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|studio = [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] |
|studio = [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] |
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|distributor = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]] |
|distributor = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]] |
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| − | |released = {{Film date|1977|6|22}} |
+ | |released = {{Film date|1977|6|22|United States|2019|09|20|3D Version}} |
|runtime = 77 minutes |
|runtime = 77 minutes |
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|country = United States |
|country = United States |
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|preceded by = [[The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]] (1977) |
|preceded by = [[The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]] (1977) |
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|followed by = [[The Fox and the Hound]] (1981)}} |
|followed by = [[The Fox and the Hound]] (1981)}} |
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| − | '''''The Rescuers''''' is a 1977 animated film produced by [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] and first released on June 22, 1977 |
+ | '''''The Rescuers''''' is a 1977 animated film produced by [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] and first released on June 22, 1977. |
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| + | It is the 23rd film in the Walt Disney Feature Animation series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing the United Nations, dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world at large. Two of these mice, jittery janitor Bernard (Bob Newhart) and his co-agent, elegant Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), set out to rescue Penny (Michelle Stacy), an orphan girl being held prisoner in Devil's Bayou by treasure huntress Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page). |
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The film is based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, most notably ''The Rescuers'' and ''Miss Bianca''. Due to the film's [[#Reception|success]], a sequel entitled ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' was released in 1990. |
The film is based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, most notably ''The Rescuers'' and ''Miss Bianca''. Due to the film's [[#Reception|success]], a sequel entitled ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' was released in 1990. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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| − | The film begins in an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, where orphan Penny drops a message in a bottle containing a plea for help into the river. The bottle is carried out to sea and washes up in New York City, where it is recovered by the Rescue Aid Society. The Hungarian representative, Miss Bianca, volunteers to accept the case and chooses the janitor Bernard as her co-agent. The two visit Morningside Orphanage, where Penny lived, and meet an old cat named Rufus. He tells them about a wicked woman named Madame Medusa who once tried to lure Penny into her car and may have abducted her this time. |
+ | {{Template:Spoiler}}The film begins in an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, where orphan Penny drops a message in a bottle containing a plea for help into the river. The bottle is carried out to sea and washes up in New York City, where it is recovered by the Rescue Aid Society. The Hungarian representative, Miss Bianca, volunteers to accept the case and chooses the janitor Bernard as her co-agent. The two visit Morningside Orphanage, where Penny lived, and meet an old cat named Rufus. He tells them about a wicked woman named Madame Medusa who once tried to lure Penny into her car and may have abducted her this time. |
The mice travel to Medusa's pawn shop, where they discover that she and her partner Mr. Snoops are on a quest to find the world's largest diamond, the Devil's Eye. With the help of an albatross named Orville, and a dragonfly named Evinrude, the mice follow Medusa and Mr. Snoops to the bayou. There, they learn that Penny was captured to enter a hole that leads down into the pirates' cave where the Devil's Eye is located. |
The mice travel to Medusa's pawn shop, where they discover that she and her partner Mr. Snoops are on a quest to find the world's largest diamond, the Devil's Eye. With the help of an albatross named Orville, and a dragonfly named Evinrude, the mice follow Medusa and Mr. Snoops to the bayou. There, they learn that Penny was captured to enter a hole that leads down into the pirates' cave where the Devil's Eye is located. |
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Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watches TV to hear that the Devil's Eye was given to the Smithsonian Institution and Penny was adopted by a new father and mother. Bernard and Miss Bianca remain partners in the Rescue Aid Society's missions and soon after depart on Orville, accompanied by Evinrude, to a new rescue mission. |
Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watches TV to hear that the Devil's Eye was given to the Smithsonian Institution and Penny was adopted by a new father and mother. Bernard and Miss Bianca remain partners in the Rescue Aid Society's missions and soon after depart on Orville, accompanied by Evinrude, to a new rescue mission. |
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| + | *Geraldine Page as Madame Medusa, a greedy, redheaded, wicked pawnshop owner. |
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| ⚫ | *Jim Jordan as Orville (named after Orville Wright of the Wright brothers, the inventors of the aeroplane), an albatross who gives Bernard and Bianca a ride to Devil's Bayou. The role was the last for Jordan, who retired after the film's release. Several of Orville's screams were recycled from Pinto Colvig's performances as Goofy. |
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| + | *Candy Candido as Brutus and Nero, Medusa's two aggressive pet crocodiles. |
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| + | *Bernard Fox as Mr. Chairman, the chairman to the Rescue Aid Society. |
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| + | *George Lindsey as Deadeye, a fisher rabbit who is one of Luke and Ellie Mae's friends. |
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| + | *Larry Clemmons as Gramps, a grumpy, yet kind old turtle who carries a brown cane. |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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| + | In 1962, the movie's development first began with its initial treatment developed from the first book centering on a poet held captive by a totalitarian government in the Siberia-like stronghold. However, when the story grew overtly involved with international intrigue, Walt Disney shelved the project as he was unhappy with the political overtones. |
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| − | The film was four years in the making with the combined talents of 250 people, including 40 animators who produced approximately 330,000 drawings; there were 14 sequences with 1,039 separate scenes and 750 backgrounds.<ref name="interesting facts"/> |
