The Rescuers Discussion

[Wonderlicious]

Time for some more discussing animated films fun! The Rescuers is in my opinion, an underrated film and is rather fun. It has some cute felt moments and the dark, dingy setting is breathtaking. Not Disney's all-time best, but still entertaining.

[Just Myself]

Rescuers is ok. It is one of the best films from Disney's 70's era, but that was a pretty weak decade. Anywho this thread would make Tang happy.

EDIT: 900th post, baby!

[MickeyMousePal]

The Rescuers was an ok-animated film I really hate that Rescue Society song it drives me crazy!!!
But I agree with a true friend of mine it should get a better treatment soon.

[Chris]

The Rescuers is one of the highlights of the 70s for Disney. It's a very well done picture and one of my favorites. It's not one that I care to watch all that often though because of it's sad flavor. It's such a dark and rainy movie. The music is very haunting and wistfully sad, and that scene between Penny and the old cat makes me cry every time. She tells him that she doesn't think she will ever be adopted.

The voice talent on this picture is great. Eva Gabor and Bob Newhart make a perfect pair, and the great Geraldine Page as Madame Madusa is brilliant.

[AwallaceUNC]

I believe The Rescuers was a theatrical success (after all it warranted a sequel), so I can't say that it's underrated. In fact, some may even overrate it (*cough cough*). However, it's really a beautiful story. The only problem is that the story isn't quite done justice in the delivery. Like many films from its period, the animation is really poor. Unfortunately, so are the songs (with the exception of the fairly catchy RAS theme song). They went for a contemporary soundtrack that has since faded into a dated, flat-sounding 70s trip. Fortunately, the poignant story and wonderfully-developed characters transcend the film's faults. Penny is the epitome of a character for whom an audience can feel. That poor girl! I'm so impressed by the filmmaker's ability to make such a precious child protagonist. I can't help but actually feeling anger towards an animated villain in defense of an animated child, and that's really the goal of the whole medium. Therefore, the film really must be called a success. It's also an adventure tale and successfully holds the audience's attention. Bob Newhart does a wonderful voice acting job, as does the whole cast. I haven't seen the sequel in YEARS, unfortunately, so I really can't compare them, though I remember really loving both of them as a child.

The Rescuers is well-suited for a Masterpiece Edition DVD. Let's hope we see it some day!

-Aaron

[2099net]

Well, The Rescuers is not one of my favourite films. Surprise. But it's by no means a bad one. And it is nowhere near the zenith of Disney Feature Animation (*waves "hello" to Robin Hood*).

Aaron said it had poor animation. I'm not sure I agree with this. Medusa is wonderfully animated. True she's totally OTT, but who cares? Not me. I also like the animation on the crocs*, they have lots of character. I think it does suffer from the Xerox sketchy lines. I don't know why. Perhaps they just look a little more relaxed and undiciplined in The Rescuers?

I think the current DVD is an insult to the film. Also, Cruella was to play Medusa's role when the film was initially being developed. I'm sure any DVD will be interesting if we see evidence of the story behind this, and it's eventual change.

* Yes, I can't spell crocodiles. Or can I? Hu Noz?

[AwallaceUNC]

Netty, I agree with you on Medusa. I actually meant to get around to my thoughts on Medusa in my last post but I forgot. She is indeed animated quite well, as are certain parts of the film. Overall, though, it carries the Xeroxed style of a lot of the films from the 70s and I simply don't care for it. Medusa is really a great villain. As I said in my last post, you really hate her during the movie. Like the movie itself (they don't even have Bernard & Bianca walking around the Disney parks!), Medusa gets little attention, especially when villains are spoken of. That's unfortunate. I was glad to see her get attention in the site's villains countdown.

-Aaron

[Wonderlicious]

(they don't even have Bernard & Bianca walking
around the Disney parks!)

Aaron, Bernard and Bianca do walk around the parks sometimes. Not to the extent that Goofy and Pluto do, but I know there are costumes for them. I remember when Disneyland Paris celebrated its 10th anniversary, there was a big parade of characters and I saw Bernard and Bianca there in the crowd, along with Jake from The Rescuers Down Under. I also remember on a British camcorder oops programme called You've been framed, they once had a shot of characters in a Disneyland show falling over including Bernard and Bianca.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Not one of the greatest, according to most Disney fans. Not measured against the highest Disney standards, though, it's still good.

It was made during a not-so-good period for Disney. It was one of few animated features of the period and one of the first that did not benefit from any input from Walt himself. The new management team (Eisner & Co) that would arrive in the 80s and subsequently bring Disney to new heights were still years away.

