The Rescuers Down Under

Voices of: Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy, George C. Scott, Tristan Rogers, Adam Ryen, Douglas Seale, Frank Welker, Peter Firth, Bernard Fox
Directed by: Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel
Rating: G
Genre: Animated, Action, Adventure
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca Eva Gabor) travel to Australia to rescue a boy kidnapped by a poacher.

Review:

Tim: I was eight years old when I saw The Rescuers Down Under in theaters. I'd never seen the original film, but I loved this movie. The story of these two little mice and their grand adventure to rescue a kidnapped boy just struck a chord with me. I remember parts of this movie, even though it was about 23 years since the last time I saw it. Not very many movies stick with you that long.

I really like the basic premise of two small mice going on crazy adventures to save kidnapped children. The idea is interesting because mice are so small, but through the story, they are able to pull off some pretty big feats. In this film, they battle a large monitor lizard, crocodile-infested waters, and an evil poacher. Not bad for two little mice.

Bernard and Bianca are interesting characters (although I felt like Bernard was a bit under-developed here), and I had fun watching their interactions on screen. I was really glad to see that even though this film came out 13 years after the original, Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor were both brought back. That allowed this film to have some strong continuity with the first one. They both do good voice work, and it was nice seeing them once again bring these characters to life. I also liked hearing John Candy voice Wilbur, although he did occasionally go a bit over-the-top. I'm actually shocked that George C. Scott voiced the villain here, but I admit he did a pretty good job.

This film was set in Australia to partially capture America's love affair with the Land Down Under in the 1980s (Crocodile Dundee being a big factor in that). What's funny is that when this film was released in 1990, the excitement had died down. Plus, it was the sequel of a decent (not great) animated film from the 1970s. It's not exactly a must-see film, which is partially why this movie disappointed at the box office. That's a shame, because I would like to see more Rescuers movies. The scenes of Australia are actually pretty goregous to see, and some of the scenes when the Golden Eagle is flying are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The animation throughout this film was top-notch.

I actually enjoyed this film more than the original, which may be a bit surprising (just barely better, though). I just felt like it was a more complete film. That's not to say there aren't any flaws. This will never be considered one of the greatest Disney films- it's certainly a second-tier effort. Let's look at some of the bigger flaws I noticed. The story introduces an Australian mouse, Jake, to serve as a foil to Bernard. Jake's character is severely under-developed and nearly forgotten by the end of the film. I also didn't care for the scenes where Wilbur hurts his back and is medically tortured by the doctor mice (is that actually what happened? I still struggle with understanding those scenes). The film evokes a lot of VERY convenient plot devices to move the story along, nevermind the gaps in logic required to do so. I like the character of Bianca, but felt she didn't get enough screen time. Most frustrating is the fact that Bernard and Bianca take a long, long time to even get to the kidnapped boy (the movie is almost over before they do). For the majority of the film, they're simply traveling to get there. That part needed to be shortened, and there needed to be more of a focus on the mice actually rescuing the boy.

While this movie certainly has some flaws, the real power is that it transports the audience to a faraway land. I remember being quite young and just blown away by the beauty of Australia, watching a kid ride on the back of a giant golden eagle, and getting caught up in the adventurous story. This is a fun movie, and it does a good job of entertaining the audience. I have to admit that the film's flaws detract from the overall quality. This is a decent film, but it'll never be considered one of Disney's best. If for no other reason, this film is worth seeing for being the first animated feature film sequel Disney ever made.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Rescuers, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King