ENJOY ABOUT THE FILM "THE RESCUERS"

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Produced by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Margery Sharp (original author)
Larry Clemmons
Ken Anderson
Vance Gerry
David Michener
Burny Mattinson
Frank Thomas
Fred Lucky
Ted Berman
Dick Sebast
Starring Eva Gabor
Bob Newhart Geraldine Paige
Jim Jordan
Joe Flynn
 
Music by Artie Butler
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s) June 22, 1977 (USA)
Running time 77 minutes
Country  United States
Language English
Budget $1,200,000 (estimated)
Followed by The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Rescuers is a 1977 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The twenty-third film in the Disney animated features canon, the film is about a society of mice, called the Rescue Aid Society, headquartered in New York and shadowing the United Nations, who go about doing good deeds in the world at large. Two of these mice, a hesitant and very New York-sounding Bernard (Bob Newhart) and the elegant Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), set about rescuing Penny, a kidnapped girl, with the help of a comical albatross and the various animal inhabitants of the bayou where Penny is being held.

The film was inspired by several children's novels by Margery Sharp, most notably, The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Bianca (1962). 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.

Film Synopsis

The Rescuers begins when a young orphan named Penny throws off a message in a bottle from a long-derelict luxury steamship on which she is held a prisoner. The bottle washes up in America and is taken to the Rescue Aid Society, a UN-like group, located in New York City, consisting of representative mice from all over the world. The mice read the message inside and learn that Penny was kidnapped. The Hungarian representative, Miss Bianca, is upset and volunteers to save the girl. The Chair of the society agrees, but on the condition that she chooses a partner for her safety. Of all the eager male delegates, she chooses Bernard, the janitor, for whom she has a soft spot. The two set out to the orphanage where Penny lived and there meet a local cat, Rufus, who has secretly retired from hunting mice. He tells them that Penny was a close friend of his, who despaired of being adopted by any family; that he had attempted to re-assure her; and that she is assumed to have fled of her own accord. The only alternative is to the effect that she was stolen by a mysterious, ill-meaning woman called Madame Medusa.

The rescuers, Bernard and Miss Bianca find themselves losing their faith; "What can two little mice do?" asks Bernard.

The mice then travel to Madame Medusa's pawnshop. While they are searching for clues, they hear Madame talking to her assistant, Mr. Snoops, on the phone. She yells at him for being unable to find a thing called the "Devil's Eye" and is furious to find out that Penny was sending messages in bottles. Angrily, she tells Mr. Snoops that she will take "the next flight down to Devil's Bayou" and leaves in her car. Bernard and Miss Bianca try to climb into her suitcase, but are thrown from it by Madame Medusa's reckless driving.

They recruit the help of an albatross named Orville, who flies them to Devil's Bayou. There, they are greeted by two muskrats named Ellie Mae and Luke, and a dragonfly named Evinrude, who loathe Madame Medusa for causing havoc in their neighborhood. With Evinrude's help, the rescuers are able to reach the ship on which Penny is held. Eavesdropping on Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops, they learn that the Devil's Eye is a diamond coveted by Madame Medusa, and that Penny was captured so as to provide the criminals with one who could enter the underground pirate's cave wherein the gem is kept and recover it. Shortly after entering, Miss Bianca and Bernard attract the attention of Madame Medusa's half-tame crocodiles, Brutus and Nero. The crocodiles, who serve Madame as guards to prevent or spoil Penny's escape, attempt to devour the mice. In the resulting chase/battle, the ship's pipe organ as well as some curtains and Madame Medusa's patience are all broken. Madame, who cannot tolerate mice, complicates the pandemonium by her panic, her summons of the incompetent Mr. Snoops, and her use of a large gun.

Bernard and Miss Bianca escape, later to visit a disconsolate Penny. Penny still maintains hope that she might have a family of her own, yet her resolve is waning. The arrival of two well-meaning mice, who speak of co-operation and faith (a concept made familiar to her by Rufus) raises her morale. Together, the three devise a plan, which is put into action on the following day.