I think it's fair to say that "The Rescuers" was the last one that rested mainly on the shoulders of the "Nine Old Men" (well, a few of them).

[castleinthesky]

Rescuers is ok. It is one of the best films from Disney's 70's era, but that was a pretty weak decade. Anywho this thread would make Tang happy.

LOL, whenever I see the "The Rescuers" on the board, I think of him.

[JiminyCrick91]

i have not seen it in a long time but it was my pick for this years buy 3 get one free thing so i hope i find it good.

[AwallaceUNC]

Aaron, Bernard and Bianca do walk around the parks sometimes. Not to the extent that Goofy and Pluto do, but I know there are costumes for them. I remember when Disneyland Paris celebrated its 10th anniversary, there was a big parade of characters and I saw Bernard and Bianca there in the crowd, along with Jake from The Rescuers Down Under. I also remember on a British camcorder oops programme called You've been framed, they once had a shot of characters in a Disneyland show falling over including Bernard and Bianca.

Well that's certainly comforting to know. I've spent my fair share of time at WDW and have never seen them. I'd really like to, I've always liked the idea of all Disney characters making the parks their home, so having all of them (or at least all of the movies) represented is very cool to me. Of course, there just aren't nearly as many characters out and about these days as there once were and it can, at times, detract from the potential atmosphere at the park. They have costumes for a lot of characters but unfortunately a lot of them don't see much street time these days, or at least that's how it seems. Thanks for the info.

-Aaron

[Glen_J]

Hi all

I agree with Wonderlicious...I think this is an underated film.

My favorite scene's would be Wilbur taking off from atop the Skyscraper in New York and the song "Someone's Waiting For You."

In essence the studio was learning it's craft all over again, kinda like a changing of the guard from the older more experienced animators to the newer guys.

Glen J

[DEREKG]

The Rescuers is due for better treatment I agree! It's not one of my favorites, but I do enjoy it. I was born in "74" and I have memories of this film as a kid. In fact, I remember having a record of it. Me and my sister use to listen to it in the dark before going to bed. It was the whole movie on vinyl. I think my mom still has it packed somewhere? I own the dvd and watch it from time to time. It is pretty dark and grainy. The story is too. My favorite characters are the Crocks and the Dragonfly...

[Mayhem]

Rescuers was the first Disney film I ever saw at the cinema (yes I'm that old) and imo is the best thing they did during the 70s and 80s. Boy was that a time of being slightly underwhelmed by their productions. It was fun, engaging, and Madame Medusa almost managed to be as OTT as Cruella. In fact I should really go and watch the video I have of it sometime to relive the days.

And I believe the video I have is one of the ones with the "pornography" shot in it so it's not gonna be sold

(hmmm must go check that out actually to see if I'm right)

[Tiresias]

I think the second movie has more value than the first, which is rare. Sadly, the first movie has a better DVD, though this DVD isn't that great either. I own both and they are both so different.

Medusa at times seems like another Cruella, which really isn't that bad.

Question: When the camera pans Madusa's Pawn shop, does anyone else see an NRA button?

[toonaspie]

Rescuers is ok. It is one of the best films from Disney's 70's era, but that was a pretty weak decade. Anywho this thread would make Tang happy.

EDIT: 900th post, baby!

I have a strange attachment to animation from the 70s and early 80s. I'm not talking about super cheap crap that Hanna Babera makes. I'm talking about feature animation. Although it was a weak decade, I kinda enjoyed how the films of these times carried a sort of dark atmosphere about them. The Rescuers is definitely considered one of those dark nostalgic films.

[disneywb]

I just saw this recently and the music is so dated, but very nastolgic. Even the songs with cheerful lyrics seem somber.

[Cordy_Biddle]

I agree about the film being overwhelmingly sentimental. I completely well-up when I watch some of those scenes with poor Penny. You wonder how the hell she got mixed up and taken-in by the horrible Madame Medusa.

Just like Chris, the scene between Penny and Rufus the cat is heart-wrenching as he tries to reassure her that she will be adopted and to keep the faith. Medusa's scene with Penny (where she tells her that nobody would adopt her) is shattering.

It's one of the miracles of animation that we can feel so much of these "un-alive" characters. THE RESCUERS does not deserve the bad rap it has received.

[Mr. Toad]

I agree very much with Aaron's assessment. Good story, good mood but it did have poor animation especially in the backgrounds and the music was horrid. A poor, poor effort.

Really, the opposite of the sequel which was really well animated but suffered from all sorts of story problems. How come the RAS didnt get there until five minutes left in the movie?

By the way, shouldnt we memorialize this thread in the memory of the dear, departed Tangela.