The Rescuers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Rescuers |
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Original theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
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| Produced by |
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| Story by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Artie Butler |
| Editing by |
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| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | June 22, 1977 |
| Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7.5 million |
| Money made | $169 million |
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated adventure film. It was made by Walt Disney Productions. This movie is the 23rd Disney animated feature film.
The story is about two brave mice, Bernard and Bianca. They are part of the Rescue Aid Society. This is a secret international mouse group. Their job is to help people who have been kidnapped. Bernard and Bianca must save a young orphan girl named Penny. She has been taken by two treasure hunters. These hunters want Penny to help them find a huge diamond. The film is based on popular books by Margery Sharp. These include The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Bianca (1962).
The Rescuers started being planned in 1962. But the project was put on hold. This was because Walt Disney didn't like some of the story ideas. In the 1970s, the film was brought back. It was first given to younger animators. But after Robin Hood (1973) was released, older, more experienced animators took over. The Rescuers came out on June 22, 1977. It received good reviews and made a lot of money. The movie was also very popular in other countries like France and West Germany. Because it was so successful, a sequel was made. It was called The Rescuers Down Under and came out in 1990. This made The Rescuers the first Disney animated film to have a sequel.
Contents
Story of The Rescuers
Penny's Plea for Help
The movie begins in Devil's Bayou, Louisiana. A young orphan girl named Penny is trapped there. She drops a message in a bottle into the river. This bottle contains a plea for help. The bottle travels all the way to New York City. It is found by the Rescue Aid Society. This is a mouse organization located inside the United Nations building.
Miss Bianca, a mouse from Hungary, volunteers to take the case. She chooses Bernard, a shy janitor mouse, to help her. They go to Morningside Orphanage, where Penny used to live. There, they meet an old cat named Rufus. He tells them about a suspicious woman named Madame Medusa. She had tried to trick Penny into her car before. Rufus thinks Medusa might have kidnapped Penny this time.
Journey to Devil's Bayou
Bernard and Bianca go to Medusa's pawn shop. They find out that Medusa and her partner, Mr. Snoops, are looking for the world's biggest diamond. It's called the Devil's Eye. The mice learn that Medusa and Snoops are now in Devil's Bayou. They have indeed kidnapped Penny. Two trained crocodiles, Brutus and Nero, guard her.
With help from an albatross named Orville and a dragonfly named Evinrude, the mice follow Medusa. They fly to the bayou. There, they discover Medusa's plan. She wants to force Penny to go into a small blowhole. This hole leads to a hidden pirates' cave where the Devil's Eye diamond is located. Penny is the only one small enough to fit.
Finding the Diamond and Escaping
Bernard and Bianca find Penny. They quickly make a plan to escape. They send Evinrude to get help from the local animals. These animals really dislike Medusa. But Evinrude is delayed when he has to hide from a group of bats.
The next morning, Medusa and Snoops send Penny into the cave. She is supposed to find the gem. Bianca and Bernard are secretly hiding in Penny's skirt pocket. The three of them soon find the Devil's Eye. It is inside a pirate skull. Penny opens the skull's mouth with a sword. The mice push the gem through it. But then, the ocean tide starts to rise. The cave begins to flood. They barely manage to get the diamond and escape.
The Final Chase
Medusa then tricks Snoops. She hides the diamond in Penny's teddy bear. She holds Penny and Snoops at gunpoint. But Medusa trips over a trap set by Bernard and Bianca. She drops the bear and the diamond. Penny grabs them and runs away.
The local animals arrive at the riverboat. They help Bernard and Bianca trap Brutus and Nero. Then, they set off Mr. Snoops's fireworks. This creates more chaos. Meanwhile, Penny and the mice take Medusa's swamp-mobile. This is a homemade airboat. Medusa tries to chase them. She uses Brutus and Nero like water-skis. But she fails. As the riverboat sinks from the fireworks, Medusa crashes. She is left clinging to the boat's smoke stacks. Mr. Snoops escapes on a raft and laughs at her. The angry Brutus and Nero then turn on Medusa.
Penny's New Life
Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watches a news report. It shows how Penny found the Devil's Eye. The diamond has been given to the Smithsonian Institution. The best news is that Penny has been adopted and has a new family.
The meeting is interrupted when Evinrude arrives. He brings a new call for help. This sends Bernard and Bianca on another exciting adventure!
Characters in The Rescuers
- Bob Newhart as Bernard: He is the shy janitor of the Rescue Aid Society. He is a bit nervous and doesn't like flying. He also thinks the number 13 is unlucky.
- Eva Gabor as Miss Bianca: She is the elegant and brave representative from Hungary. She chooses Bernard to be her partner. She is very adventurous and likes Bernard a lot.
- Geraldine Page as Madame Medusa: She is a greedy and mean pawn-shop owner. She kidnaps Penny to find the Devil's Eye diamond. She has two pet crocodiles, Brutus and Nero, who eventually turn against her.
- Michelle Stacy as Penny: A lonely six-year-old orphan girl. She lives at Morningside Orphanage. Medusa kidnaps her to get the Devil's Eye.
- Joe Flynn as Mr. Snoops: Medusa's clumsy and not-so-smart partner. He helps her try to steal the diamond. He is betrayed by Medusa and escapes on a raft, laughing at her. This was Joe Flynn's last movie role.
- Jim Jordan as Orville: An albatross who gives Bernard and Bianca a ride to Devil's Bayou. He is named after Orville Wright, one of the inventors of the airplane.
- John McIntire as Rufus: An old, kind cat who lives at Morningside Orphanage. He comforts Penny when she is sad. He helps the mice by telling them about Madame Medusa.
