Voice work
Really liked Billy Joel as the voice of Dodger. Thought he really captured the character.
On the other hand, the usually reliable Dom Deluise was TERRIBLE in this. Completely miscast as Fagin.
Bobcat Gothwight was originally going to be Fagin but went on to do other things, he could have been perfect for Fagin.
"A double decker bolongne sandwich!"-Troll 2
I actually didn't mind Dom Deluise as Fagin. I haven't heard anything about Gothwight auditioning to be Fagin, though. IMDB says that Steve Martin and Burt Reynolds were considered for the role of Dodger, Marlon Brando turned down the role of Sykes, and that Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of Francis.
I also wanna mention that of all the Disney animated movies, Oliver & Company had probably one of, if not the most interesting casts ever. I mean, who would have thought that one day, the likes of Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Dom Deluise, Cheech of Cheech and Chong, Harry Weston from Empty Nest, Joey Russo from Blossom, Frank Lopez from Scarface, and Alice from the 1985 Alice in Wonderland TV miniseries, would be in a movie together? On November 18, 1988, that became a reality.
All 13 primary voice actors did a great job, and fit their characters and personalities perfectly, IMO.
I just see Fagin as quiet, understated, maybe a little on the dumb side. Dom Deluise is such a loud and boisterous voice that it doesn't seem to fit. I could imagine someone like Thomas Hayden Church doing that voice. Possibly Bob Newhart. But definitely someone with a much more low-key demeanor.
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What about that Bobcat actor? would he have been better for Fagin?
"A double decker bolongne sandwich!"-Troll 2
Bobcat is a little louder than I picture Fagin, but he does give the ... uh ... slightly mentally challenged element that I was thinking. Not sure he'd be my personal first choice, but an improvement over Dom Deluise to be sure.
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Wow, Patrick Stewart as Francis would have been pretty amazing, as would Brando, Martin, or Reynolds. *tries to imagine this* Well, hiring Burt would've had a LOT of people confusing Oliver with All Dogs Go to Heaven.
Although frankly, I think the cast as it is is just about perfect, and I don't know that I'd change the recipe at all. Dom DeLuise and everyone else just totally nailed their parts and became the characters. I love it, from the big names (especially Billy Joel and Bette Midler) down to the smaller ones who did fantastic acting and singing (such as Sheryl Lee Ralph and Ruth Pointer, who shared the role of Rita.)