The Rescuers
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Movie Reviews of The Rescuers
Movie Review: Rescue Aid Society Mice Save Orphan!
Summary: 5 Stars
When a little orphan girl falls into the hands of Madame Medusa and sends a message in a bottle, the Rescue Aid Society answers in the form of Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor). What can two mice possible do to help the little girl? It turns out they can do a lot.
The movie starts on a reasonably funny note, as the rodent duo hop aboard an albatross to head for the swamps. Albatrosses are incredibly aerodynamic, but they are less then stellar at takeoffs and landings, and Orville the Albatross (Jim Jordan) proves no more adept than his brethren. After a plummet off a building that thrills Miss Bianca and petrifies Bernard, the journey has begun.
In the swamps the duo marshals the other animals to take on Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page), who needs the little orphan Penny (Michelle Stacy) to fit into a hole that leads to a cave. In the cave is located a quantity of jewels, but Madame Medusa is interested only in a huge diamond called the Devil's Eye. The Rescue Society mice and their swampland friends must overcome Madame Medusa and her aids Mr. Snoops (Joe Flynn) and a pair of alligators, who also frequently play babysitter to Penny.
Madame Medusa never realizes that the mice and swamp animals are trying to rescue Penny, which makes this movie more interesting to watch. As happens with many such movies, Madame Medusa's henchmen are cerebrally challenged and the animals are able to plan around them.
The ending of the movie contains a few surprises, and I found the end interesting. This movie also nicely sets up the excellent sequel "The Rescuers Down Under."
The real star of this clever movie is Eva Gabor. Bob Newhart gets top billing, but Eva was perfect for her role and seems to get the best lines in the movie. She is clever, funny and fearless as compared to Bernard's timid character. Only when Miss Bianca is in trouble does Bernard seem to rise to some measure of courage. There were a variety of other notable characters. Evinrude (James MacDonald) the dragonfly was cute and funny. George Lindsey was classic as Deadeye the Rabbit. Other supporting characters gave this movie depth and interest.
The art of this movie is also unusual in that the artist drew some of the characters in a rough style. I am unsure of the reason, but I found the art style to initially be distracting. I eventually became accustomed to the style and no longer noticed it as the movie went on. The music was also notable. A song from this movie was nominated for an Academy Award.
This movie is clever and funny. In places the movie is tense and suspenseful. There are a few places where the alligators are a little bit scary, but I believe this movie should be suitable for all family members in line with the movie's G rating. I would recommend this movie for any collection of family-oriented movies and for those who collect animated movies. Most families will want to see this movie more than once.
Movie Review: Margery Sharp would be pleased!
Summary: 5 Stars
The classic adventures of "The Rescuers" (The classic ones, not the sequel) have become the most forgotten among Disney films, a real shame because this film is absolutely delightful and no little Disney fan should be left to grow up saying "I have never seen 'The Rescuers'." Disney did a wonderful job of bringing to life the marvelous works of Margery Sharp, combining its sweet innocence with its hilarious evil and darkness.
Disney changed the story quite a bit, but they did keep all of the elements that made Sharp's works so memorable. The story is about an innocent, sweet orphaned girl named Penny who is being held captive by the evil Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops, two fun, retouched Diamond Dutchess and Mandrake. Madame Medusa needs someone small to squeeze down a black hole that leads into a dark and humid cave by the shore where the Devil's Eye Diamond is hidden. Madame Medusa will stop at nothing to retrieve the precious jewel, even if it means endangering the welfare of the little girl.
