This is the best look at The Rescuers on all of CZcams. I realize that's not saying much, considering this movie was dwarfed by its sequel and overall did NOT get the appreciation it deserves, but you nailed everything worth discussing. I remember loving this movie as a kid, even listening to the read-along cassette tape a trillion times, yet no matter how often, I was always a little scared of the impeccably dark and bleak atmosphere of the swamp and especially the cave. I lament the bygone era where kids movies were allowed to have some grit to them, because no matter how creepy this movie was to me and how despicable Madame Medusa was, the points of levity and humor throughout shone brighter. As an adult, it's fun to look back and appreciate what we had with Madame Medusa in particular, a wonderfully animated, fantastically voiced villain we can love to hate, especially now that we seem to be doing away with villains entirely (RIP Cruella Deville). I don't really know where I was going with this, this review just brought the gush right out of me about a film that stuck so hard with me my whole life. While I'm sure a little nostalgia blindness may be playing a factor here, I truly believe that if we tried to harness the soul of a movie like this in an industry of otherwise unchallenging, pandering slop, it would become an instant classic. I know making videos like this is hard as hell, believe me, but I hope you can find a way to keep doing this and to not be dissuaded by how long it takes to do these sorts of projects. I think you'll be surprised about how long the media analysis audience is willing to wait for a really meaty, well written video on something because after all, the patience is already inherent in the people willing to watch 1+ hour videos! Hopefully you can strike a balance and are willing to stick with the long format because frankly, it's the best format for media analysis, hands down.
Ah thanks mate! That means a lot coming from one of the Efap people. Balance being the keyword, I'm trying to ease into making CZcams videos in general. It looks like I've found my niche in animation material, at least the really old stuff. But now the challenge is not letting my channel go for several months with nothing being produced. The easy option is to start streaming, but that's a different skillset that I don't really have. Or bitesize mini-reviews with minimal editing. It's something that I've been thinking about a lot recently. But yeah, thanks for the praise. I've got a ton of things to say about a lot of movies, so it won't stop anytime soon.
Cruella ain't dead, her movie - that is, 101 Dalmatians - just had a remake not to long ago (well, it's not so much a remake, it's more of a prequel/alternate continuity similar to Maleficent; but it qualifies as part of that trend of Disney capitalizing on nostalgia by remaking their older films)
I know a lot of little girls idolized the princesses as the Disney characters they wanted to grow up to be like but for me personally I wanted to be Miss Bianca. She was soft, feminine, stylish, confident, empathetic, she spoke to everyone she met polite and kindly until they gave her a reason not to. Also she was a thrill seeker and an adventurer. In spite of her being a girly girl she never hesitated for a second to get her hands dirty if the situation called for it. Everyone recognized her as the champ of the RAS and wanted to work with her. I love her.
Honestly, growing up, I really wished for my name to be Bianca! She's such a lady, so classy and brave and his heart is always in the right place. In school l, for creative writing projects, I'd often give a character the name! I've always known it stemmed from this movie, but I've rarely shared it 😄
Same! she was feminine but strong when she had to be, without sacrificing her character. I thought the relationship between Bianca and Bernard was so sweet too
Honestly, as someone who grew up watching a lot of the macho manly men films in the early 2000s, one of the characters I wanted to emulate growing up was Bernard. Humble, kind, and appearing meek and even a bit clumsy, but when push comes to shove he’s brilliant at finding the root problems in a plan, will actively put himself in harms way to ensure nobody but him gets hurt, and never backs down even in the face of something terrifying and even life threatening. He’s no MacGuyver, but Bernard is certainly a resourceful, caring, and cunning character in his own right.
I was adopted, and I still remember that line from Medusa. I cried so hard, because I knew I was lucky to be loved, and that was the first time I realized that not everyone would have that chance. It hurt then, and even at the age of 38, it still stings to hear.
Same here - I think for most adopted kids even as adults we struggle with doubts about self worth or whether we were even worthy of being taken in at all in the first place (it also means that any additional trauma is like dropping a lit match in a puddle of gasoline). So the line hit hard as a kid and even moreso watching as an adult...
