Oliver & Company

I suppose it was only a matter of time before this classic Charles Dickens story got the Disney treatment - but given that it's completely devoid of any darkness or eeriness, this rather too cheerful and vibrant pet-fest doesn't really work for me. The eponymous kitten is adopted by a gang of dogs that, much like "Fagin's Boys" in the book, engage in a bit of petty crime for their boss "Fagin" who, himself, lives in terror of the malevolent "Sykes". When the latter cottons on that "Oliver" has been adopted into a wealthy home, he insists that "Fagin" enact a trap to lure "Jenny" from her luxury mansion so he can ransom her back to her dad. It falls to "Oliver" and his canine companions to thwart this dastardly plan. You can't really fault the quality of the animation and an array of musicians including Barry Manilow and Dan Hartman are behind the songs that won't exactly stick in your mind afterwards, but that do help to keep this amiable production rolling along. Sadly, though, it's all just way too predictably light and fluffy and takes just a little too much of a factory approach to one of the more substantial stories of English literature. Younger kids may like it though - it's pretty joyous and extols the virtues of loyalty, team playing and friendship and it's not without the odd laugh to two.