Penny, after being held at an old riverboat away from (human) civilization, starts sending pleas for help through old bottles and this is how the film opens in the beautifully crafted sequence "Who will rescue me?" in which the destined bottle's pleas for being saved from the raging ocean waves are sung. This 'destined' bottle manages to bring the message to the Internation Rescue Aid Society in New York which is ran by mice. Mr. Chairman, after having all of the rodent delegates sing their catchy hymn "Rescue Aid Society," selects two mice, Bernard and Miss Bianca, to take on the dangerous journey. Meeting such fun and great characters like the lovable cat Rufus and the fun-filled Orville, the two mice travel to the dark Devil's Bayou where they will rescue the little girl with the help of charming swamp creatures and take revenge on the mean Madame Medusa, Mr. Snoops and the two gators, Brutus and Nero.
Disney captured Margery Sharp's world in a wonderful way, bringing to life the innocent melodrame, the bittersweet moments together with hearwarming scenes that call for a tear or two. "The Rescuers" is a classic Disney adventure and one of the most heartwarming ones ever. Would Disney still be alive today if it hadn't been for "The Rescuers?" Probably not, the studios were focusing too much on comedy and forgetting that the heartwarming stories always captured audiences better. Sadly, the Disney empire is making the same mistake today with their newly released "comedies" and forgetting about what once made them so great with films like "The Rescuers."
The film also includes three other beautiful songs, "Tomorrow is Another Day" and "Someone's Waiting for You." The latter one was even nominated for an Academy Award in 1978. The film is highly recommended although it has really come the time for it to be deeply cleaned with Disney's wonderful restoration processes.
Movie Review: The sweetest Disney movie!!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Rescuers is the first Disney film I watched in theaters, also the first film I watched in theaters with my children when it was re-released back in the 80's. For these and for other reasons, The Rescuers remains my fondest Disney memory, it is one of the most kid-friendly, charming masterpieces the studio has ever created and everyone in my family loves it.
You can't help falling in love with the sweet, soft tale of a little orphaned girl, being kidnapped by a pair of ruthless treasure seekers. Penny lives in the gloomy and dark Morningside Orphanage, with the company of the faithful cat Rufus (Who was probably my favorite character, his little rhyme about Faith being a blue bird was just soo sweet!) who keeps in Penny alive the hope that someday a pair of nice people will come and take her away into a happy life.
Unfortunately, before this happens, the wicked Madame Medusa and her henchman Mr. Snoops will take the girl away into a dangerous mission in a lost bayou, into a dark and scary cavern where she must search for the dreadful Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond. Of course, not all is lost for little Penny, her plea for help inside a bottle reaches the shores of New York City and eventually the Rescue Aid Society, an organization (run by mice!) which's purpose is to help those in need, soon, the Chairman of the RAS, announces the mission, sending Miss Bianca along with Mr. Bernard to take on the dangerous journey. The two mice travel through air, waters and land in order to reach Penny and bring her safely home, meeting cute characters along the way, Orville the albatross, Evinrude the dragonfly (A great little character!), Ellie Mae and Luke the muskrats among others.
Animation is a bit off in some places, mainly due to the fact that the prints released throughout the years were of poor quality, a good cleaning would really help. Still the animation is lively and realistic, the film features great fun moments like a personal favorite when Medusa's two pet crocodiles, Brutus and Nero are trying to capture the mice who've hidden themselves inside an organ. The songs, ah the songs! All are soo beautiful, I could never understand why a soundtrack to this was never released... "The Journey," "Rescue Aid Society," "Tomorrow is Another Day," "Someone's Waiting for You," "For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" but my favorite is "Faith is a Blue Bird" even if it really is only a little poem, I thought it was very sweet. (Highly recommended)
"Faith is a blue bird,
We see from afar,
It's for real,
And as sure as the first evening star.
You can't touch it,
Or buy it or wrap it up tight,
But it's there just the same,
Making things turn out right.
You can't touch it,
Or buy it or wrap it up tight,
But it's there just the same,
Making things turn out right."
Movie Review: One of the Disney films that deserve to be on top!
