I saw the trailer for Disney/Pixar’s Up, a movie with a crotchety old man as lead that’s slated for release this summer. It looks interesting, though so did Wall-E, which I found lacking. Also coming soon: Disney’s 70th anniversary Platinum DVD Edition for Pinocchio, which I have not seen. I’m planning on seeing its Hollywood big screen return with a friend who¹s an expert on the 1940 animated classic.
I watched those trailers on Disney’s new DVD for the 1988 animated musical, Oliver and Company, scheduled for re-release on DVD Feb. 3. This is not a memorable movie, and I don’t consider it a must for one’s Disney library. That said, as a younger Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook says in one of the archived publicity pieces included on the DVD, it paved the way for the following year’s box office smash, The Little Mermaid, and includes songs by Barry Manilow, Dean Pitchford, and Billy Joel. The picture’s an adaptation of the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, made as a live-action musical in the Oscar-winning 1968 Best Picture, Oliver! Here, a cat is the orphan, a dog is the Artful Dodger and Fagin is substantially kinder. Bill Sykes (Robert Loggia) is an Italian mobster type and he rides in the world’s only limousine to fit into subway stairwells. There’s also a scooter/shopping cart contraption that transports a pack of dogs and scales the Brooklyn Bridge.
Yes, Oliver and Company has problems. Opening shots of New York City are static—look for three prominent renderings of the Twin Towers (1973-2001)—the male leads leave something visually to be desired and emotional impact is muted at best. The music—Eighties pop rock melodies—is enjoyable and the DVD includes promotional spots with Roy Disney and Dick Cook (everything here is extremely brief) and a couple of cartoons, Puss Café and Lend a Paw, featuring Mickey Mouse’s dog, Pluto, which are better than the movie. Bring on Pinocchio.