- Jeanette Nolan as Ellie Mae and Pat Buttram as Luke: Two muskrats who live in Devil's Bayou. Luke makes very strong homemade liquor. This drink helps Bernard and Evinrude get energy. It is also used as fuel for Medusa's swamp-mobile.
- James MacDonald as Evinrude: A dragonfly who pilots a leaf boat across Devil's Bayou. He gives Bernard and Miss Bianca a ride through the swamp. He is named after a brand of boat motors.
- Bernard Fox as Mr. Chairman: The leader of the Rescue Aid Society.
Making the Film
Early Ideas and Changes
The books The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Bianca (1962) by Margery Sharp were very popular. In 1962, Walt Disney decided to make an animated movie based on them. Early ideas for the story were very different. One idea was about rescuing a poet from a prison in a cold, Siberia-like place. Another idea changed the location to Cuba. But Walt Disney didn't like these ideas because they felt too much like international politics. So, the project was put aside.
Later, in the early 1970s, the film project was started again. It was first given to newer animators. They thought about adapting Miss Bianca in the Antarctic. This story involved a King penguin and a captured polar bear. But this idea was also dropped. A storyboard artist named Fred Lucky said the Arctic setting was "too stark" for animators. They also felt the penguin wasn't a strong enough villain.
Developing the Characters
In one early version, a bear character named Louie was important. The famous jazz singer Louis Prima even recorded lines and songs for this bear. But the director, Wolfgang Reitherman, wanted a simpler story. He said, "A little girl gets kidnapped and the mice try to get her back, period." So, the bear character was removed.
The idea for the villain came from the Diamond Duchess in the Miss Bianca book. The setting was changed to the Southern United States bayous. At first, the villain was called the Grand Duchess. Then, some artists thought about using Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). But many staff members felt it was wrong to use an old character. Animator Milt Kahl especially wanted a new villain.
The new villain was named Madame Medusa. Her look was based on Milt Kahl's wife at the time. This was Kahl's last film for Disney. He wanted his final character to be perfect. He animated almost all of Madame Medusa's scenes himself. Penny, the kidnapped child, was inspired by a character named Patience from the books. The crocodile characters, Brutus and Nero, were based on two bloodhounds in the novels. Mr. Snoops, Medusa's helper, was based on a journalist named John Culhane. He had been interviewing animators at Disney.
Animation Techniques
Since One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), Disney animated films used a process called xerography. This process could only make black outlines. But by the time The Rescuers was made, the technology had improved. Cel artists could now use a medium-grey color. This made the lines look softer in the animation.
The Rescuers was the first movie where new animators worked with the older, experienced animators. It was also the last time three famous animators, Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, and Frank Thomas, worked together.
Music in The Rescuers
Songs and Composers
The songs for The Rescuers were written by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins. They started working together in 1973. They also worked with composer Sammy Fain on the song "Someone's Waiting for You." Most of the songs in the film were sung by Shelby Flint.
Interestingly, for the first time since Bambi (1942), the main songs in The Rescuers were sung as part of the story. They were not sung by the characters themselves, which was common in most Disney animated films.
List of Songs
Here are the original songs performed in the film:
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
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| 1. | "The Journey" | Shelby Flint | |
| 2. | "Rescue Aid Society" | Robie Lester, Bob Newhart, Bernard Fox & the Disney Studio Chorus | |
| 3. | "Tomorrow is Another Day" | Shelby Flint | |
| 4. | "Someone's Waiting for You" | Shelby Flint | |
| 5. | "Tomorrow is Another Day (Reprise)" | Shelby Flint |
Other songs heard in the film but not on the soundtrack include:
- "Faith is a Bluebird" – This is a poem recited by Rufus and Penny. It's about having faith. A bluebird in this scene also appeared in Alice in Wonderland (1951).
- "The U.S. Air Force" – This song is played whenever Orville the albatross appears.
- "For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" – The orphan children sing this at the end of the movie. It's a special version of the song "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow."
Release and Success
The Rescuers first showed on June 19, 1977, in Washington, D.C.. When it first came out, it was shown with a nature documentary called A Tale of Two Critters.
The movie was released again in theaters on December 16, 1983. This time, it was shown with a new Mickey Mouse short film called Mickey's Christmas Carol. This was Mickey Mouse's first time back in theaters in 30 years!
Because a sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, was coming out in 1990, The Rescuers was shown in theaters again on March 17, 1989. It was very popular each time it was re-released.
Legacy of The Rescuers
Bernard and Bianca have appeared as characters you can meet at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. While they don't appear regularly in American parks anymore, they are still often seen at Tokyo Disney Resort.
In the Disney Infinity video games, Medusa's Swamp Mobile was added as a vehicle in Disney Infinity 2.0.
In the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms, Bernard, Miss Bianca, Penny, Madame Medusa, and Orville are characters you can play as. The Rescue Aid Society and Madame Medusa's Riverboat are also attractions in the game.
Sequel Film
The Rescuers was the first Disney animated film to have a sequel. After the original film was successful in theaters three times, The Rescuers Down Under was released on November 16, 1990.
The Rescuers Down Under takes place in the Outback. Bernard and Bianca try to rescue a boy named Cody and a giant golden eagle named Marahute. They are trying to save them from a greedy poacher named Percival C. McLeach. Both Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor returned to voice Bernard and Bianca. Since Jim Jordan, who voiced Orville, had passed away, a new character named Wilbur was created. Wilbur is Orville's brother, and he was voiced by John Candy.
See also
In Spanish: The Rescuers (película) para niños
- 1977 in film
- List of American films of 1977
- List of animated feature films of 1977
- List of highest-grossing animated films
- List of highest-grossing films in France
- List of Walt Disney Pictures films
- List of Disney theatrical animated feature films
