The Rescuers: The Rescuers / The Rescuers Down Under, 35th Anniversary Edition

Description

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of an original classic, Disney proudly presents a special 2-movie collection featuring all-time family favorites, THE RESCUERS and THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER. Join two of the world's bravest mice -- Bernard and Bianca -- as they set out on two thrilling rescue missions full of comic adventure while soaring through the Devil's Bayou and flying sky high in the Australian outback. Buckle up for the ride of your life as these tiny heroes with great big hearts outrun and outwit their rivals to save the day. Brimming with lovable characters and unforgettable music, this 2-movie collection is high-flying fun for the entire family!|The Rescue Aid Society, an international organization of mice with headquarters in the basement of the United Nations building, receives a plea for help from a little orphan girl named Penny who has been kidnapped by an evil woman, Madame Medusa. Medusa intends to use her to retrieve a fabulous diamond, the Devil's Eye, from a pirate cave. The case is taken by lovely Bianca and Rescue Aid Society custodian Bernard, who becomes her shy assistant. Together, after avoiding two brutish alligators, enlisting the help of the local swamp folk, and turning Medusa and her henchman Snoops against themselves, they rescue Penny and the diamond.|A Mickey Mouse watch can be seen on the wall of the Rescue Aid Society, the international organization of mice headquartered in the basement of New York City's United Nations.|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.|The film was one of the last Disney classics to be animated by members of Walt Disney's "nine old men," the affectionate nickname he gave his top artists at the time.|Animation historian/critic John Culhane was the role model for the character Mr. Snoops. According to Culhane, he was visiting the Disney lot when he noticed the animators taking a more-than-usual interest in him! Review: Two of the great Disney gems - The Rescuers: 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. The Rescuers - Down Under: THE RESCUERS, in my opinion, is pure Disney entertainment. It made me feel all warm and tingly when Bernard (voice of Bob Newhart) and Bianca (voice of Eva Gabor) set out on their mission to rescue Cody (voice of Adam Ryen) and the rare golden eagle. If you ask me, McLeach (voice of George C. Scott) was absolutely nefarious. You'll have to see the movie if you want to know why. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone was perfectly cast, the direction was flawless, and Disney has scored a big hit. Also, after having seen this movie, I would love to go to Australia one day. In conclusion, I highly recommend this pure Disney blockbuster to everyone who hasn't seen it. I guarantee you you'll enjoy it. Review: Finally "The Rescuers Down Under" gets a better pressing - This review is really more for "The Rescuers Down Under" than the original "Rescuers". I was never really a huge fan of "The Rescuers" and didn't think it was one of Disney's better efforts. "The Rescuers Down Under", on the other hand, remains to this day my all time favorite Disney movie! I'm an amateur wildlife artist, specializing in birds of prey, and it was RDU that got me into eagles in the first place! I absolutely love this movie, and it was superior to it's prequel in so many ways - the animation was much better, the storyline was great, the music score by Bruce Broughton was phenomenal. I also liked the fact that Disney decided not to make this a musical (notwithstanding McLeach's twisted renditions of "Home on the Range" and "You Get a Line, I'll Get a Pole"). I was spellbound when I originally saw this in a theater and, sadly, I was only able to see it theatrically once. But the epic outback landscapes, and Cody's flight on Marahute's back were awesome on the big screen. And the whole theater just rumbled when McLeach drove his bushwhacker around! McLeach, himself, was the definitive Disney villain - I mean, come on, he aimed his gun at a kid, threw knives at a kid, and dangled a kid into a crocodile pit, not to mention threw the kid's backpack into the crocodile pit to make everyone think he was dead! This guy was really twisted! You were cheering when he finally got his just due! Another thing I like about RDU is that you really don't have to have seen the original "Rescuers" to know what's going on - it's a great movie by itself. The eagle, Marahute, is amazing - a huge eagle, beautifully colored, with a 40 foot wingspan. Obviously, someone at Disney was a National Geographic fan, because according to the National Geographic video "Australia's Aborigines", the Aboriginal name for the white bellied sea eagle is "Marawuti", the great hunter (a 2 letter difference from "Marahute"). Cody, the Australian boy who saves Marahute, wasn't voiced by an Australian actor (I think the boy who voiced him, Adan Ryen, was actually Norwegian), so his accent sort of comes and goes, but he's still very believable as far as his character goes, even if his accent is not. And Jake, the kangaroo rat, has all the can-do of Crocodile Dundee, and always tries to impress Miss Bianca, but in the end, it's the humble Bernard who's the big hero and who ultimately wins Bianca's heart! Wilbur, the albatross, voiced by the late John Candy, provides comic relief, as does Frank, the frilled lizard. All in all, it's a great adventure story that I've seen probably over 100 times and I never tire of it. As for the DVD, they did a new digital tranfer I think, and so the graininess that was present in the original DVD release from 2000 is gone, and it's a clear picture throughout! (I remember that was a point of contention with the 2000 release). I had always hoped Disney would make a deluxe repackage of RDU for it's anniversary, but I guess this is the closest we will get. The DVD also includes "The Making of RDU", which was not on the 2000 release (but it was included on the German version!) It's only a 10 minute documentary, and although it is insightful, I wish they would have had some interviews with the voice actors. Also, I remember watching a making of RDU back in 1990, where it showed how they went to the Peregrine Fund headquarters in Idaho to draw some of the birds, but in this one, the head animator says he drew from a big, stuffed eagle on loan from the Natural History museum. (In the end credits to RDU, they do thank the Peregrine Fund). Anyway, it's nice to finally have a decent version of RDU, even if you do have to buy the 2 DVD set in order to get it. It's also nice that it's finally available on Blu-Ray, as well - I would love to see how it looks in hi-def once I have a player! I'm sure Marahute will look amazing soaring through the sky again! As long as I do have "The Rescuers" as well, I'll probably give it another chance one of these days.