THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER. Directed by Michael Gabriel and Hendel Butoy; written by James Douglas Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson and Joseph Ranft; produced by Tom Schumacher for Walt Disney Pictures. Animated. Voices: Eva Gabor, Bob Newhart, John Candy, George C. Scott. Rated G.
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Australia is the one place on this planet that I would most like to visit. And after seeing The Rescuers Down Under, I'm ready to go today. It may sound a little strange to praise an animated movie for its "scenery," but this feature demands it, right from the opening credits. The background settings themselves are detailed enough and beautiful enough to be scenery, and the camera work that animates them is positively breath-taking.
From an adult's viewpoint, these artistic details would be enough to make The Rescuers Down Under worth seeing. But in addition it sports an exciting storyline and some truly memorable characters.
The person who needs rescuing is Cody, an adventurous lad who's sent by his animal friends to rescue a trapped golden eagle. The poacher who had snared her, though, doesn't take kindly to the interference, and locks Cody up along with some of his animal booty.
Enter The Rescue Aid Society, a group of courageous mice who travel the world helping children in trouble. The particular pair of rescuers here have the same quaint pairing of voices they did in the original Rescuers movie (which came out in 1977 and had a 1989 re-release that I reviewed)—Gabor and Newhart. They're amiable enough, but in this adventure, even more so than in the last one, they're almost overwhelmed by the comic relief and the villains of the piece.
The former is an albatross (voiced by Candy) who manages to be quite funny for every age level in the audience. Scott speaks the villain's part and he's thoroughly despicable, but funny enough in the bargain so as not to scare the little ones. A menagerie of delightful Australian animals completes the cast, from a somewhat surrealistic hospital staff of mice, to a kangaroo rat who thinks he's Crocodile Dundee, to a hysterical frilled lizard who almost steals the show.
All in all, and from start to finish, The Rescuers Down Under is delightful—a perfect holiday treat for the whole family.
But there's more! Does anyone remember what a "short subject" is?
Preceding Rescuers is a Mickey Mouse cartoon version of The Prince and the Pauper, which is cleverly written and quite funny. It features not only Mickey, in a dual role, but Goofy, Pluto and Donald in support.
The intermission between this short and the main feature may have been designed to coax more concession sales out of us, but it's also a welcome break for parents of very young moviegoers.
December 12, 1990