'Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist' is a loose animated adaptation of the eponymous book written by Charles Dickens, produced by Saban International Paris. It first aired on February 1996 and ran for 52 episodes.
The cartoon starts with Oliver, an anthropomorphic dog who lives in a nasty workhouse. After asking Mr. Bumble, an elderly wolf who is the workhouse master for more food, he is punished into doing all the dishes. Having enough of his life at the workhouse, he escapes and is saved by the rabbit Artful Dodger, who takes him to Fagin's Brotherhood, led by the wise fox Fagin. Fagin allows Oliver to live with them if he proves himself, through three tasks. Oliver succeeds and is invited to stay with them. After this, the show settles into an episodic format, in which the main cast experiences all sort of adventures, while trying to avoid the workhouse master, who desperately wants to return Oliver to the workhouse.
This version of the tale turns every main character into a Funny Animal, despite everyone else being a normal human. It is also notable for drastically changing the personalities of all the named characters in the original book. Fagin, for example, is less of a scoundrel and more of a wise mentor in this version.
This series features examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: In this version, Oliver takes much more initiative, rather than just having things happen to him. In the first episode, he decides to escape from the workhouse on his own. The original did not do this.
- Adaptational Comic Relief: Charley Bates is turned into this, with him bumbling around, while obsessing over food.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: As mentioned above, all of Fagin's negative traits are non-existent here. The same goes for Dodger, who is a pickpocket in the original. Here, he is just an orphaned kid who would never break the law.
- Adaptational Romance Downgrade: In the original novel, Nancy and Bill Sikes had a romantic relationship. In this series, they barely have any interaction and don't seem to know each other at all.
- Adaptational Villainy: The workhouse master goes to great lengths to catch Oliver to return him to the orphanage. In the original book, he was just a sour man doing his job.
- Anthropomorphic Animal Adaptation: One of two for the Dickens novel. See Oliver & Company for the other.
- Bears Are Bad News: Bill Sikes is portrayed as an anthropomorphic bear in this adaptation and one of the recurring villains.
- Big Bad: This role rotates between the workhouse master (who wants to return Oliver to the workhouse) and Bill Sykes (a nasty criminal who hates Oliver and his friends).
- But Not Too Evil: Bill Sikes is a murderer in the original book. This would obviously not be allowed in a children's cartoon, so they turned him into a small time criminal instead.
- Canon Foreigner: Princess Annushka, a member of Fagin's brotherhood, is a character that did not exist in the original work.
- Cats Are Mean: Played straight with the henchmen of the workhouse master. These are a duo of mean, but bumbling anthropomorphic cats, who try to catch Oliver. Averted with Nancy, who is more or less the Team Mom of Fagin's Brotherhood.
- Composite Character: The show seems to combine Mr Bumble and the workhouse master from the books into a single character.
- The Fagin: Fagin actually averts this trope. None of the members of his brotherhood are forced into crime. The only thing Fagin does that is against the law, is give potential members a series of tests, which involve stealing the hat of a royal guard, riding a train without a ticket and turning the Big Ben one hour forward.
- Fat Comic Relief: Charley Bates is portrayed as a chubby anthropomorphic pig, whose Cloud Cuckoo Lander tendencies act as a source of comedy.
- Funny Animal: As mentioned before, all of the main characters are turned into anthropomorphic animals. To list:
- Oliver: A dog
- Dodger: A rabbit
- Charley: A pig
- Fagin: A fox
- Nancy: A cat
- Mr. Bumble: A wolf
- Bill Sikes: A bear
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Most of the male animal characters don't wear pants. The female animals wear full dresses, but not shoes.
- Identity Amnesia: One episode features Bill Sikes losing his memory. He spends the entire episode thinking he is the best friend of the protagonists.
- Infinite Supplies: Despite being homeless in Victorian London, none of the people in Fagin's brotherhood seem to have any trouble getting enough food to get by. In one episode, Fagin himself is even seen inventing an automobile, with no indications where he got the resources or funds to do such a thing.
- Lighter and Softer: Among other things, Oliver's mother is alive, Oliver merely being separated from her and put into an orphanage by accident, and a major story arc for the series is Oliver trying to find his mother. Not to mention the Artful Dodger being a little less morally dubious, and the villainy of Fagin, Sykes, and others being toned down a little for a cartoon aimed at kids.
- Lions and Tigers and Humans... Oh, My!: The cartoon has both anthropomorphic animals and humans co-existing freely with each other.
- Kick the Dog: In the first episode, the workhouse master is seen eating a feast in front of starving kids, who weren't even allowed more gruel.
- Orphanage of Fear: The workhouse, as in the original book, is portrayed as this. Children are constantly overworked and fed a meager amount of gruel. No wonder Oliver decided to escape.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the original book, Oliver's mother is known to be dead. Here, she is mentioned to be alive, with Oliver desperately wanting to find her.
- Team Dad: Fagin fills this role for the main cast, offering shelter and wise council to the members of his brotherhood.
- Team Mom: Nancy fils this role, being the kind and caring female member of Fagin's brotherhood.
- Terrible Trio: The workhouse master and his two minions fit this trope, with the former being the domineering member and the latter two being the bumbling henchmen
- We Want Our Jerk Back!: Bill Sikes loses his memory in one episode and thinks Oliver and friends are his best buddies. This results in him incessantly stalking the protagonists, causing all sort of accidents while doing so. They decide that the old Sikes, despite being a criminal, is a less of a danger to them than the new accident prone one.