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| + | It was revived in the early 1970s as a project for the young animators, led by Don Bluth, as the studio would alternate between full-scale "A pictures" and smaller, scaled-back "B pictures" with simpler animation. |
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| − | It was the first Disney film that combined the talents of [[Walt Disney]]'s original crew of story writers and animators (including Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men") with a newer, less experienced crew that [[Walt Disney Productions]] had recruited in the mid-1970s.<ref name="interesting facts"/> |
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| + | The animators had selected the most recent book "Miss Bianca in the Antarctic" with its story focusing on a captured polar bear forced into performing in shows causing the unsatisfied bear to place a bottle that would reach the mice. |
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| − | The film marked the last joint effort by veterans Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, and Frank Thomas, and the first Disney film worked on by [[Don Bluth]] as an animator, instead of an assistant animator.<ref name=book1>Thomas, Bob: "Carrying on the Tradition", pages 111-112. ''Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules'', 1997</ref> Other animators who stepped up during production were Glen Keane, Ron Clements, and Andy Gaskill, who would all play an important role in the [[Disney Renaissance]] of the 1980s and '90s.<ref name=finch>Finch, Christopher: "Chapter 9: The End of an Era", page 260. ''The Art of Walt Disney'', 2004</ref> |
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| + | Jazz singer Louis Prima was supposed to voice the character named Louis the Bear and this version was to feature six songs sung by Prima written by Floyd Huddleston, but unfortunately in 1975, Prima discovered that he had a stem brain tumor and the project was scrapped. |
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| − | ''The Rescuers'' was also the company's first major animated success since ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' and the last until ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''. The film marked the end of the silver age of Disney animation that had begun in 1950 with ''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]]''. This also marked the first successful animated film that Walt Disney himself had not worked on. |
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| + | Meanwhile, the "A" crew had finished work on Robin Hood, and was set to begin production on an adaptation of Paul Gallico's book titled "Scruffy" (under the direction of Ken Anderson). The story concerned the monkeys of Gibraltar under World War II, which also involved Nazis. When the time had come to greenlight one of the two projects, the studio leaders eventually decided to go for "The Rescuers." |
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| − | During the 1960s and early 70s Disney films took on the trend of comedy, rather than story, heart, and drama. ''The Rescuers'' marked the return of the animated drama films the studio had previously been known for, such as ''[[Bambi]]'' and ''[[Dumbo]]''. [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]] and Ollie Johnston stated in their website that ''The Rescuers'' had been their return to a film with "heart" and also considered it their best film without [[Walt Disney]].<ref name="frankandollie">{{cite web | work=Frank and Ollie's Official Site | title=''Feature Films''|url=http://frankandollie.com/Film_Features.html| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref> Also unique to the animation was the opening credits: this film marked the first time that practiced camera movements over still photographs were used to make the opening credits. Prior to this, the studio had used the cels with the credits motionless over different still backgrounds, sometimes over one single background, as was done in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937). |
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| + | After "Scruffy" was shelved, the veteran team turned the project into a more traditional, full-scale production ultimately dropping the Arctic setting of the story with veteran Disney writer Fred Lucky stating, "It was too stark a background for the animators." |
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| − | The film marked the end of the studio's so-called "sketchy" animation period of the 1960s and 70s. The new [[xerographic]] process restored a softer outline that previously was not possible with the technology, which so far only had been able to produce black outlines. This allowed the use of a medium-gray tone and even a purple tone for outlines, such as that used for Miss Bianca. |
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| + | Cruella de Vil, the villainess from [[One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)|One Hundred and One Dalmatians]] was originally considered to be the main antagonist of the film, but Disney animator Ollie Johnston stated it felt wrong to attempt a sequel and the idea was dropped and instead, she was replaced by a retouched version of the Diamond Duchess in Miss Bianca. The two characters share surprisingly few similarities, other than perhaps the tendency to drive recklessly. |
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| − | An audio clip from ''[[Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree]]'' in which a bee buzzes the "Charge!" theme, was reused for when Evinrude buzzes out the same tune to signal the Swamp Folk to attack. The growling noises made by Brutus and Nero, would then be reused in ''[[The Fox and the Hound]]'' as the growling made by the villainous black grizzly bear. |
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| + | The motive to steal a diamond originated in Margery Sharp's 1959 novel "Miss Bianca." Her appearance was based on animator Milt Kahl's ex-wife, whom he did not particularly like. This was Kahl's last film for the studio and he wanted his final character to be his best & he was so insistent on perfecting Madame Medusa that he ended up doing almost all the animation for the character himself. Penny was inspired by Patience, the orphan in the novel. |
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| − | * [[Geraldine Page]] as Madame Medusa, a greedy, redheaded, wicked pawn shop owner and the lead villainess of the film. Upon discovering the Devil's Eye diamond hidden in a blowhole, she kidnaps the small orphan, Penny, to retrieve it for her, as she is the only one small enough to fit into it. In the end, she is thwarted and presumably eaten by her two alligators, Brutus and Nero. |
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| − | * [[Candy Candido]] as Brutus and Nero, Medusa's two aggressive pet alligators, who return Penny after she attempts to run away. They are last seen attacking Medusa after she betrays them. |
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| − | * [[Bernard Fox]] as Mr. Chairman |
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| − | * [[George Lindsey]] as Deadeye |
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| − | * [[Larry Clemmons]] as Gramps |
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| ⚫ | For the accomplices, the filmmakers adapted the character, Mandrake, into Mr. Snoops and his appearance was caricatured from animation historian John Culhane. Culhane claims he was practically tricked into posing for various reactions and his movements were imitated on Mr. Snoops's model sheet. However, he stated, "''Becoming a Disney character was beyond my wildest dreams of glory''." Brutus and Nero are based on the two bloodhounds, Tyrant and Torment in the novels. |