Medusa was a beeyotch. She even calls Penny "homely" when Medusa doesn't look so attractive herself (although her usage of it has a double meaning considering Penny's situation, but still...)
People forget that this film was a major success for the time. While The Aristcats and Robin Hood did fine at the box office, they weren’t legendary. The Rescuers was viewed as a return to form for Disney. Yet, today the film is treated as a Disney failure or underrated gem. How can a film that was a major box office success get that reputation? Sad.
@@SrMechaGojira93 that is true. I rewatched Robin Hood recently and the story is really tight and the characters are really good. I know the movie gets criticized for the repeated animation but the story and characters are very memorable
He really is! Same with Tibbs in 101 Dalmatians. My dude was really ready to die protecting those puppies, and it would be cool to see more cats like them.
As an adopted person, I can safely say that Medusa's "What makes you think ANYONE would want a homely little girl like you?" is the biggest gut punch I've ever had watching a Disney movie. It's actually worse in some of the foreign language dubs. I think the Spanish version translates to "what makes you think anyone would want an ugly orphan like yourself?"
True. The Latin American dub was very straight forward. Just as a reference: I grew up with my biological parents, I have Asperger syndrome (which means my sense of empathy is weaker than the average person's) and even I, when I was a little kid, could feel Penny's pain after hearing these words. It's what I miss the most from old Disney: absolute irredimible monsters.
It's the same in german. She calls her little and ugly, which even makes it worse because calling her little is belittling her in this context. So she's unsignificant AND ugly in german..
I can confirm, in the spanish dub she says that and she does it with this absolute casual tone that many grown ups use with kids, wich made it so realistic and so relatable to any kid who has ever had a grown up tell them something mean while hiding it behind a sweet tone
I can confirm that Don Bluth did, in fact, take issue with the eyes being left unfinished and did propose a solution, to which Disney essentially said “shut up.” He told the story himself, at a session at CTN Animation Expo about ten years ago. I was in the room and heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
What’s hilariously stupid is Disney was already using the “Xerox method” which was where the scratch animation was photo scanned onto the cells for inking to save time, and eliminate cleanup, which is why Disney films from 101 Dalmatians until Little Mermaid have that distinct, scratchy look to them.
@@The_13th_Hussar I agree. It makes them seem more like actual mice, very cute and beady. But I still do heavily sympathise with Bluth in that situation, there was no way the higher ups were gonna be interested in letting the film be refined.
Gosh and it hurts more when I noticed Penny's things are in a cardboard box, and not in a nice heavy chest like the other children have at the foot of their beds. I think it further adds to how she views herself, as something not worth having a place at the orphanage. As if she is ready to be taken elsewhere yet not with a family. Stuck in limbo. Im happy she gets parents in the end. Also I think the red headed girl getting adopted is a nod to the story "Little Annie".
@@keythelich Oh I just noticed myself when I watched your video! In the scene where she carries Rufus away to get supper, her things were already in a cardboard box, despite there being a chest next to her bed (which is also heartwrenching that even in her own space of the room, her side is treated like storage). So dont worry XD Im just adding my nickel to the jar heheh
@@blepp7641 It might be heartbreaking to think about, but, if you recall the initial conversation she had with Rufus, about not getting adopted during adoption day, it's quite possible she packed her things up in anticipation of finally being able to leave.
My theory is that. The rescuers, an american tail, and the great mouse detective and secret of nimh are in the same mouse universe. And yes the rescuers are definitely a part of the don bluth universe as well. This feels like a don bluth film always has been to me.
I just wanted to gush about how cute of a couple Bianca and Bernard are. They're just so affectionate and Bianca gives him a much needed boost of confidence. And they manage to make them not feel like lame nice guy romance.
@@keythelich Dungeons & Dragons movie has a great example of a guy and gal who are together not because of love but out of a sense of responsibility to the child they're caring for.
