I remember loving to listen to the story of The Rescuers as a child on one of those Disney read-along books with the cassette tape that jingled when it was time to turn the page. I also recall adoring the sequel to this film, The Rescuers Down Under. You can imagine my surprise when, after taking this film in for the first time in ages, I found I did not like this film very much. Sure, it passes the Disney litmus test of likeable characters, a good story, and plenty of morals and lessons, but I find fault with its underwhelming animation.
In the heart of Devil’s Bayou, a little orphan named Penny sends for help via message in a bottle. This message reaches the Rescue Aid Society, an international assembly of mice determined to make a difference in the world. The lovely Miss Bianca (voiced by Eva Gabor) and her awestruck new partner Bernard (voiced by Bob Newhart) set out on a mission to save the poor girl from the clutches of the vile Madame Medusa and her nefarious cohorts.
The story is fine, though it rockets by quite quickly (even for a Disney film). The problem here is the animation. I hate to sound like a broken record but Disney botched most of its animated films through the 60s and 70s with lower-quality animation techniques. Thankfully, the xerographic technique seems to be improving because there aren’t anywhere near as many sketch lines running through the characters this time. Unfortunately, the animation here is some of the flattest in Disney history. Instead of detailed backgrounds that move with the characters like a real environment, many times The Rescuers involves static (but well drawn) storybook-like backdrops over which very two-dimensional characters moved. I find the lack of depth disconcerting. Rather than moving through space, characters simply move across the screen.
From researching the history of Walt Disney and the studio’s successes and struggles after his passing, I know that animator Don Bluth had once worked for Disney before defecting to make his own studio (and taking a number of young Disney animators with him). Within the first minute of this film, Don Bluth’s influence is felt heavily- the darker tones, a more ethereal and blended color palette, and minimal lines separating elements and characters on the screen. It all looks interesting, and works quite well with Don Bluth’s independently-made films, but it just doesn’t resemble a Disney film.
Maybe I’m biased because I grew up during the Disney Renaissance. Those films and the early films are the best stuff Disney Studios ever made. I can see how this totally different art direction seemed like a good shot to the arm at the time but I don’t think Disney could have sustained such moody atmospherics in films geared towards children. Breaking away from the formula can be a good thing (they certainly seemed stuck in something of a stylistic rut for a while) but The Rescuers diverges away from the “Disney formula” so much that it feels un-Disney.
Am I becoming some kind of obsessive Disney purist? Gosh, I hope not. I just can’t help but feel that this film is a tad too violent (yet corny at times as well- go figure!) and stylistically different from everything else I know to be a Disney product. I love the characters of Bernard and Bianca and their budding romance is cute to watch. Aside from this occasional cuteness, the film leaves me feeling on edge. Fortunately, Don Bluth and Disney would only share their awkward relationship partway into their next film.
I remember loving to listen to the story of The Rescuers as a child on one of those Disney read-along books with the cassette tape that jingled when it was time to turn the page. I also recall adoring the sequel to this film, The Rescuers Down Under. You can imagine my surprise when, after taking this film in for the first time in ages, I found I did not like this film very much. Sure, it passes the Disney litmus test of likeable characters, a good story, and plenty of morals and lessons, but I find fault with its underwhelming animation.
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