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| − | ==Inspirations== |
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| − | Bernard was inspired by the character of the same name in [[Margery Sharp]]'s ''The Rescuers'' series and much of his personality and character were kept. In the novel ''Miss Bianca'', however, Bernard plays a very minor role. |
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| + | The writers considered developing Bernard and Bianca into married professional detectives, but ended up left them as as unmarried. For the supporting characters, a pint-sized swampmobile for the mice (a leaf powered by a dragonfly) was created. As they developed the comedic potential of displaying his exhaustion through buzzing, the dragonfly grew from an incidental into a major character. |
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| + | Veteran sound effects artist and voice talent Jimmy MacDonald came out of retirement to provide the effects. Also, the local swamp creatures were organized into a dedicated home guard that drilled and marched incessantly. However, the writers evolved them into a volunteer group of helpful little bayou creatures. Their leader, a singing bullfrog voiced by Phil Harris, was deleted from the film. |
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| − | Originally, Cruella de Vil from ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' was to have been recast as the villainess in ''The Rescuers'', but this idea was dropped since the studio was not interested in producing sequels at the time. She was replaced by a retouched version of the Diamond Duchess in ''Miss Bianca''. The two characters share surprisingly few similarities, other than perhaps the tendency to drive recklessly. The motive to steal a diamond originated in Margery Sharp's 1959 novel, ''Miss Bianca''. Her appearance was based on animator Milt Kahl's ex-wife, whom he didn't particularly like. This was Kahl's last film for the studio, and he wanted his final character to be his best; he was so insistent on perfecting Medusa that he ended up doing almost all the animation for the character himself.<ref>{{cite web | work=Disney Archives: Villains | title=''Madame Medusa''|url=http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/medusa/medusa.html| accessdate=23 April 2009}}</ref> |
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| + | ===Animation=== |
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| + | Ever since "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," the animation for theatrical Disney animated films was done by xerography, which had been only been able to produce black outlines, had been improved for the cel artists to use a medium-grey toner in order to create a softer-looking line. |
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| + | At the end of the movie's production, it marked the last joint effort by veterans Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas & also the first Disney film worked on by Don Bluth as an animator, instead of an assistant animator. |
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| − | ==Scripts to novels comparison== |
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| − | ''The Rescuers'' is based on novels by [[Margery Sharp]] and there are a number of differences between the film and the original work:<ref>{{cite book |title=The Rescuers |last=Sharp |first=Margery |others=Illustrated by Garth Williams |year=1959 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=Boston, Toronto }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Miss Bianca |last=Sharp |first=Margery |others=Illustrated by Garth Williams |year=1962 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=Boston, Toronto }}</ref> |
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| + | The other animators who stepped up during production were Glen Keane, Ron Clements and Andy Gaskill, who would all play an important role in the Disney Renaissance. |
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| − | *In ''Miss Bianca'' (1962), the counterpart of Penny is a different orphan girl named Patience. She is held prisoner and slaved by the Diamond Duchess at the Diamond Palace. |
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| − | *The setting of Devil's Bayou, a swamp in a fictional uncharted island in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] is original to Disney. In ''The Rescuers'' (1959), the heroes rescue a Norwegian poet from the sinister and dangerous Black Castle; in ''Miss Bianca'', the action takes place within the Diamond Palace, a seemingly marvelous and majestic structure admired by outsiders. The many diamonds that make up the Diamond Palace possibly inspired the sub-plot of the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond, in the film. |
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| − | *At the palace, Patience is not forced into treasure-seeking. Instead, she is forced to polish the palace's diamonds and clean and maintain the Duchess' wig. |
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| − | *In ''Miss Bianca'', the Diamond Duchess has a servant named Mandrake, similar to Mr. Snoops. He is cruel to Patience while she is under his care, but in later novels he is repentant of his behavior with the girl. |
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| − | *Two vicious bloodhounds named Tyrant and Torment take the place of Brutus and Nero, the alligators, in ''Miss Bianca''; they are owned by the Diamond Duchess, but are taken care of by the Chief Ranger. |
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| − | *The Prisoners' Aid Society was changed to the Rescue Aid Society in the film. In the novels, beginning with ''The Rescuers'', the Prisoners' Aid Society was dedicated to the amusement and entertainment of despairing prisoners, not their rescue. It is Miss Bianca who proposes the actual attempt of rescuing prisoners instead of just entertaining them. In the film, this history is non-existent, for this reason, the society of mice was renamed as the Rescue Aid Society. |
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| − | *The character of Mr. Chairman does not exist in the novels, instead, there is a Madame Chairwoman. |
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| − | *Though there are hints of romance between the two protagonists, Miss Bianca and Bernard, in the novels, the former states repeatedly that there could never be anything between them, partly due to their very different [[social status]]. In the Disney film, this field was left to interpretation; the characters show a great affection towards each other in the final moments of the film, but the conclusion does not fully imply a romantic bond between the two. |
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| − | == |
+ | ==Music== |
| + | The songs for the movie were written by Sammy Fain, Carol Connors, and Ayn Robbins, and performed by Shelby Flint. |
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| − | ''The Rescuers'' premiered on [[VHS]] and Laserdisc on September 18, 1992 as part of the [[Walt Disney Classics]] series. It was re-released on [[VHS]] as part of the [[Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection]] on January 5, 1999, but was recalled three days later and reissued on March 23, 1999 (see "[[#Controversy|Controversy]]"). ''The Rescuers'' was released on [[DVD]] on May 20, 2003. |
