The Rescuers (1977)

Two mice of the Rescue Aid Society search for a little girl kidnapped by unscrupulous treasure hunters.

Directors:

John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman

Writers:

Margery Sharp (suggested by "The Rescuers" and "Miss Bianca" by), Larry Clemmons (story)

Stars:

Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Newhart	...	Bernard (voice)
Eva Gabor	...	Miss Bianca (voice)
Geraldine Page	...	Madame Medusa (voice)
Joe Flynn	...	Mr. Snoops (voice)
Jeanette Nolan	...	Ellie Mae (voice)
Pat Buttram	...	Luke (voice)
Jim Jordan	...	Orville (voice)
John McIntire	...	Rufus (voice)
Michelle Stacy	...	Penny (voice)
Bernard Fox	...	The Chairman (voice)
Larry Clemmons	...	Gramps (voice)
James MacDonald	...	Evinrude (voice) (as James Macdonald)
George Lindsey	...	Rabbit (voice)
Bill McMillian	...	TV Announcer (voice) (as Bill McMillan)
Dub Taylor	...	Digger (voice)

Storyline

When a bottle containing a plea for help from a little girl named Penny makes its way to the Rescue Aid Society, a mouse organization in the basement of the United Nations building dedicated to the rescue and well-being of anyone in need, it is up to the brave mouse Miss Bianca and her chosen partner, the shy janitor Bernard, to rescue the girl. Searching for clues at Penny's home at Morningside Orphanage in New York City, the two mice discover that the girl has been kidnapped by the evil pawn shop owner Madame Medusa and her companion Mr. Snoops. On the back of Orville the albatross, Miss Bianca and Bernard travel to the terrifyingly gloomy Devil's Bayou where they learn the shocking truth: the innocent young girl is being forced down into a dangerous, dark underground pirate's cave where she must find the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond and Madame Medusa's greatest obsession. Before returning safely home, Miss Bianca, Bernard, and Penny will have to combat Madame Medusa's ...

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Plot Keywords:

bayou | rescue | bottle | little girl | mouse | 

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Taglines:

Two tiny heroes, one big adventure!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bernardo y Bianca

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,111,582, 16 December 1983, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$71,215,869

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film has often been released accompanied by an animated short starring animals, usually mice (such as Mickey Mouse), for its theatrical and home video releases. The original theatrical release in 1977 featured A Tale of Two Critters (1977) and Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) for the 1983 theatrical reissue. The 1999 home video release as part of the Masterpiece Collection included a Mickey Mouse Works (1999) cartoon entitled "Pluto Gets the Paper". The 2003 DVD and 2012 Blu-ray releases featured the Silly Symphony Three Blind Mouseketeers (1936). Although no animated shorts accompanied the original 1992 VHS release, it did include a trailer for The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Disney's next film featuring mice in the lead roles.

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Goofs

At the meeting of the Rescue Aid Society we see a delegate from Austria. Not long after we see another delegate from Vienna. Vienna, of course, is the capital of Austria. If the Rescue Aid Society is like the United Nations, then all delegates should represent nations, not cities. More importantly, even if cities were represented, it would make no sense to have two delegates from the same country.

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Quotes

Madame Medusa: Now my dear, you're going to find the big shiny, diamond for your Auntie Medusa, aren't you...?

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits describe the journey of Penny's bottle through raging ocean waters. The entire sequence is made up of still paintings.

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Alternate Versions

The original 1992 video release had the "Distributed by Buena Vista" title card placed right before the film started (with a thundering sound), it was then removed and placed at the end of the film for the 1999 video release. Finally, it was removed completely from the 2003 DVD release which replaced it with an opening Walt Disney Pictures logo which also included the "thunder" sound.

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Connections

Referenced in Animation Lookback: Walt Disney Animation Studios Part 7 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Rescue Aid Society
(1977)
Written by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins
Performed by Robie Lester (uncredited), Bob Newhart (uncredited), and Bernard Fox (uncredited)
Reprised later by the Disney Studio Chorus

User Reviews

Pure gold

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.