Meanwhile, Ellie Mae has roused her neighbors to action. They wait only for Bernard's message, which Evinrude is expected to deliver; once it has arrived, they will attack the steamship and rescue Penny, . Evinrude in fact has orders to find and bring Ellie Mae and her friends; en route to do this, he is pursued by hungry bats. He takes refuge in an empty bottle, delaying his message.

 
Penny struggles to free the Devil's Eye diamond from a pirate's cranium. The producers carefully designed every shot of this scene to slowly raise the tension.

Come morning, Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops send Penny into the cave to find the Devil's Eye. With her are Miss Bianca and Bernard, concealed in a pocket. The cave itself was once a treasure-trove used by pirates to store their plunder, before the crew (presumably) fought among themselves and killed each other. After a brief search, the friends discover the Devil's Eye inside the skull of one of the pirates; the means of its concealment therein is not explained. As they are opening the skull in order to bring the gem out, the oceanic tide rises and floods the cave. Miss Bianca, Penny, and Bernard barely escape, but do so successfully in both survival and seizure of the diamond.

Madame Medusa, passionate and jealous in greed, takes possession of the diamond immediately. Rather than give Mr. Snoops a 50% share in it as she had evidently promised, she takes it entirely for her own, concealing it in Penny's teddy bear. When both Mr. Snoops and Penny protest, she threatens to kill them.

Evinrude, eluding the bats, arrives at Ellie Mae's house. There, the tired insect is given a drop of Luke's stimulating beverage, whereupon he gives the order to charge. The locals run in a body to the riverboat.

As Madame Medusa is backing away from Penny and Mr. Snoops, clutching the toy bear in which is the diamond, Bernard trips her up by means of a cord. She loses control of the diamond. Before she can recover it, Ellie Mae and her friends attack, punishing Madame Medusa relentlessly for disturbing their peace. Madame Medusa retaliates with gunfire, causing the rebels to flee; they are met by Brutus and Nero. Just as the crocodiles are poised to decimate the smaller animals, Bernard and Miss Bianca trick them into entering a cage-like elevator, which is then closed upon them.

The locals, following Penny's plan, set off flares and fireworks (used by Mr. Snoops on Madame Medusa's orders) into the riverboat's living quarters, while Penny and the mice commandeer Madame Medusa's "swampmobile" (a type of motor-boat, used by Medusa to traverse the bayou). Madame attempts pursuit, but is thwarted. By the flares and firecrackers, the ship is caused to explode and sink. Madame Medusa is left clinging to one of its smokestacks, the diamond gone from her, while the crocodiles (whom she had abused in her desperation) attack her from below.

The Devil's Eye is given to the Smithsonian Institute, and Penny is adopted by a new father and mother. Bernard and Miss Bianca remain partners in the Rescue Aid Society's missions and soon after depart on Orville, accompanied by Evinrude, to a new rescue mission.

Film Cast

Eva Gabor - Miss Bianca
Bob Newhart - Bernard (The Rescuers)
Geraldine Page - Madame Medusa
Michelle Stacy - Penny
Joe Flynn - Mr. Snoops
Jim Jordan - Orville
John McIntire - Rufus
Jeanette Nolan - Ellie Mae
Pat Buttram - Luke
James MacDonald - Evinrude
Bernard Fox - Mr. Chairman
George Lindsey - Deadeye
Larry Clemmons - Gramps
Dub Taylor - Digger
John Fiedler - Deacon Owl
Shelby Flint - Singer, Bottle
Bill McMillian - T.V. Announcer

Film Characters

 The rescuers, Bernard and Miss Bianca fly on the albatross Orville to a new adventure followed by Evinrude.