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| − | In August 21, 2012, a DVD/Blu-ray release of the film with ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' was released. In anticipation of the movie's upcoming entirely-animated theatrical motion picture spin-off, ''Rufus & Company'', as well as an upcoming entirely-animated TV series adaptation based on the movie itself, "Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment" has plans to re-issue the movie itself directly to DVD & Blu-ray Disc and Movie Download, when being part of the ''Walt Disney Special Editions ''line of DVDs & Blu-ray Discs and "Digital Download" releases on August 16, 2016.<ref>{{cite web | title=Los Rescatadores - Edición Platino | url=http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21283 | work=ZonaDVD | publisher= | date= | accessdate=2009-06-07}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | #"Rescue Aid Society" – Sung by the Chairman (Bernard Fox), Bernard (Bob Newhart), and Miss Bianca (Robie Lester, filling in for Eva Gabor), as well as the various international mouse delegates (the Disney Studio Chorus) during the R.A.S. meeting. A reprise of the song plays when Bernard and Bianca begin to lose their faith, and are reminded of the song and its meaning. |
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| ⚫ | #"Faith is a Bluebird" – Although not an actual song, it is a poem recited by Rufus and partially by Penny in a flashback the old cat has to when he last saw the small orphan girl, and comforted her through the poem, about having faith. The titular bluebird that appears in this sequence originally appeared in Alice in Wonderland (1951). |
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| ⚫ | #"Someone's Waiting For You" – Sung as Penny begins to lose her faith, after Medusa cruelly speaks to her. During this segment, the star of faith, that Rufus mentioned earlier lights up the night sky. Bambi and his mother appear during this segment. The song was originally entitled "The Need to Be Loved" and featured different lyrics, with recorded versions by Jennifer Paz and Paul Francis Webster. |
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| + | ==Box Office== |
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| + | "The Rescuers" was successful during its original theatrical release, earning $48 million at the box office and becoming Disney's most successful film to that date. |
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| + | During its initial release in France, it out-grossed [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] and became the highest-grossing film in West Germany at the time. The distributor rentals accumulated $19 million while its international rentals grossed $41 million. |
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| − | ==Marketing== |
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| − | To tie in with the film's 25th Anniversary, ''The Rescuers'' debuted in the Walt Disney Classics Collection (WDCC) line in 2002 (not to be confused with the Walt Disney Classics video series) with three different figures featuring three of the film's biggest stars, as well as the opening title scroll. The three figures were sculpted by [[Dusty Horner]] and they were: ''Brave Bianca'', featuring Miss Bianca the heroine and priced at $75,<ref name="price">{{cite web | work=Secondary Price Guide | title=''The Rescuers''|url=http://www.wdccduckman.com/spgmm14.htm| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref> ''Bold Bernard'', featuring hero Bernard, priced also at $75<ref name="price"/> and ''Evinrude Base'', featuring Evinrude the dragonfly and priced at $85.<ref name="price"/> The title scroll featuring the film's name, ''The Rescuers'' and from the opening song sequence "The Journey," was priced at $30. All figures were retired on March 2005, except for the opening title scroll which is still widely available. |
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| + | The movie broke a record for the largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it kept until 1986 when [[An American Tail]] broke the record. |
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| − | ''The Rescuers'' was the inspiration for another Walt Disney Classics Collection figure in 2003. [[Ken Melton]] was the sculptor of ''Teddy Goes With Me, My Dear'', a limited edition, 8 inch sculpture featuring the evil Madame Medusa, the orphan girl Penny, her teddy bear "Teddy" and the Devil's Eye diamond. 1,977 of these sculptures were made, in reference to the film's release year, 1972. The sculpture was priced at $299 and instantly declared retired in 2003.<ref name="price">{{cite web | work=Secondary Price Guide | title=''The Rescuers''|url=http://www.wdccduckman.com/spgmm14e.htm| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref> |
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| + | It was Disney's first significant success since [[The Jungle Book (1967)|The Jungle Book]] and the last until [[The Little Mermaid (1989)|The Little Mermaid]] |
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| − | In November 2008, a sixth sculpture inspired by the film was released. Made with [[pewter]] and [[resin]], ''Cleared For Take Off'' introduced the character of Orville into the collection and featured Bernard and Bianca a second time. The piece, inspired by Orville's take-off scene in the film, was sculpted by [[Ruben Procopio]]. 750 copies of this sculpture will be produced and priced at a retail price of $399.00.<ref name="2008wdcc">{{cite web | work=WDCC Duckman | title=''2008 Limited Edition-Orville with Bernard & Bianca''|url=http://www.wdccduckman.com/cleared.html| accessdate=17 November 2008}}</ref> |
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| + | When it was re-issued in theaters in 1983 and 1989, "The Rescuers" has had a lifetime gross of $71.2 million across its original release & several reissues. |
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| − | ==Reception== |
+ | ==Critical Reception== |
| − | ''The Rescuers'' was successful upon its original theatrical release earning $48 million at the box office and becoming Disney's most successful film to that date.{{fact|date=March 2010}} The film broke a record for the largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it kept until 1986, when ''[[An American Tail]]'', directed by ''Rescuers'' animator [[Don Bluth]], broke the record. ''The Rescuers'' was Disney's first significant success since ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' and the last until ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''. |
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| + | The movie was said to be Disney's greatest film since [[Mary Poppins]] and seemed to signal a new golden age for Disney animation. Rotten Tomatoes reported that it received a 83% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 26 reviews. |
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| + | The website's consensus says: "''Featuring superlative animation, off-kilter characters, and affectionate voice work by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, The Rescuers represents a bright spot in Disney's post-golden age''." |
