ElMaruecan82
Finally, I watched "The Rescuers", the oldest Disney animated feature I hadn't seen yet... till today. So this is a fresh review devoid of emotional bias, yet to say that I didn't have any experience with the film wouldn't be totally true. Large excerpts were featured in a Disney TV Special dedicated to villains, and it was before the Renaissance, so the last animated villain was Madame Medusa. The clips gave many parts away, the little girl named Penny (and her dear Teddy bear), Brutus and Nero were there and the sequence was the one when they found the Devil's Eye into the skull before the tides rose. I had the program recorded on VHS so I watched many times, and since it must have covered 10% of the story, I had the feeling I had watched quite a bit of the film.Then came Disney Renaissance and you could find movies like "Aladdin", "Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King", as for the post-Golden Age films, you could have "The Jungle Book", "Robin Hood" but for some reasons, "The Rescuers" wasn't easy to spot. I watched though the sequel set in Australia and I had the strange feeling I had seen the first film as I was already familiar with the main protagonists. That's just to say, as it's time to conclude this prologue, that my story with the film consists on missed opportunities. And now, that I remember it, I bought the film from my local DVD store three years ago, and it had the sequel on it. Now, discovering such an old gem, so late in my life, gave me a strange feeling, similar to the times where I was discovering the Disney classics. That alone added to the enjoyment, and it was enjoyable, much more, in a very simple and charming way. It starts in an abandoned steamboat in the Bayou, the darkness making it even creepier. Then a little girl, watched by two malicious crocodiles, drops a bottle with a message on the river. It is, I guess, the first ever prologue featured in a Disney film, it's not much long, but it does two things: it sets the tone of a modern story (no book to be opened) and starts the emotional opening credits. The Oscar-nominated theme song "Someone's Waiting for You" is played while we follow the little bottle in still images during its journey over the ocean. A rather economical opening credit sequence, but effective... and that perfectly describes "The Rescuers".The prologue says more: the little girl is already held captive, so the story had already started and we're getting through it halfway, no need for exposition or long build-ups, it'll come later through the investigation. When the credits stop, there's another little marvel of animation when we get to the United Nations building, quite an unusual sight when you think of the last Disney film featuring a lion sucking his thumb and an outlaw fox. The human animation seems like made through rotoscoping but it creates the perfect contrast with the following eye-catching oddity: mice from all over the world getting off their owners' luggage to meet in their own organization: Rescue Aid. They're from Austria, Turkey, Pakistan, India, and there's also a fat mouse from Arabia with the sunglasses, that really cracked me up.Mice are interesting characters for animation I guess, it can be a coincidence that many more mice-centered movies would be made in the 80's ("The Secret of NIMH" or "An American Tail") their size allow them to populate one frame with extremely diverse characters in the same time and give you a bigger picture than with bigger characters. Think of the beautiful entrance of Hungarian representative Bianca and the way each mouse is literally hypnotized by her, starting with the jittery janitor, Bernard (Bob Newhart). Think also of the scene where they visit the Orphanage or Medusa's pawn shop, again their small size is the foil for great artistic setting and it's delightful to have small creatures evolving in an urban world, where you could even bump into a NRA badge. Disney had small creatures before, but either they evolved in an anthropomorphic world or were in a rural ancient setting à la Cinderella. Modernity, this time, enhances the appeal of the film, you have Orville; a clumsy albatross who plays like an airplane, and Barnard is as uneasy as in a real one, and I can't blame him. You also have Evinrude, a dragonfly who buzzes and moves a leaf on the water like a speedboat. Every element is cleverly used by the animation while we also evolve in a naturally sized world, at least on the scale of little Penny, one of the most endearing characters of the film. And I guess it's time to speak about the great characterization. Bianca, voiced by Eva Gabor, is so daring, sweet and optimistic, she forms a great pair with the timid Bernard, who's never as funny as when he tries to 'play it cool' although it's not his strong suit. And the little touch of romantic mystery between the two characters also adds to the enchantment. Medusa belongs to the funnier side of Disney villains, but she's effective and the animation helps. Her body language is even more effective than her lines. This doesn't come as a surprise, the film was one of the last the Nine Old Men contributed to before passing the torch to the new generation, including Don Bluth. I don't know if it rather closes the post-Golden Age or foresees the improvement that would lead to the Renaissance, but there's a transitional vibe from the film that leans toward the positive feeling. The animation improves and culminates with the climax, the characters are endearing, and the music features some catchy songs, as I still have this "Rescue" anthem in my head as if I truly had discovered the film, as a kid.
AaronCapenBanner
One of Walt Disney's finest animated films, this concerns two mice named Bernard & Bianca, who belong to the Rescue Aid Society, that operates out of the basement of the United Nations building in New York. There is a little girl named Penny being held captive by an evil woman named Madame Medusa and her henchman Mr. Snoops, who need her to lead them to a priceless jewel in the Devil's Bayou swamp, where she is being held on a riverboat. The mice fly atop Orville the Albatross to rescue her, and defeat the villains. Surprisingly touching and thrilling film done with care and imagination, with wonderful songs. To be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.