Miss Bianca: (voiced by Eva Gabor) She is an adventurous, yet sophisticated, mouse who volunteers to take on the mission of rescuing the little girl who is known to be in terrible danger. Careful observation reveals she is the Hungarian delegate to the Rescue Aid Society.
Bernard: (voiced by Bob Newhart) The mouse janitor at the Rescue Aid Society, Bernard accompanies Miss Bianca in the mission to rescue the girl. Bernard isn't as brave as his partner; he strongly dislikes flying and is somewhat fearful of the number 13.
Madame Medusa: (voiced by Geraldine Page) A hateful pawnshop owner, Madame Medusa will stop at nothing to get her hands on the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond. Madame's hideout is Devil's Bayou, where her two ferocious pet crocodiles, Brutus and Nero live.
Penny: (voiced by Michelle Stacy) She is the lonely orphan girl abducted from her home at Morningside Orphanage. Madame Medusa is her kidnapper, for Penny is just the type of small girl she needs to squeeze down into the Black Hole and retrieve the Devil's Eye.
Mr. Snoops: (voiced by Joe Flynn) He is Madame Medusa's follower, who desires a share of the Devil's Eye. Although he doesn't fully approve of Madame Medusa's plan, he'll go along with it if that's what it will take to get the precious jewel. He is a caricature of animation historian John Culhane.
Brutus and Nero: They are Madame Medusa's two pet crocodiles who guard the riverboat and prevent Penny from escaping. Brutus was named after the Roman senator who stabbed Julius Caesar and Nero was named after the much hated Roman Emperor Nero.
Rufus: (voiced by John McIntire) An old cat, he comforts Penny when she is feeling despair and represents the story's moral of "keep your faith."
Evinrude: (voiced by James MacDonald) A dragonfly who aids the rescuers by serving as a motor to their leaf-boat and trusted to send a message to the Swamp Folk when their help is needed. His name is perhaps an allusion to the famous boat motor company.
Orville: (voiced by Jim Jordan) An albatross, he too serves as transportation for the rescuers, this time by air.

Film Songs

Penny is comforted by Rufus during "Faith is a Bluebird".

The songs in the film were composed and written by Carol Connors, Ayn Robbins and Sammy Fain, Shelby Flint's voice was brought for three of the songs. The musical score was composed by Artie Butler. For the first time since Bambi, the most significant songs in the film were sung offscreen.

"The Journey" is "sung" by the bottle. Even though the bottle is nothing but an object, the song is sung from its perspective after Penny throws it in the water. The bottle is then washed away by the raging ocean waves during a thunderstorm and it desperately "asks" for someone to rescue it: "I'm lost at sea without a friend..." Shelby Flint, who sang the song offscreen, is sometimes credited as the voice of "The Bottle."
"Rescue Aid Society" is the pledge song of the international mouse organization whose purpose is to help those in need. Eva Gabor, Bob Newhart, Bernard Fox and some actors who had played the parts of the swamp critters participated in this song. A number of unusual objects were used as instruments, including a toy piano. The song was reprised as a memory of Bernard and Miss Bianca; when their faith begun to fade away, the pledge of their society lifted their spirits.
"Faith is a Bluebird" is the poem Rufus recites to Penny in an attempt to cheer her up and bring hope to her heart. Although often listed as a song, "Faith is a Bluebird" is actually a poem performed by John McIntire and Michelle Stacy.
"Tomorrow is Another Day" is placed at the middle of the film, as a break from the film's melancholy atmosphere. In this song, Bernard and Miss Bianca's hopes for romance are sung offscreen by Shelby Flint. The song was reprised at the conclusion of the film, having it end with the words "Tomorrow is another day."
"Someone's Waiting for You" is the lullaby Shelby Flint sings offscreen to Penny when her faith has vanished almost completely. This song was nominated for an Oscar in 1978. At one point during the film's production, this song was to be replaced by the lullaby "Hush Little Baby," sung by the girl to her teddy bear. During this song sequence, Bambi and his mother can be seen from the balcony, as well as other recycled animation from that film.
"For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" is sung by the orphan kids at the end of the movie, congratulating Penny for her bravery and for having been newly adopted. The song is a variation of the song "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow".