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| − | The film was received with praise from critics<ref name="rottentomatoes rescuers">{{cite web | work=Rotten Tomatoes | title=Rotten Tomatoes - The Rescuers |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rescuers/| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref> and was also well received by audiences. ''The Rescuers'' was said to be Disney's greatest film since ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' in 1964 and that it seemed to signal a new golden age for [[Disney]] animation.<ref name="cataroo-rescuers">{{cite web | work=Cataroo.com | title=The Animated Films of Don Bluth - The Rescuers |url=http://www.cataroo.com/DBrescu.html| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref> The film was ranked 20th out of the 48 canon Disney animated features in a 2009 countdown at [[Rotten Tomatoes]], where it holds a "fresh" 84% rating.<ref name="disneycountdown-rescuers">{{cite web | work=Rotten Tomatoes | title=Disney Animation Celebration |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_disney_animated_movies/| accessdate=28 November 2009}}</ref> |
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| + | TV Guide gave the film three stars out of five, saying that: "''Four years in the making, costing nearly $8 million, THE RESCUERS is a beautifully animated film that showed Disney still knew a lot about making quality children's fare even as their track record was weakening. [...] Comic relief is provided by a bird named Orville, who transports the mice as they search for the girl. The voices are all well suited to the characters, and the film is a delight for children as well as adults who appreciate good animation and brisk storytelling.''" |
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| − | In his book, ''The Disney Films'', film [[historian]] [[Leonard Maltin]] refers to ''The Rescuers'' as "a breath of fresh air for everyone who had been concerned about the future of animation at Walt Disney's," praises its "humor and imagination and [it is] expertly woven into a solid story structure [...] with a delightful cast of characters." Finally, he declares the film "the most satisfying animated feature to come from the studio since ''101 Dalmatians''." He also briefly mentions the ease with which the film surpassed other animated films of its time.<ref>Maltin, Leornard (2000). ''The Disney Films'', p.265. JessieFilm Ltd., New York. ISBN 0786885270. Quotations from this same source were used in the 1998 [[home video]] promotional trailer for the film found in the [[VHS]] release of ''[[Lady and the Tramp]]'' (1955) of the same year.</ref> |
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| + | Ellen MacKay of Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "''Great adventure, but too dark for preschoolers''". |
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| − | The film received an Academy Award nomination for the song "Someone's Waiting for You", which was nominated in 1978 at the [[50th Academy Awards]].<ref>[http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1215198030898 Oscars Database]</ref> |
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| − | The song lost to "[[You Light Up My Life (song)|You Light Up My Life]]" from the film of [[You Light Up My Life|the same name]]. |
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| + | In his book "The Disney Films", film historian Leonard Maltin refers to the movie as "''a breath of fresh air for everyone who had been concerned about the future of animation at Walt Disney's''," praises its "''humor and imagination and [it is] expertly woven into a solid story structure [...] with a delightful cast of characters''." |
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| − | [[Jack Shaheen]], in his study of Hollywood portrayals and stereotypes of Arabs, noted the inclusion of delegates from Arab countries in the Rescue Aid Society.<ref>{{cite book |title=Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People |first1=Shaheen |last1=Jack G. |year=2001 |publisher=Olive branch Press (an imprint of Interlink publishing group) |isbn=1-56656-388-7 |page=393 }}</ref> |
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| + | Finally, he declares the movie "''the most satisfying animated feature to come from the studio since 101 Dalmatians''." He also briefly mentions the ease with which the film surpassed other animated films of its time. |
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| − | ==Soundtrack== |
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| + | ==Re-Release== |
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| + | In anticipation of its upcoming theatrically released sequel in 1990, the movie saw another successful theatrical run on March 17, 1989. |
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==Controversy== |
==Controversy== |
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| + | On January 8, 1999 (three days after the film's second release on home video) The Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of "The Rescuers" videotapes because there was an objectionable image in one of the film's background cels. |
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| − | On January 8, 1999, three days after the film's second release on home video, the Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of the videotapes because there was an objectionable image in one of ''The Rescuers'' background cels.<ref name="london">{{cite web | work=The Independent (London)|title=Disney recalls 'sabotaged' video|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990109/ai_n9656222/| accessdate=22 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="naked woman image">{{cite web | work=Urban Legends Reference Pages|title=Photographic images of a topless woman can be spotted in ''The Rescuers''|url=http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/rescuers.htm| accessdate=12 April 2007}}</ref><ref name="Dis Calls in 'Rescuers' After Nude Images Found.">{{cite news|title=Dis Calls in 'Rescuers' After Nude Images Found.|last=Davies|first=Jonathan|date=11 January 1999|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=2009-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Mikkelson|year=1996|accessdate=2009-07-25}}</ref><ref name="The Toronto Star">{{cite news|title=Disney Knows the Net Never Blinks|last=Howell|first=Peter|date=13 January 1999|publisher=The Toronto Star|accessdate=2009-07-25}}</ref><ref name="San Jose, CA: Writers Club Press">{{cite news|title=What Would Walt Do?|last=Miller|first=D.M.|year=2001|publisher=San Jose, CA: Writers Club Press|pages=96|accessdate=2009-07-25}}</ref> |
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| − | The image in question is a blurry image of a topless woman that appears in two out of the film's more than 110,000 frames |
+ | The image in question is a blurry image of a topless woman that appears in two out of the film's more than 110,000 frames and it appears twice in non-consecutive frames during the scene in which Miss Bianca and Bernard are flying on Orville's back through New York City. |
| + | The two images could not be seen in ordinary viewing because the film runs too fast (at 30 frames per second on video). |
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| − | ''The Independent'' reported: |
