The Rescuers (1983)

Wonderful Movie

Simply A Masterpiece

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Even though I do not have the nostalgic feelings about this movie, I still find it charming. Despite it being of lower quality than its sequel, it is still memorable in some ways. Medusa is a creepy over-the-top villain even though her motivations are quite generic. Both of the main characters have these distinct personalities which make them likable. The side characters are also pretty funny.I grew up with the sequel which is also very underrated. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but they have the honour of being the only pair of movies with a sequel of higher quality. I think the biggest problem I have with this one is the lack of really potent action scenes without the feeling of it being cartoon action. Compare it to the chilling scenes in the sequel. The story and the gripping scenes with Medusa and Penny do leave their mark, but a rescue mission is supposed to be more tense and action-packed. I was just a little disappointed about that.It is worth a watch, but I will always recommend the sequel.

I actually enjoyed this movie as a child, but after watching it as an adult I was disappointed. The songs are really bland and every time they had the girl on screen I just wanted to get back to the mice rescuers. They are the heart of the film but they never reach the summit like other Disney classics. The music is bland and the villain is a copy of other Disney villains. The movie just does not make sense. However, I have to stress that the kids will love it just as I did as a child. Who doesn't want to be rescued by little mice. So put into context as a child film, this one will hit all the right notes, but for adults it's a miss.

This was released on the date of my birthday. It's always kind of meant something to me ever since I first saw it as a kid at this after school party night thing. It's a quaint straightforward kind of adventure, but it's very warm and charming and is a story that's dead easy to get drawn into and connect with the characters. Barring one song I love the music, it feels very representative of the decade in which it was made, very free-spirited and poignant and heartfelt. "Someones's Waiting For You" is a real tearjerker of a song that plays at a very heartbreaking part of the movie and it always puts a little something in my eye because it's about a child in a very dark place without love who must keep hope in her little heart that one day she'll have a family of her own... That's what makes this movie a ten for me, its deeper themes of lost children and family that are woven into the story. There's just two little things about it that I don't like. One is the clan of hillbilly swamp critters, their little barrel of pep booze and how they yell "Charge!" and their whole yokel shtick feels out of place and rather dumb to me, and I really dislike the Rescue Aid Society song, I actually find that entire early scene in that place to be so sappy and off- putting, thank goodness it's not reflective of the picture as a whole! Gabor and Newhart both gave very good voice performances that complement and work off each other well, and also made their mousy characters seem much bigger. They made a great team, she loves the adventure and peril and he's superstitious and overly-cautious but also brave when he has to be. I like their quasi-romantic moments, very sweet. I like Penny because she's imperfect with her gappy child's teeth and mildly annoying energetic manner, it made her seem more like a real little girl that you actually want to see pull through and have a happy ending. The most tension is easily in the scene where she has the Devil's Eye diamond under one arm and her new rescuer friends in the other hand and she's trying to get out of the flooding underground pirate cave before they all drown. I love Evinrude the dragonfly because it's so cute the way he wears a little sweater and speaks only in a fairly expressive buzzing sound, and his purpose in the movie is like a living mini motorboat that runs out of steam all the time! It might make me sound bad but I think my favourite character is Medusa. Her motivation isn't anything special at all, I mean she's just a very greedy and demented bird-like woman who greatly desires a large one of a kind diamond and is willing to go to any lengths to get it, including kidnapping a child. But the voice actress does such an amazing job with her piercing crazy inflections that to me the character all but steals the show. She's not downright evil but she's so selfish and mean to everyone around her that she's very entertaining and you love to hate her and can't wait for her to get a comeuppance and be put in her place! To my mind she's also the only Disney villain that's a redhead, so props! Her pet alligators help to make her more of a threat. I love the scene where one of them inadvertently plays a comic tune of terror on the pipe organ while the other tries to snatch the mice as they're blasted out of the pipes! Also her squat sidekick in crime Snoops is a lot of fun, the man's wormy voice and the nerdy character design make for a classic bumbling stooge and I love Snoops, it's great to see him get the last laugh on Medusa at the end. Anyway it's a fantastic sweet movie that's always been a treasure to me and take care, for tomorrow is indeed another day! X

The Rescuers is a very cute animated adventure film - it is good to watch if you like any of the classic animated movies from Disney. But I will have to say that I was never that big of a fan of this animation - even as a 5 year old kid.The story is fairly good but I did not find the characters that alluring or appealing as I did with most other Walt Disney toons. To me, The Rescuers are not all that funny nor memorable (I did get a few laughs out of the film - just not that many). I realize that this movie is a crime film but so is 101 Dalmatians. Cruella De Vil was funny with her anger and vicious ways.Anyway, if you liked The Rescuers then try similar films like "101 Dalmatians", "The Fox and the Hound" or "Lady and the Tramp".7/10