The Rescuers (1983)

What makes it different from others?

What a waste of my time!!!

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Blistering performances.

This is so clearly within the lazy years of Disney; lifeless settings, chaotic lines, blatant character copies. Yet because of its simple, quiet nature, it stands out. Bernard and Bianca are completely endearing characters, and their mission (though wrought with manipulation) is admirable and tearful. (Side note: it's so weird to me that this is the only Disney Animation Studios film to get an official sequel)

And that's saying a LOT, since, while I usually have a pretty open attitude towards most (though not all) films I watch, animated or otherwise, I often find at least a FEW things that I, myself, probably would've done differently.This has been at the #1 spot as my favorite animated Disney movie of all time since at LEAST very early 2009. Now, nearly a full decade later, it STILL holds up quite well, and I can still remember those good happy times of falling in love with the film and its characters (heck! Even Madame Medusa, herself, while obviously a mean, nasty woman for the most parts, provides quite a few laughs with her hilarious over the top eccentricity and hamminess! THOUGH I WOULD NEVER TRULY BE "IN LOVE" W HER; Especially not if she were real!)As I finally write this long overdue review of this absolute masterpiece, it is early March 2017, just over 3 months before the film is due to celebrate its 40TH(!!!) Anniversary on June 22. However, due to the current execs of Walt's company giving the impression of biases in favor of SOME films being milked out the wazoo, while others (this one included) are contrastingly shunned in their infamous "Vault" more or less. A real shame that John Lasseter and his posse from Pixar seem to be giving this impression and the impression of wanting zillions more MONEY than they need (I mean "Frozen" ALONE made you guys multi-gazillionaires, so why not try to refute the notion of you potentially being cheapskates and not have these black-and-white biases? Just saying...)Either way, whether or not THEY care about this and several other Disney greats (in MY eyes at least) of the time, nothing will change the fact that I still do... Again, a REALLY perfect film if you ask me, 10/10, Happy (Early) 40th Anniversary, Rescuers!!! May you continue to "never fail to do what's right" for many decades yet to come!

The Rescuers (1977): Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens / Voices: Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Joe Flynn, Michelle Stacy: Disney animation about small factors making a big difference. The heroes are rodents who tackle larger than life challenges and they have just received bottled messages from a kidnapped orphan named Penny held by the evil Madam Medusa. Of these mice there is the humble and resourceful Bernard and the charming Bianca. They are assisted by Orville the wise-cracking Albatross who flies them to the everglades where Penny is being held. Meduca is searching for the biggest diamond in the world and using Penny to find it. Adventurous plot with dazzling images that only goes astray during its chaotic climax. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor voice Bernard and Bianca who lead the mission and take a variety of risks. Geraldine Page voices Madam Meduca as an intimidating villain. Penny seems unsympathetic though. Other voices include Joe Flynn voicing Meduca's standard henchman who ends up the product of deception. Michelle Stacy voices that dimwit Penny who sabotages more of the film than not. Fine directing by Wolfgang Reitherman and John Lounsbery with colourful animated spectacular. Entertaining Disney adventure that renders a bold statement about the fact that size does count, even if it isn't very big. Score: 7 ½ / 10

"The Rescuers" isn't perfect but it's a very entertaining animated film. It's one of those lesser-seen Disney animated films, this one about a society of talking mice who help children around the world. The case in question for this film is of a poor orphaned girl named Penny (voiced by Michelle Stacy) whose call for help comes to the ears of Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor). They have to travel to the Louisiana Bayou to rescue her from a wicked woman named Madam Medusa (Geraldine Page).It's a touching story that at times will get you misty-eyed and you'll be cheering for the cute little mice and the adorable orphan girl to get away from the evil Mrs. Medusa. There are genuine thrills and peril too. It's probably too frightening for young children, so about 7+ is the right age for this one. I found the voice acting to be pretty solid, particularly the mice and Madam Medusa. The area where I was disappointed was actually in the animation. The quality varies at times, with some scenes being of far lower quality than the rest and a few animation models having been created with a few mistakes in them. The story is fast paced and at 1hr 20 minutes it actually feels very short, with the ending coming up a little bit too quickly. Overall though, it's an enjoyable film that you can enjoy with your children without getting bored. If you're a child at heart, it's a great time too. (On Blu-ray, August 30, 2012)