Directing Animators

Frank Thomas: Bernard, Miss Bianca, Brutus and Nero, Mr. Chairman, Ellie Mae, Luke, Orville
Ollie Johnston: Bernard, Miss Bianca, Penny, Rufus, Orville
Milt Kahl: Madame Medusa, Mr. Snoops
Don Bluth: Zoo sequence

Film Significance

The Rescuers is an important film in the history of Disney animation for several reasons:

It was the first Disney film that significantly combined the talents of Walt Disney's original crew of storywriters and animators (Including Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men") with a newer, less experienced crew Walt Disney Productions recruited in the late 1970s.
The Rescuers was also Disney's first major animated success since The Jungle Book and the last until The Little Mermaid, largely because the studio was facing financial difficulties due to the enormous failure of Disney's 1979 live-action film, The Black Hole. The Rescuers marked the end of the silver age of Disney animation that had begun in 1950 with Cinderella.
During the 1960s and early 1970s Disney films took on the trend of comedy, rather than story, heart and drama. The Rescuers marked the return of the animated drama films the studio had previously been known for, such as Bambi or Dumbo, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston stated in their website that The Rescuers had been their return to a film with "heart" and also considered it their best film without Walt Disney.
The story of two little mice off to rescue the little girl Penny returned the interest for animation that had been lost to both critics and audiences throughout the 1970s.
The film marked the end of the studio's so-called "sketchy" period of the 1960s and 1970s and brought a more defined, softer Xerox outline, which can be more appreciated in the closing scenes, where the film's budget was extended.
The Rescuers was the first Disney animated feature to inspire a theatrically released sequel, The Rescuers Down Under. Since then, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan have also received theatrical sequels (though all three were originally intended to be sent straight to video and/or DVD).
This film was the last project for John Lounsbery, one of Disney's "Nine Old Men". In an unfortunate coincidence to Bernard's triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13), Lounsbery died on Friday, February 13, 1976. This film was also the last film performance for actor Jim Jordan, best known for his longtime role as radio's Fibber McGee. Joe Flynn, who voiced Mr. Snoops drowned in a swimming pool after suffering a heart attack in 1974, three years prior to the release of the film.
This was the last animated feature to be shot in Technicolor.

Abandoned Concepts

During the four years of production for this film, many original concepts were altered or dropped, among them:

The Rescue Aid Society was originally the "Prisoners' Aid Society" ('Mouse Prisoner's Aid Society' from Miss Bianca to Bernard into Battle), just as it was in the original Margery Sharp novels. Originally, the Rescue Aid Society was to be placed in a hole somewhere until the idea of a luggage bag in the basement of the U.N. building came up.
Ellie Mae and the Swamp Folk were originally going to carry a small flag that said "Swamp Volunteers". This detail was dropped since this would be the only time they would serve as rescuers.
Some of the producers had suggested that Bernard and Miss Bianca should be married in the end of the film, but in respect for Margery Sharp, author of the The Rescuers books, this was dropped. In the sequel, however, Miss Bianca agrees to marry Bernard after he proposes.
The island of Cuba was once considered as the setting for the film.
In one scene, Bernard, Bianca and Penny are in the cave trying to retrieve the Devil's Eye out of the skull of a dead man. Ken Anderson's Multiple Choice Layouts displayed Bianca taking pictures of the skull and Bernard inside the cave.
An abandoned sequence involved Bernard and Bianca going to a mouse supply room in the International Rescue Aid Society Headquarters. In here, they were supposed to have bins full of items Bernard and Bianca would need on their journey. Once they were packed Rescue Aid would then send them off. Ken Anderson drew conceptual art of this storage room, what was inside of it, etc.
An original scene that never made it into the final film involved one in which Madame Medusa was sewing the Devil's Eye diamond into Teddy.