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| ⚫ | "''A Disney spokeswoman said that the images in The Rescuers were placed in the film during production, but she declined to say what they were or who placed them... The company said the aim of the recall was to keep its promise to families that they can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the best in family entertainment''." |
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| − | ==Sequel== |
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| + | ==Trailer== |
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| − | ''The Rescuers'' was the first Disney animated film to have a sequel. After three successful theatrical releases of the original film, ''The Rescuers Down Under'' was released theatrically on November 16, 1990. |
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| + | [[File:The Rescuers - Theatrical Trailer|thumb|right|335 px]] |
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| − | ''The Rescuers Down Under'' takes place in the [[Australian Outback]], and involves Bernard and Bianca trying to rescue a boy named Cody and a giant golden eagle called Marahute from a greedy poacher named Percival C. McLeach. Both Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprised their lead roles. Since [[Jim Jordan]], who had voiced Orville, had since died, a new character, Wilbur (Orville's brother, another albatross) was created and voiced by [[John Candy]]. |
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| − | Another sequel to the film was planned in 1996, but after Eva Gabor's death, this and all future ''Rescuers'' sequels were cancelled; however, The Walt Disney Company announced that, as of 2013/2014, there are plans for both ''The Rescuers'' and ''The Rescuers Down Under'' to spawn one entirely-animated motion picture spin-off each, as well as a TV series adaptation to be based on both of those films, with work on these projects being planned and in-progress. |
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| − | The film ''[[Oliver & Company]]'' was also originally supposed to be a sequel to ''The Rescuers'', featuring Penny now living with her adoptive parents and Rufus the cat. However, due to concerns that the story would not have been convincing, Penny was replaced by a similar girl, named Jenny. |
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| − | ==References== |
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| − | {{Reflist}} |
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| + | [[Category:Crime drama films]] |
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| − | {{Disney theatrical animated features}} |
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| − | {{Wikipedia}} |
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| + | [[Category:Animated films about birds]] |
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| + | [[Category:Animated films about death]] |
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| + | [[Category:Animated films about orphans]] |
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| + | [[Category:Animated films based on children's books]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films based on works by Margery Sharp]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films about child abduction]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films about the United Nations]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films based on multiple works of a series]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films directed by John Lounsbery]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films directed by Wolfgang Reitherman]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films directed by Art Stevens]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic characters]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films featuring anthropomorphic mice]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films produced by Ron W. Miller]] |
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| + | [[Category:Films set in Louisiana]] |
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| + | [[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films]] |
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Revision as of 20:51, 9 November 2019
The Rescuers is a 1977 animated film produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977.
It is the 23rd film in the Walt Disney Feature Animation series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing the United Nations, dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world at large. Two of these mice, jittery janitor Bernard (Bob Newhart) and his co-agent, elegant Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), set out to rescue Penny (Michelle Stacy), an orphan girl being held prisoner in Devil's Bayou by treasure huntress Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page).
The film is based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, most notably The Rescuers and Miss Bianca. Due to the film's success, a sequel entitled The Rescuers Down Under was released in 1990.
Plot
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
The film begins in an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, where orphan Penny drops a message in a bottle containing a plea for help into the river. The bottle is carried out to sea and washes up in New York City, where it is recovered by the Rescue Aid Society. The Hungarian representative, Miss Bianca, volunteers to accept the case and chooses the janitor Bernard as her co-agent. The two visit Morningside Orphanage, where Penny lived, and meet an old cat named Rufus. He tells them about a wicked woman named Madame Medusa who once tried to lure Penny into her car and may have abducted her this time.
The mice travel to Medusa's pawn shop, where they discover that she and her partner Mr. Snoops are on a quest to find the world's largest diamond, the Devil's Eye. With the help of an albatross named Orville, and a dragonfly named Evinrude, the mice follow Medusa and Mr. Snoops to the bayou. There, they learn that Penny was captured to enter a hole that leads down into the pirates' cave where the Devil's Eye is located.
Thanks to Miss Bianca's perfume, the mice attract the attention of Medusa's pet alligators, Brutus and Nero. Bernard and Miss Bianca escape, and find Penny. The following morning, Medusa and Mr. Snoops send Penny down into the cave to find the diamond, unaware that Bernard and Miss Bianca are hiding in her skirt pocket. The three soon find it within a pirate skull; as Penny pries the mouth open with a sword, the mice push it out from within, but soon the oceanic tide rises and floods the cave. Bernard, Miss Bianca, and Penny barely manage to retrieve the diamond and escape.
The greedy Medusa steals the diamond for herself and hides it in Penny's teddy bear. When she trips over a cable, Medusa loses the bear to Penny, who runs away with it. Medusa retaliates with gunfire, causing the mice to flee until they are met by Brutus and Nero. Bernard and Miss Bianca trick them into entering a cage-like elevator, trapping them.
Two of the gang set off Mr. Snoops' fireworks, making the boat sink. Penny and the gang use Medusa's "swampmobile". Medusa is left clinging to the boat's smokestacks with Brutus and Nero attacking below.
Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watches TV to hear that the Devil's Eye was given to the Smithsonian Institution and Penny was adopted by a new father and mother. Bernard and Miss Bianca remain partners in the Rescue Aid Society's missions and soon after depart on Orville, accompanied by Evinrude, to a new rescue mission.
