In this contemporary talking-animal fable, a loose interpretation of Oliver Twist, Disney tries to appear street-smart, hip and relevant. So powerful is that urge, to seem youthful and cool, that the first major sing-along, performed by a dog in sunglasses (and voiced by Billy Joel), literally spells it out for us. Check it out, kids, we're still with-it. We know what's rad. Joel had a hit or two left in him at the time, though it's fair to say he was far from pop freshness, and Disney was stuck in the midst of a creative dry spell, so the whole attempt feels hollow, insecure and corporate. A real try-hard.

The limp storyline doesn't provide much help, wasting an eccentric Dom DeLuise performance on a simple homeless character who errantly floats in and out of the plot as needed, but the animation department deserves credit for their continued pursuit of the next big thing. In this case, that means computer-aided animation; a bold and impressive use of new tools which give both the pristine city skyline and its sharp, menacing automotive occupants an unusual sense of depth and perspective. It still looks and feels like a Disney movie, despite the (then) cutting-edge techniques, which is also commendable. Shame the rest of the act wasn't up to par. Simple and by-the-numbers, it's bright and pretty but not even remotely special.