Film Box Office & Reaction

The Rescuers was successful upon its original theatrical release earning $48 million at the box office and becoming Disney's most successful film to that date. The film broke a record for the largest financial amount made for an animated film on opening weekend, a record it kept until 1986, when Don Bluth's An American Tail broke the record. The Rescuers was Disney's first significant success since The Jungle Book and the last until The Little Mermaid.

The film was received with almost unanimous praise from critics and was also well-received by audiences. The Rescuers was said to be Disney's greatest film since Mary Poppins in 1964 and that it seemed to signal a new golden age for Disney animation (although, followed by the critical failures of The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron, it is now tied to the second golden age, which began with Cinderella in 1950).

International Release Dates

Argentina: July 14, 1977
Spain: November 25, 1977
Italy: December 15, 1977
West Germany: December 16, 1977
France: December 21, 1977
Hong Kong: December 22, 1977
Australia: December 29, 1977
Sweden: December 2, 1978
Finland: December 22, 1978
Denmark: December 26, 1978
Norway: December 26, 1978
Japan: December 19, 1981

Naked Lady Film Controversy

One of the frozen frames containing a topless woman in the window

On January 8, 1999, three days after the film's second release on home video on January 5, the Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of the videotapes because there was "something dirty in The Rescuers" that was not meant to be there. The "something" in question is a blurry image of an unidentified topless woman that appears in two out of the film's more than 10,000 frames. The image appears twice in nonconsecutive frames during the scene in which Miss Bianca and Bernard fly on the back of Orville through New York City. The image is impossible to see at regular speed because the scene goes by too fast. Unlike a number of other urban legends surrounding Disney films such as Aladdin, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, this one was undeniably true. Though the origin of this has never been known or explained, there have been several unconfirmed theories about it:

One of the theories is that the film was expected to be a success even before entering theaters. Walt Disney Productions' animation department was in the crisis of an unsure future throughout the early '70s, due to the tragic death of Walt Disney (though the animated films were still largely successful). It is believed that someone during the post-production of The Rescuers inserted the offending image in order to sabotage the success of the film.
Another theory involves the Walt Disney Company purposely inserting the image for the film's 1999 VHS release only with the intention of announcing a recall shortly after, thus boosting the video's sales. The Walt Disney Company denied the accusation; The Rescuers had always sold decently on home video formats while many other Disney video products were far less successful and never had the company attempted to boost their sales through this method.
The source of the image also remains unknown and whatever the correct theory may be, The Rescuers was reissued on video on March 1999 with the offending image edited out, "to keep the promise to families that they may trust the Disney products", as the company stated. The Walt Disney Company then carefully inspected every other Disney film to prevent future incidents of this nature. The Walt Disney Company offered to exchange the original 1999 VHS release to those who had bought it for new copies with the offending scene edited out. However, few people accepted the exchange, since the first issue had automatically become a collector's item.

The film's reputation suffered because of this incident; after this, the film has been carefully kept apart from the mainstream of Disney Classics upsetting many fans.

Other minor issues regarding the 1977 film, The Rescuers, include being avoided in some schools and day-care centers because of the film's repeated use of the word "devil", which some teachers and caretakers found slightly offensive and inappropriate for very young children (the same occurred with Disney's 1961 animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians); as well as scary images of skeletons, cracking craniums and loud shotgun noises.

Film Sequels

The Rescuers was the first Disney animated feature to inspire a sequel. After three successful theatrical releases of the original film, The Rescuers Down Under was released theatrically in 1990 . This time around, Bernard and Miss Bianca were called to Australia where they would rescue a young boy named Cody from the evil poacher Percival McLeach, who just like in The Rescuers, needed the boy to get his hands on a valuable treasure, the golden eagle Marahute. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprised their roles as the two mice, who somewhat took a new role as secondary characters in the sequel. Since Jim Jordan, who had played Orville in the original film, had died, a new character, Wilbur (another albatross, Orville's brother) was created and voiced by John Candy.

