Oliver and Company is one of those cartoon movies that kind of got buried as far as its popularity went. It was based on the classic tale of Oliver Twist but for some reason the animated movie didn’t pick up as easily, though it did enjoy a fair amount of popularity for a while. Even now there’s no doubt that a good number of people would remember it from their childhood. The story follows Oliver, an abandoned kitten that is lost in the big city and eventually comes across a streetwise mongrel named Dodger, who initially tells him just how to survive, but seems fit to leave him where he’s at. After finding where Dodger and his pals reside however Oliver is eventually welcomed into the fold. From that point on however his life still becomes a rather uneasy series of events as he is befriended by a young human girl and taken to her home to live, where he finds that he likes it as she takes care of him and is quite kind. But his street life is still waiting for him, and when his human friend Fagin attempts to ransom Oliver he finds that he can’t do it. All in all this film is a touching look at what it takes to make a family and what kind of ties connect various people to one another in ways that are hard to break.
So now you might be wondering just what the cast of this movie has been up to after all this time. Well, here we go.
Natalie Gregory – Jenny Foxworth
She played the little girl that fell in love with Oliver and took him home, but it would appear that she didn’t do a whole lot after this. Natalie had a rather stable career before this part, but afterwords she completed only a few roles before bowing out in 1990. There’s not a lot on her really after this. Perhaps this means that
Sheryl Lee Ralph – Rita
Sheryl didn’t do the singing for Rita but she did the rest of the part. She was the sassy Afghan hound that was a part of the group and was a fun addition. Sheryl has had a rather full career since then however. Oliver and Company was among the first of her movie roles as she would eventually go on to act in movies and TV, appearing in productions such as Sister Act 2 and V: The Series. To date she’s still acting and is still relevant in the industry.
Robert Loggia – Sykes
Robert Loggia was a legend in the film and TV industries and is sorely missed at this point since he passed away in 2015. You might say that Oliver and Company was a footnote in a spectacular career that saw him do everything from a guest role in Malcolm in the Middle to films like Independence Day, the Pink Panther movies, and of course, Scarface as Frank Lopez. Guys like this were legends that are still remembered as some of the greatest.
Roscoe Lee Brown – Francis
Brown is another actor that had a long run before Oliver and Company came along and was very proficient in both voice and live action roles. He acted all the way up until the year he passed away from stomach cancer in 2007.
Dom Deluise – Fagin
Many upon many people remember Dom Deluise since he was one of the funniest guys in Hollywood at one time. His energy and charisma were so great that he was one of the most memorable people to ever come through the industry. His career stretches a ways before and after Oliver and Company as he was involved in a great many films that allowed him to stretch his comedic muscles to their greatest extent. As Fagin he was kind of a sleaze at times but showed that he could be good guy when all was said and done. Dom passed away in 2009 after suffering from a small variety of conditions.
Joey Lawrence – Oliver
Joy Lawrence supposedly had a great career that started when he was younger and just kept getting better into his teen years. Unfortunately it seems to have dropped off in the recent past, but he’s still been around here and there, doing his best to stay in the spotlight. As Oliver though he definitely gained a lot of fans since the small kitten was a role that helped to make him something a little more desirable for his talents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6TCgTTl0Qg
Cheech Marin – Tito
Cheech has been kind of typecast throughout his career it seems but he’s rolled with it for a long time so it seems to work. One thing that people might not know about him is that he can speak some Spanish but he’s not fluent. He has the accent down and can perform it so well that people just tend to assume that he can speak both English and Spanish with equal ease. But since this movie Cheech has gone on to do a lot of things, both in TV and film. Remember Tin Cup? Dusk Till Dawn? Desperado? How about the laundry list of TV shows like Nash Bridges and Anger Management just to name a few?
Bette Midler – Georgette
You shouldn’t even have to ask if Bette Midler has been seen or heard from since this movie. That almost seems like a question that might elicit a dumb look on someone’s face as they try to sort out if you’re kidding or not (haha joke). But yes, she has been quite busy. In fact that same year that Olive and Company came out she starred in the well-renowned Beaches and Big Business, with Barbara Hershey and Lily Tomlin respectively. So yes, Bette Milder has been a busy woman.
Billy Joel – Artful Dodger
As Oliver’s mentor and one of the main characters in the story he was perhaps one of the more entertaining figures. But since this movie Billy Joel has been busy maintaining his legendary status as an artist. He hasn’t really dedicated a lot of time to acting as he’s a musician first and foremost, but the contributions he’s made in the past have been more than adequate.
Watch this movie again, it’s worth it.
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