Day Twenty Eight - The Rescuers

Movie: The Rescures
Released: June 22, 1977
Formats Released: 2 VHS, 1 Laserdisc, 1 DVD
Format Watched: Original VHS release
Watched with: Woody
Snacks: Jif creamy peanut butter on saltines, sugar free cherry kool-aid

This film is considered the last film of the Golden Age of Disney animation and the last big success for Disney Animation until The Little Mermaid.

My Thoughts on the Film:

I really enjoyed this film, and I didn't think I would. I totally don't remember watching this film before, although after consulting with my wife I know I have, it just didn't leave an impact with me. This is becoming a reoccurring trend with me. This is strange, I have several hundred movies in my collection, some from the 30's and 40's, some I've only seen 1 -2 times and I still remember them. I remember episodes of the Simpsons or Family Guy that I have only seen once, and some of those suck, but for some reason I can't remember most of the older Disney movies that I have seen. I don't get it.

This was an enjoyable movie. It wasn't a great movie, it didn't suck, but it fit nicely into the middle of good. The casting of Bob Newhart was perfect, but I grew up watching him with my family on the Newhart Show so I get his humor. Eva Gabor (not Zsa Zsa) as Miss Bianca fit nicely, adding a European flair to the part.

I liked that the Rescue Aid Society was at the UN, it gives it strange legitimacy, if you need that for a cartoon, and I think that the UN General Assembly should open with a song, it would do the world some good. It was strange and not entirely clear that only kids could talk to animals but it did add a fun gag at the end.

My Favorite Part of the Film:

The opening credits. The use of static oil paintings to show the journey of the bottle along with the song was very effective and a little moving.

Things I never Noticed Before:

- Pretty much the whole movie
- Bernard's superstitious counting of steps

Final Thoughts:

As I said earlier this is a solid Disney film. It fit's comfortably in the mold of family friendly comedies that Disney was aiming for. This was Don Bluth's first film as lead animator (An American Tale, etc) and his style is evident as Bernard and Miss Bianca show similarities to characters from The Secret of NIMH and An American Tale. This may have been the last film of Disney's Golden Age, but it was only four films removed from the Renaissance of the 90's.