Oliver & Company is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. In the film, Oliver is a homeless kitten who joins a gang of dogs to survive in the streets. Among other changes, the setting of the film was relocated from 19th century London to 1980s New York City, Fagin's gang is made up of dogs (one of which is Dodger), and Sykes is a loan shark.

Following the release of The Black Cauldron (1985), Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg held a pitch meeting with the animation staff, in which story artist Pete Young pitched the idea to adapt Oliver Twist with dogs. The pitch was quickly approved, and the film quickly went into production under the working title Oliver and the Dodger. Released on the same day as The Land Before Time (1988), Oliver & Company was a box office success, but it received mixed reviews from film critics. The film was re-released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on March 29, 1996. It was then released on home video later that same year, and again in 2002 and 2009 on DVD. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc in 2013, commemorating its 25th anniversary. The film has garnered a cult following[2] and has become a Disney fan-favorite over the years.

Directed by

George Scribner

Screenplay by

Jim Cox

Timothy J. Disney

James Mangold

Story by

Vance Gerry

Mike Gabriel

Joe Ranft

Jim Mitchell

Chris Bailey

Kirk Wise

Dave Michener

Roger Allers

Gary Trousdale

Kevin Lima

Michael Cedeno

Pete Young

Leon Joosen

Based on

Oliver Twist

by Charles Dickens

Starring

Joey Lawrence

Billy Joel

Natalie Gregory

Cheech Marin

Bette Midler

Robert Loggia

Richard Mulligan

Roscoe Lee Browne

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Music by

J. A. C. Redford

Production

companies

Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Silver Screen Partners III

Distributed by

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Release date

November 18, 1988