The sequel was produced mainly as a experiment to test the new animation Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) system and was originaly going to be released directly to video. Though it received its fair share of praise from critics and audiences, The Rescuers Down Under (1990) suffered from a much unsuccessful theatrical run. It was considered the black sheep of the Disney renaissance and the only film from that period to not be a musical. Among the criticism were claims that the producers had taken too many liberties for their newest adaptation of Margery Sharp's Miss Bianca novels as well as a reused plotline from The Rescuers.The unsuccessful first sequel led Disney to release future sequels directly to video instead of theatrically. A new sequel to The Rescuers was planned for 1996, but the death of Eva Gabor brought the decision to cancel that project as well as any future sequels to the 1977 film.

Film Trivia

Madame Medusa, the film's villain.
Jeanette Nolan, who voiced the muskrat Ellie Mae, was asked to fake a much thinner and louder voice in order to fit her character.
Sometimes, the voices Disney used for their characters helped shape the personalities of such characters; thus, when Eva Gabor was chosen to play the role of Miss Bianca, Gabor's Hungarian nationality was given to the character, making her Hungary's representative at the Rescue Aid Society.
In the novels, Bernard and Miss Bianca have the positions of Perpetual Mr. Secretary and Madam President of the Mouse Prisoner's Aid Society, due to their legendary rescuing career, unlike the film, in which Miss Bianca is regular delegate and Bernard the former janitor.
Though the film was a huge box office success, the studio never really did get a chance to celebrate their victory since much of the money was used to pay debts, and the rest was used in the making of the financial failure The Black Cauldron.
The Rescuers was Disney's fourth feature film to be set in the (then-)present day, following One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
This is the first Disney animated feature partially taking place in the United States.
A number of bayou backgrounds in the film were later used in The Little Mermaid during the "Kiss the Girl" sequence.
A Mickey Mouse watch hangs upon the walls in the Rescue Aid Society organization building.
The animation in the scene where Penny attempts to run away comes from The Jungle Book (1967).
Evinrude the Dragonfly, who pushes a small boat in the film, is named after a manufacturer of outboard boat motors.
After given some of Luke's "drink", Evinrude flies up, re-energized, and buzzes out the "Charge!" fanfare. The sound clip of Evinrude humming the fanfare is recycled from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, when a bee buzzes the "Charge!" tune.
The film broke a record for largest box office gains by an animated feature on opening weekend, a record it would keep until the release of An American Tail (1986).
Bernard and Miss Bianca have made cameo appearances in the Disney's House of Mouse television series.
This is one of the first times in a Disney animated film (along with The Aristocats (1970) and Lady and the Tramp (1955) ) that the hero and heroine don't fall in love "at first sight". Rather, it is implied that Miss Bianca and Bernard already knew each other before the movie started and the romance develops over the course of the film.
The Rescue Aid Society honors its founder, Euripedes Mouse, who removed a tiny needle from a lion's paw, a clear reference to a retelling of the classic Aesop fable, "The Lion and the Mouse."
Various delegates of the Rescue Aid Society hail from Austria, Turkey, Scotland, Latvia, France, Vienna, Japan, Argentina, Syria, Africa, Germany, and Arabia.

Film Innovations

This film marked the beginning of the use of a more refined xerographic process that restored a softer outline look that previously was not possible with the technology, (which so far only had been able to produce black outlines) allowing the use of a medium grey toner and even a purple toner for Miss Bianca's outlines.
The first time Disney practiced camera movements over still photographs to make the opening credits, prior to this, the studio had used the cels with the credits motionless over different still backgrounds, sometimes over one single background as was done in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
The Rescuers marked one of the first times in a Disney film in which the lead female character is worthy of the title of heroine. Prior to this film, female characters would always require the assistance of a male companion in order to progress. Though Miss Bianca too has a male helper, the duo was significantly more balanced.