Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released two new DVDs for your family viewing pleasure. Released on February 3rd, we get a classic and a new, straight-to-DVD film.
Oliver and Company (20th Anniversary Edition)
A very traditional Disney flick from the late eighties, Oliver portrays the dangers of The city, New York City – instant homelessness, haves versus have-nots, and amoral power brokers – for the under-10 audience. Which is to say, unlikely plot and resolution, but a very sweet story nonetheless. The adult draw, if you please, is the fantastic voice-acting roster: Better Midler and Billy Joel are responsible for most of the singing, while a 12-year-old Joey Lawrence voices the title character. Other talents such as Dom DeLuise, Cheech Marin, Robert Loggia, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Richard Mulligan fill out the cast with faces-we-know.
Twenty years later, this movie still captivates it’s target audience. This special release also packs a few fun extras: two classic Mickey Mouse (well, Pluto) cartoons, an age-appropriate game as well as sing-a-longs and a “making-of” track. Digitally remastered and resized to take advantage of high-definition and widescreen TV’s, Oliver was an instant favorite with our four-year-old resident dog-lover.
Another installment in this long-running franchise, Space Buddies takes the puppies on their latest adventure to the moon and (is this a spoiler?) back. Far from surprising, America’s favorite breed finds ways of being man’s best friend that go far above and beyond while hitting all sorts of social stereotypes in an effort to appeal to the widest possible audience. Maybe it’s the sweet little fuzz balls, but this film gets yet another honored spot in expert-in-residence’s repertoire of TV watching.
There are a fascinating number of recognizable faces and voices littering this little adventure. Young Ned from Pushing Daisies, otherwise known as Field Cate, voices Buddha, while Amy Sedaris voices a ferret named, unironically, Gravity. Other recognizables include Diedrich Bader from The Drew Carey Show, Kevin Weisman from Alias and Chris Gauthier from Eureka. The sparse extras include a blooper reel and commentary from all five of the buddies.