Voice Cast
- Bob Newhart as Bernard, Rescue Aid Society's timid janitor, who reluctantly tags along with Miss Bianca. He is highly superstitious about the number 13 and dislikes flying (the latter being a personality trait of Newhart).
- Eva Gabor as Miss Bianca, the Hungarian representative of the Rescue Aid Society. She is sophisticated and adventurous. Her Hungarian nationality was derived from that of her voice actress.
- Geraldine Page as Madame Medusa, a greedy, redheaded, wicked pawnshop owner.
- Michelle Stacy as Penny, a lonely six-year-old orphan girl, residing at Morningside Orphanage in New York City.
- Joe Flynn as Mr. Snoops, Medusa's clumsy business partner. This was Flynn's final role before his death in 1974.
- Jim Jordan as Orville (named after Orville Wright of the Wright brothers, the inventors of the aeroplane), an albatross who gives Bernard and Bianca a ride to Devil's Bayou. The role was the last for Jordan, who retired after the film's release. Several of Orville's screams were recycled from Pinto Colvig's performances as Goofy.
- John McIntire as Rufus, the elderly cat who resides at Morningside Orphanage and comforts Penny when she is sad. He was designed by animator Ollie Johnston, who retired after this film following a 40-year career with Disney.
- Jeanette Nolan as Ellie Mae and Pat Buttram as Luke, two muskrats who reside in a Southern-style home on a patch of land in Devil's Bayou. Luke drinks very strong, homemade liquor.
- James MacDonald as Evinrude, a dragonfly who mans a leaf boat across Devil's Bayou, giving Bernard and Miss Bianca a ride across the swamp waters.
- Candy Candido as Brutus and Nero, Medusa's two aggressive pet crocodiles.
- Bernard Fox as Mr. Chairman, the chairman to the Rescue Aid Society.
- George Lindsey as Deadeye, a fisher rabbit who is one of Luke and Ellie Mae's friends.
- Larry Clemmons as Gramps, a grumpy, yet kind old turtle who carries a brown cane.
- Dub Taylor as Digger, a mole.
- John Fiedler as Deacon Owl
- Shelby Flint as Singer, Bottle
- Bill McMillian as T.V. Announcer
Production
In 1962, the movie's development first began with its initial treatment developed from the first book centering on a poet held captive by a totalitarian government in the Siberia-like stronghold. However, when the story grew overtly involved with international intrigue, Walt Disney shelved the project as he was unhappy with the political overtones.
It was revived in the early 1970s as a project for the young animators, led by Don Bluth, as the studio would alternate between full-scale "A pictures" and smaller, scaled-back "B pictures" with simpler animation.
The animators had selected the most recent book "Miss Bianca in the Antarctic" with its story focusing on a captured polar bear forced into performing in shows causing the unsatisfied bear to place a bottle that would reach the mice.
Jazz singer Louis Prima was supposed to voice the character named Louis the Bear and this version was to feature six songs sung by Prima written by Floyd Huddleston, but unfortunately in 1975, Prima discovered that he had a stem brain tumor and the project was scrapped.
Meanwhile, the "A" crew had finished work on Robin Hood, and was set to begin production on an adaptation of Paul Gallico's book titled "Scruffy" (under the direction of Ken Anderson). The story concerned the monkeys of Gibraltar under World War II, which also involved Nazis. When the time had come to greenlight one of the two projects, the studio leaders eventually decided to go for "The Rescuers."
After "Scruffy" was shelved, the veteran team turned the project into a more traditional, full-scale production ultimately dropping the Arctic setting of the story with veteran Disney writer Fred Lucky stating, "It was too stark a background for the animators."
Cruella de Vil, the villainess from One Hundred and One Dalmatians was originally considered to be the main antagonist of the film, but Disney animator Ollie Johnston stated it felt wrong to attempt a sequel and the idea was dropped and instead, she was replaced by a retouched version of the Diamond Duchess in Miss Bianca. The two characters share surprisingly few similarities, other than perhaps the tendency to drive recklessly.
The motive to steal a diamond originated in Margery Sharp's 1959 novel "Miss Bianca." Her appearance was based on animator Milt Kahl's ex-wife, whom he did not particularly like. This was Kahl's last film for the studio and he wanted his final character to be his best & he was so insistent on perfecting Madame Medusa that he ended up doing almost all the animation for the character himself. Penny was inspired by Patience, the orphan in the novel.
For the accomplices, the filmmakers adapted the character, Mandrake, into Mr. Snoops and his appearance was caricatured from animation historian John Culhane. Culhane claims he was practically tricked into posing for various reactions and his movements were imitated on Mr. Snoops's model sheet. However, he stated, "Becoming a Disney character was beyond my wildest dreams of glory." Brutus and Nero are based on the two bloodhounds, Tyrant and Torment in the novels.
The writers considered developing Bernard and Bianca into married professional detectives, but ended up left them as as unmarried. For the supporting characters, a pint-sized swampmobile for the mice (a leaf powered by a dragonfly) was created. As they developed the comedic potential of displaying his exhaustion through buzzing, the dragonfly grew from an incidental into a major character.
Veteran sound effects artist and voice talent Jimmy MacDonald came out of retirement to provide the effects. Also, the local swamp creatures were organized into a dedicated home guard that drilled and marched incessantly. However, the writers evolved them into a volunteer group of helpful little bayou creatures. Their leader, a singing bullfrog voiced by Phil Harris, was deleted from the film.
