Movie Info
Movie Name: The Rescuers
Studio: Walt Disney Productions
Genre(s): Animated/Family
Release Date(s): June 22, 1977
MPAA Rating: G
Seriously lady, just get in the freakin’ leaf
A girl named Penny (voiced by Michelle Stacy) has been enslaved by Madame Medusa (voiced by Geraldine Page) and sent into the dangerous seaside caves of the swamp to search for a lost pirate’s gem called the Devil’s Eye. When Penny is able to get off a letter for help in a bottle, the Rescue Aid Society springs into action and sends one of their high members Ms. Bianca (voiced by Eva Gabor) and their janitor mouse Bernard (voiced by Bob Newhart) on a rescue mission. With the help of an albatross named Orville (voiced by Jim Jordan) and the local swamp dwellers, Ms. Bianca and Bernard must pull off an impossible rescue.
I like some of the titles art in addition to this art
The Rescuers is Walt Disney’s film twenty-third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classic series. It was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, and Art Stevens and followed The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which was also released in 1977. It was based on the Margery Sharp series of novels, the first of which was released in 1959 and titled The Rescuers, but other than some of the basic characters, it was a completely different. The Rescuers was also first Disney animated films to get an official sequel with The Rescuers Down Under in 1990.
I like The Rescuers more than some of the other Disney movies at the same time period. It is a rather short film, and when I saw it, it was released with Mickey’s Christmas Carol. I don’t love the animation at this period of Disney’s history but this movie seems to have a bit more heart. The fun locations of New York City, The Rescue Aid Society, and the swamp all provide a lush background for the animators.
Boo!!!
I always found the story pretty creepy. Penny is repeatedly shoved down a gradually flooding hole because she is small with her teddy bear held for ransom. She’s menaced by alligators and the creepy Madame Medusa who I remember questioning if she was even human when I was younger with her off colored purplish skin and crazed look. It was really quite intense.
Eva Gabor and Bob Newhart give a great performance as Bianca and Bernard. For an average movie, they have a real life feel and Bob Newhart’s comedic sense of timing works well with the lovable character. Ms. Bianca (who was really the star of the book) also feels like Gabor’s Green Acres character that despite a high affluent background isn’t afraid to get dirty when it is needed.
The Rescuers is a fun Disney film. It is one of the better ones in a series of Disney movies that were kind of weak. It isn’t much of a musical like the other Disney films, but it does have a couple catchy tunes throughout the movie. Disney followed The Rescuers with The Fox and the Hound in 1981.
Related Links:
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
