitten taken in by a gang of thieving dogs, led by cavalier canine Dodger and owned by down-and-out pickpocket Fagin. While pulling a job in the streets of New York City, Oliver winds up being adopted by a rich girl, Jenny, and landing on easy street. But through a series of events, a loan shark threatens the peaceful new arrangement. - Google

Story

     Oliver and Company takes a "modern" (for the 80's) spin on Dicken's classic, Oliver Twist.   There have been several movies and stories inspired by this classic, but this film really took a fresh spin on the story.   I think Disney was experimenting with classic books recreated in a new way (with animals).   This movie took the same approach as The Lion King where they followed very closely (but not too closely) to a classic story while keeping it original by putting new songs and characters in between the more serious parts.   I really enjoyed this retelling.   (The new character names were slightly hard to remember, however.   I kept calling Rita "Nancy."   XP )

Visuals

     The most visually impressive part of this film was Georgette's song, "Perfect Isn't Easy," which shows that the overall visual experience wasn't that great.   (I kid, I kid.   Sorry, Georgette.)   Really though, the animation and scenery wasn't all that impressive.   Lots of the sets felt empty, and the animation was sketchy.   I've found that after the release of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the animation in Disney films went through a slump until the release of The Little Mermaid.   Even before the slump, the animation quality was steadily decreasing.   The Sword in the Stone, which I have reviewed before, had very shoddy animation and it came before Winnie the Pooh.

Music

     My favorite (and the most famous!) song in this film is "Why Should I Worry?" sung by Dodger.   I really loved Dodger's character in this retelling, and this song showed how hard he tried not to stress out about his difficult lifestyle.   I also really enjoyed "Once Upon a Time in New York City" which plays at the very beginning of the film.   It was a great opener and a pretty song.

Final Rating

     Not the best animated film, but worth the watch.   I think it would be fun to read Oliver Twist before watching this movie and compare the two.   They're both very different, but good in their own ways.   (I hadn't read Oliver Twist before watching this film, but I was very familiar with the story line and characters.)

Bonus gif: