The Rescuers (1977) Reviews

• Pure gold

  nilanna9992011-09-07

  I may be the only person to say this but I think The Rescuers was a LOT better than the sequel. Oh don't get me wrong, Down Under's pretty good. But, to me, The Rescuers is the best. Since I was a little kid, I have had a short attention span so movies with more action generally held my attention. The Rescuers and the Pooh films were the two exceptions for me. This isn't a very fast moving film, at times it's quite slow. But that's when the tension builds. You feel a certain warmth watching it, similar to the warm fuzzies you would get from a Pooh film. It's sweet. It's fun. The characters are lovable and the villains are detestable (I mean Madame Medusa kidnaps an innocent little girl and then forces her to go into a dangerous pirate cave, if that isn't evil, I don't know what is). Even the supporting cast is awesome, if not entirely memorable. I think there were too many critters at Devil's Bayou, had they cut the cast down a bit, perhaps I could remember them all. But that's literally my only complaint. The film is slow but it doesn't feel slow. It doesn't lag at all. It keeps you completely focused on the characters. By the way, the acting is superb, particularly Michelle Stacy as Penny. Usually child actors are hit and miss but she does an excellent job, she really makes you feel for Penny and that's the most important part. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor as Bernard and Bianca. They really bring the characters to life. The animation is beautiful as well. It all seems like a painting come to life. I am particularly impressed with Bernard and Bianca's animation because they look a lot like their voice actors. So you can't imagine a better voice for them. You often forget that they're mice. And that's really impressive. So, all in all, this is one of Disney's best. Ever. It's proof that the animation studio was still going strong after Walt Disney's death. And it's still one of my all time favorite movies. I say, check it out. There's something for everyone in it.

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• One of the great Disney gems from the 1970's

  Atreyu_II2007-07-21

  The 23rd animated Disney classic is underrated and somewhat forgotten, yet one of Disney's finest! It's a great movie, even one of Disney's finest underrated works. This charming film, while undoubtedly heartwarming, is also creative and very lively. It has lots of adventure and suspense, classic humor, fine artwork, a wonderful soundtrack and a dark atmosphere. When I say "dark" I mean dark in the sense of being somewhat chilly, but without being extremely dark or a story of horror/terror. The darkness of the Devil's Bayou is amazing, creepy to the point of almost looking like a forbidding place, which helps a lot to create this distinct atmosphere. Despite the apparent simplicity, this motion picture has some very artistic palette colors. One good example of this is the amazing and gorgeous opening sequence. The beautiful but sad song 'The Journey' matches in perfection. The song 'Tomorrow is another day' is very optimistic and nostalgic. Not just that, it fits perfectly on that sequence: beautiful vistas painted with heart and soul. Besides, that rainbow and those New York City lights at night look incredibly real. The song 'Someone's waiting for you' is heartwarming, but so is the sequence itself. 'The U.S. Air Force' is a delightful instrumental music, very energetic and full of life. Medusa is a great villain. One of Disney's best villains, says I. She's mean and nasty, but at the same time funny (even hilarious at times). She is a little eccentric but not too much and not annoying. Besides, she isn't too sinister or one of the most cruel villains. Medusa's sidekick, Snoops, is someone I don't consider a real villain. He's not bad enough to be a villain and he doesn't know how to be bad, although he attempts. I think that deep down he is a good guy. I like Snoops: he's a simple and goofy guy but funny (even hilarious at times) and not that bad. He's more of a poor guy who messed with the wrong person. By the way, Medusa and Snoops have a nice pawn shop named "Medusa's pawn shop" or, like Medusa delightfully says on the telephone, «Madame Medusa's pawn shop boutique». Comical characters like Luke and the albatross Orville have small roles, perhaps because this movie is more of a dramatic natured one. Numerous swamp animals appear (others than Luke), but their roles are minor (with the exception of Ellie Mae and Evinrude). Bernard is the kind of romantic and shy hero. Bianca has a characteristic hungarian charm (her voice actress, Eva Gabor, was hungarian). Orville is carefree and spirited, as well as a comic relief. Like albatrosses in real life, he flies beautifully but is very bad at landings. Evinrude's sounds are awesome. They sound so real! I have no words to describe them! James MacDonald really had a gift for sounds. Penny was apparently modeled after Michelle Stacy, the cute little girl who did her voice. Penny is cute and has a very cute voice. People sympathize with Penny and her situation in the film, yet despite being very endearing she is also confident and has a strong personality - something which Snoops doesn't know how to deal with. The crocodiles Nero and Brutus are hilarious in every scene they appear. I don't know why, but there is something hilarious about them even just by looking at them. They are at their most hilarious when they play organ. And those rascals really know how to play talent, LOL. They have talent for music, LOL! Besides, although they are Medusa's loyal pets, they are good crocodiles and not vicious. Whenever they catch Penny, they always grab her carefully not to harm her. And they are just as careful with her beloved teddy bear. Even in the water they have special care with her and her teddy bear. A very good and timeless Disney classic! This is one of those animated classics I grew up with - and 'The Rescuers Down Under' too. Both were part of my childhood. 1977 was one of the best years in cinema ever! This should definitely be on Top 250.