A pigeon was originally proposed to be the transportation for Bernard and Bianca, until Ollie Johnston remembered a "True Life Adventures" episode that showed albatrosses and their clumsy take-offs and landings, and suggested the ungainly bird instead.
Animation
Ever since "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," the animation for theatrical Disney animated films was done by xerography, which had been only been able to produce black outlines, had been improved for the cel artists to use a medium-grey toner in order to create a softer-looking line.
At the end of the movie's production, it marked the last joint effort by veterans Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas & also the first Disney film worked on by Don Bluth as an animator, instead of an assistant animator.
The other animators who stepped up during production were Glen Keane, Ron Clements and Andy Gaskill, who would all play an important role in the Disney Renaissance.
Music
The songs for the movie were written by Sammy Fain, Carol Connors, and Ayn Robbins, and performed by Shelby Flint.
For the first time since Bambi, all of the most significant songs were sung as part of a narrative, as opposed to by the film's characters as in most Disney animated films.
- "The Journey" (also known as "Who Will Rescue Me?") – Sung during the film's opening credits, the song follows Penny's bottle as it floats out of the Devil's Bayou and into the Atlantic Ocean.
- "Rescue Aid Society" – Sung by the Chairman (Bernard Fox), Bernard (Bob Newhart), and Miss Bianca (Robie Lester, filling in for Eva Gabor), as well as the various international mouse delegates (the Disney Studio Chorus) during the R.A.S. meeting. A reprise of the song plays when Bernard and Bianca begin to lose their faith, and are reminded of the song and its meaning.
- "Faith is a Bluebird" – Although not an actual song, it is a poem recited by Rufus and partially by Penny in a flashback the old cat has to when he last saw the small orphan girl, and comforted her through the poem, about having faith. The titular bluebird that appears in this sequence originally appeared in Alice in Wonderland (1951).
- "Tomorrow is Another Day" – Sung as Bernard and Bianca travel to Devil's Bayou upon Orville's back. The song plays again at the film's closure, as Bernard and Bianca, assisted by Evinrude and Orville, set out on a new rescue mission.
- "Someone's Waiting For You" – Sung as Penny begins to lose her faith, after Medusa cruelly speaks to her. During this segment, the star of faith, that Rufus mentioned earlier lights up the night sky. Bambi and his mother appear during this segment. The song was originally entitled "The Need to Be Loved" and featured different lyrics, with recorded versions by Jennifer Paz and Paul Francis Webster.
- "For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" – Sung by the orphan children at the end of the film, as a variation of the song "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow".
Box Office
"The Rescuers" was successful during its original theatrical release, earning $48 million at the box office and becoming Disney's most successful film to that date.
During its initial release in France, it out-grossed Star Wars and became the highest-grossing film in West Germany at the time. The distributor rentals accumulated $19 million while its international rentals grossed $41 million.
The movie broke a record for the largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it kept until 1986 when An American Tail broke the record.
It was Disney's first significant success since The Jungle Book and the last until The Little Mermaid
When it was re-issued in theaters in 1983 and 1989, "The Rescuers" has had a lifetime gross of $71.2 million across its original release & several reissues.
Critical Reception
The movie was said to be Disney's greatest film since Mary Poppins and seemed to signal a new golden age for Disney animation. Rotten Tomatoes reported that it received a 83% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 26 reviews.
The website's consensus says: "Featuring superlative animation, off-kilter characters, and affectionate voice work by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, The Rescuers represents a bright spot in Disney's post-golden age."
TV Guide gave the film three stars out of five, saying that: "Four years in the making, costing nearly $8 million, THE RESCUERS is a beautifully animated film that showed Disney still knew a lot about making quality children's fare even as their track record was weakening. [...] Comic relief is provided by a bird named Orville, who transports the mice as they search for the girl. The voices are all well suited to the characters, and the film is a delight for children as well as adults who appreciate good animation and brisk storytelling."
Ellen MacKay of Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "Great adventure, but too dark for preschoolers".
In his book "The Disney Films", film historian Leonard Maltin refers to the movie as "a breath of fresh air for everyone who had been concerned about the future of animation at Walt Disney's," praises its "humor and imagination and [it is] expertly woven into a solid story structure [...] with a delightful cast of characters."
Finally, he declares the movie "the most satisfying animated feature to come from the studio since 101 Dalmatians." He also briefly mentions the ease with which the film surpassed other animated films of its time.
Re-Release
On December 16, 1983, "The Rescuers" was re-released to theaters along with a new Mickey Mouse featurette "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (making it Mickey Mouse's first theatrical appearance after a 30-year absence.
In anticipation of its upcoming theatrically released sequel in 1990, the movie saw another successful theatrical run on March 17, 1989.
Controversy
On January 8, 1999 (three days after the film's second release on home video) The Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of "The Rescuers" videotapes because there was an objectionable image in one of the film's background cels.
The image in question is a blurry image of a topless woman that appears in two out of the film's more than 110,000 frames and it appears twice in non-consecutive frames during the scene in which Miss Bianca and Bernard are flying on Orville's back through New York City.
The two images could not be seen in ordinary viewing because the film runs too fast (at 30 frames per second on video).
On January 10, 1999, two days after the recall was announced, the London press site The Independent reported:
"A Disney spokeswoman said that the images in The Rescuers were placed in the film during production, but she declined to say what they were or who placed them... The company said the aim of the recall was to keep its promise to families that they can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the best in family entertainment."
The video was reissued on March 23, 1999 with the offending image edited out.
Trailer
The Rescuers - Theatrical Trailer