The Rescuers (movie)

DVD cover.

The Rescuers is an animated movie developed by Disney and released on 1977-06-22. It was directed by John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Art Stevens and loosely based on Margery Sharp's book series, The Rescuers.

In the film, mice run the Rescue Aid Society, an organization which helps abduction victims around the world. They learn of a kidnapped little girl named Penny who is being held by a cruel woman, a treasure hunter named Madame Medusa. Two mice, a superstitious janitor named Bernard and an elegant European named Bianca, are sent by the Rescue Aid Society to rescue Penny.

Personal

I first saw The Rescuers when I was quite little. I didn't remember much about it other than being frightened when Penny was deep underground, and a few decades went by before I watched it again, but I wasn't paying that close of attention. A few more years later, I watched it with my daughters, and they didn't find it that interesting either, but I at least paid attention that time. It's not that great, and, despite being successful, it was part of the 1970's-1980's lull in Disney animation.

Cast

Actor	Character
Bob Newhart	Bernard
Eva Gabor	Miss Bianca
Geraldine Page	Madame Medusa
Joe Flynn	Mr. Snoops
Jeanette Nolan	Ellie Mae
Pat Buttram	Luke
Jim Jordan	Orville
John McIntire	Rufus
Michelle Stacy	Penny
Bernard Fox	The Chairman
Larry Clemmons	Gramps
James MacDonald	Evinrude / Brutus / Nero
George Lindsey	Rabbit
Bill McMillian	TV Announcer
Dub Taylor	Digger
John Fiedler	Owl
Ruth Buzzi	German Mouse (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Robie Lester	Miss Bianca (singing voice) (uncredited)
Peter Renaday	American Delegate (uncredited)

Review

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• Though not as intimidating as a big scary monster, I find Madame Medusa to be a fantastic villain because she's far more real. I didn't see any dragons or ogres, but I did see cruel and manipulative adults. I also like Snoops whose bumbling keeps foiling her plans.
• I remember being genuinely afraid during the scene where Penny is underground in the cave that's slowly filling with water, and Madame Medusa refuses to let her up until she finds the treasure. Even as an adult, I find it induces claustrophobia.
• Although the film had some pornography spliced into it, it's not noticeable, and to their credit, Disney performed a massive recall when they found out.

Bad

• Disney still hasn't figured out how to write catchy music. None of the songs stand on their own.
• Bernard is an uninteresting sissy, and Bianca is a rich socialite, so, her attraction for him is not believable.
• Walt Disney actually shelved the project while it was in development because he didn't like it's political overtones. Did he not want his company to be associated with a group that rescued kidnapped children?

Ugly

• The film just isn't that interesting. It's slowly paced and has several sections which are quite dull.

Media

Covers

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  VHS - USA.

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  DVD - USA.

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  Digital - USA.

Posters

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  Poster - USA - 1977.

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  Poster - USA - 1989.

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  Poster - France.

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  Advertisement - USA.

Videos

Trailer.

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass
Bechdel test?	Pass
Strong person of color character?	Fail
Queer character?	Fail

Adaptions

• The Rescuers (Little Golden Books)

Links