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• Such a charming film!

  TheLittleSongbird2009-02-27

  I can't fault this movie at all, other than to say the video I have is a bit grainy. The film is undeniably charming, based on the books by Margery Sharp, which I haven't read. The animation was just wonderful, right from minute one. It was dark and fluid, and reminded me of the masterpieces of Don Bluth like American Tail and Secret of NIMH. It matched the music perfectly, and none of the characters were drawn stereotypically. I loved the fact they made the protagonists mice, which shows a lot of originality. I was laughing so much at the swamp animals scene, as it looked so ridiculous. Another funny scene was the one with the crocs playing the pipe organ, and then Medussa starts shooting the place down. The songs were outstanding, and beautifully sung by Shelby Flint. I've heard criticisms that the songs were lifeless and slow, but I strongly disagree. The song at the beginning "The Journey" was beautiful beyond words, as was "Someone's Waiting For You", the one with Penny crying on the boat deck. They were truly emotional and haunting, and often misunderstood by people. The characters were really funny and engaging, especially the two crocodiles, and Orville(especially when he cries "Mayday, Mayday!")Bernard was brilliantly voiced by Bob Newhart, likewise Bianca by beautiful Hungarian actress Eva Gabor. Penny was really sweet, but the scene-stealer was Geraldine Page as Madam Medussa, who was such a convincing villainess, very sinister yet absolutely hilarious. She reminds me of Ursula from the Little Mermaid. The script was both touching and funny, with the dialogue between Madame Medussa and Snoops sparkling like bubbles on top of a champagne glass and the story is compelling and beautifully told. All in all, I recommend this and the sequel (which isn't quite as good). 10/10.Bethany Cox

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• A charming addition to Disney's animated classics canon

  Stompgal_872013-06-29

  I remember seeing the second half of this film with my sister (who has the same name as the little girl in this film) while our dad was fishing and the most memorable moments from the second half were Penny being sent down the pirate cave to retrieve a diamond for Madame Medusa and Penny being shown on TV with her new mother and father. The other part of this film I remember from my childhood is the 'Someone's Waiting For You' (one of the best songs in the film) sequence because it was featured on the Disney 'Sing-A-Long Songs: Under the Sea' video tape I watched constantly as a child. As with 'Toy Story 3,' 'Dumbo' and 'The Rescuers Down Under (which is just as good as this film),' I watched this on my flight home from Dubai and I really enjoyed it. As with the majority of Disney films that came out between the 1960s and 1980s, the characters are drawn in a sketchy and linear way, thus making their animation a little on the flat side. The character designs range from being simplistic (e.g. Bernard and Bianca) to more detailed (e.g. Penny and Madame Medusa, but the facial expressions and lip-sync are spot on. As for the background designs and some of the props, they were intricately drawn, especially the bottle that contained Penny's call for help and the cars parked outside the United Nations building. My favourite characters in this film are Bernard, Bianca and Penny, who are all very sweet. Even though this film has a sentimental tone for the most part, it has a few comical moments such as Bernard unintentionally wearing Bianca's hat briefly while they are blown through the organ pipes when Brutus and Nero play it; and Penny imitating Madame Medusa as soon as Bernard and Bianca find her. In addition to 'Someone's Waiting For You,' the other songs I liked were 'The Journey,' which I initially thought was called 'Who Will Rescue Me?' but was accompanied by beautiful paintings of Penny's message in a bottle floating on the water as the opening credits were shown, and 'Rescue Aid Society,' which I found catchy, although the other songs were pretty forgettable. This film also has some clever writing, such as the running gag of Bernard's fear of the number 13 (for example when he climbs up a ladder/comb to pull Penny's message out of the bottle, he falls inside it) but it was also clichéd (Medusa being afraid of mice) and repetitive (one of Penny's lines being the same as Medusa's) in parts. One element of this film that reminded me of other films was Penny's teddy bear resembling Winnie the Pooh. Overall this was a charming film that I'd happily watch again. 8/10.

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• I remember it in '77. It was great. Saw it again. Still is.

  gazzo-22002-09-05

  There is something really nice about seeing a cartoon film that you know was hand drawn, without a speck of CGI anyplace(too early!). The voices here carry the day-Newhart, Gabor, Page, Fibber MaGee, little turns by Pat Buttram, Dub Taylor, Jeannette Nolan, etc. All fine. Film still has a lotta heart, the songs aren't bad, the backgrounds muted and not in your face. I remember seeing the sequel (in Aussie from '90)-the character held up but it wasn't as involving. Test for a flick like this is to see if it holds up after some years. Well I had not seen it for about 24 years or so, and ya know what? It still works very well. Came from the mid-period team of Disney, post-Jungle Book and pre-Mermaid, a rather hit and miss era-this one stands out quite well. *** outta ****

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