Summary: 5 Stars
Disney's The Rescuers offers the high quality in entertainment that has been absent from Disney releases for over a decade. Instead of being one of those '70s comedies, The Rescuers focused more on telling a heartwarming tale and believe me, it delivered one of the most charming Disney experiences ever. The story is about an orphaned girl named Penny who sends an urgent call for help through an old bottle. The bottle is picked up by the society of mice called the Rescue Aid Society. Miss Bianca, a soft-spoken Hungarian mouse volunteers for this task and choses the brave but shy Bernard for a partner. Soon, the companions take off in the wings of the fun albatross Orville who flies them off to the bayou where they find Penny. The two mice learn that Penny has been taken captive by two evil treasure hunters, Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops who keep the little girl under constant watch with their pet crocodiles, Brutus and Nero. In their journey, Bernard and Bianca meet some fun and loving characters, Rufus the wise and friendly cat, Evinrude, the strong-willed non-talking dragonfly (Who is one of the greatest non-talking Disney characters other than Dumbo.) and Ellie Mae, a sort of Don Bluthish beaver, a very friendly character who offers help to the mice calling in the swamp folk.
"The Rescuers" offers a grand and warming tale for both kids and adults to enjoy. The movie offers lots of humor, fun, warmth and the very best of 1970s songs. The musical numbers in the film are blended with the film rather than have the story stop in order for the characters to annoyingly perform one of their numbers like in say, "Aladdin." The five songs in the feature are trully wonderful, "The Journey," "Tomorrow is Another Day" and "Someone's Waiting for You" are very touching and soft. The first opens the film in a show of beautifully painted pieces of ocean view which softly displays the opening credits. The second one is more lively and the very best song in the film and the third one is more depressing, yet it creates the most heartwarming and beautiful scene. The other two "Rescue Aid Society" and "For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" are brillant additions also, since they set up the happier moments in the film, which has one of the sweetest endings.
The film is highly recommended and one of Disney's finest. So, why isn't it more popular? Well, it had the back luck to open at a time when Disney films were of lower quality and The Rescuers got pulled into the hole as well. "The Rescuers" was a true highlight in the period and it clearly outdoes out any '60s, '70's, early '80s or late '90s Disney animated releases. The Rescuers is a gem for the whole family and also the last true Disney classic.
Movie Review: An Overlooked Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most heartwarming films that I have ever had the pleasure to watch would have to be Disney's The Rescuers. The storyline is somewhat depressing, which is why some would prefer to not watch this film and watch something a little happier. I, for one, think that this aspect of the movie makes it original. It's not your ordinary fairy tale where the princess is locked away in a high tower and Prince Charming comes to rescue her and they live happily ever after.
Instead, this movie follows a young orphan through her trials living with the unfair desperado, Madame Medusa. Two mice from the Rescue Aid Society come to Penny's (the young orphan) rescue resulting in a very cute, heartwarming film. The depressing moments in the film make the happy moments all the more cheerful and warm, making the viewer feel apart of the world instead of just watching a scene laid before them.
The art has a rough, "sketchy" feel to it. While a lot of people would find this bothersome, and a sign of pure "laziness" from the artists, I kind of find it to add feeling to the film. The "sketchy" feeling matches the mood of the entire movie, and really makes this movie stand out.
I also loved the songs from the movie. "The Journey" was a great choice in song to open the movie, some would say that it was just thrown together because there is "no animation" involved. I feel, however, that this isn't a sign of laziness, I think this was the plan. It was beautiful, it added heart to the movie even before the characters were introduced. Truly visually impressive, and the song was just beautiful and started off the story properly.
Along with that the other songs fit seamlessly into the movie. Never was there a dull moment, the songs weren't too long, and weren't too short. They never seemed out of place, and they were always beautiful songs and easy on the ear. Truly wonderful music.
Wonderful story, intriguing plot, charming characters, beautiful music all combined together to make one masterpiece film. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to any Disney fan - actually, I take that back, not just Disney fans would like this movie, anyone looking for a warming movie should watch this through. A true, overlooked masterpiece.