Yeah Biancca Yeah Bianca had effortless charm and the natural instinct to do the right thing. Bernard was just a well meaning guy with a lack of confidence but Bianca saw potential in him
I just realized one little thing. Medusa’s crocodiles are named Brutus and Nero, apt names considering they both eventually turn traitor on her. (Brutus betrayed Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 B.C. when he and Cassius and certain members of the Roman Senate assassinated Caesar. As for Nero, he betrayed his own mother and had her executed for treason, even though she was probably his most loyal ally in his rise to power, even suspected of poisoning her husband Claudius so the boy would have a chance, since he was Claudius’ stepchild and not the heir). Medusa probably did lose her life in the swamp to those two crocs. I don’t think they would let off in their snapping at her until they had her.
I just wanna say the voice acting in this movie is top notch. All the adult and animals are voiced really well. But the biggest stand out to me is Penny's va because she was voiced by an actual child. When she's being sassy to Snoops and the crocodiles she acts like a child who shows she doesn't like them. But heartbreakingly so when she has the conversation with Medusa about going home or when she's talking about how she wasn't picked on adoption day it breaks my heart cuz hearing a child being heartbroken is the worst feeling in the world🥺
@@keythelichchild voice acting/child actors?! YES! There is such an art with directing child actors. Some people got the chops to direct them (Steven Spielberg never disappointed)
@@Pillarofcreation1 i love the brave little toaster. By any chance have you seen "little nemo: Adventures in slumberland" it's a movie i saw when i was young and i thought it was a fever dream until i found out it was real later on. There's a scene in that movie that reminds me of the flooding scene from "the shining" it's worth checking out. It's actually a pretty interesting movie
Me too, particularly the "cute yet dark" variety, like "Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland," "Unico," and any Don Bluth movie. 90s Disney had it's dark stuff too.
Im glad someone else appreciates the detail of the crocs having some baseline respect for Penny despite being in charge of watching her and dragging her back to Medusa. I always thought it was an nice detail. Like they recognize and appreciate her strength, compared to a bumbling coward like snoops who they see as weak. I also loved your reaction to Medusa telling Penny nobody would ever want her lol. So good. Love your essay/analysis videos ❤️❤️
Madam Medusa and Lady Tremaine are the two villains that always frightened me the most as a kid because they felt so real. The animation of Medusa's hands especially scared me. Love this film and thanks for the deep dive.
They both remind me of abusive women my dad used to date. I don't care what he thinks of what I wrote for my Creative Writing class about one of those awful women, my and my sisters' stories deserve to be told, after the hell we were put through! It hits different, revisiting this film again, even through a video essay. But it's still such a precious underrated gem, and it always brings such catharsis to see Penny find a new family and her happy ending.
I give deep respect to the writers when a villain in a movie doesn't have magical powers (like Maleficent and most villains in animated films). Characters like Frollo, Gaston, Lady Tremaine and Madam Medusa are my favorite villains because they're just human, but they still have enough power (through manipulation, abuse, charisma, use of resources and sheer determination) and that's what makes them terrifyingly real. Whenever parents try to calm their scared children that "the big bad guy" can't hurt them because "it's fantasy", they point to the magic element to prove it, but those parents can't do it with THESE villains, can they? Frollo IS real, Madam Medusa IS real, there are so many Frollos, Gastons and Tremaines out there in real life, but acknowledging them is admitting to the children that manipulative humans do exist, and they can be family relatives or people close to you, something many irresponsible parents don't want to do. Just because magic doesn't exist doesn't mean malicious powerful people don't either. We all know that is FAR from the truth. Edit: I forgot to include Mother Gothel! She's the most recent villain (and Tangled came in 2010, yikes, shows what Disney's state is right now) that counts in the category of non-magical and yet manipulative and scarily real. She represents so many real manipulative mothers that abuse their children not physically but through gaslighting and deception. I'm so glad they didn't make her a witch (since i think that's what she was in the original story, or maybe just in the Barbie version) because it would've ruined the subtelty of her abuse.
I think what you noticed about the villain characters being dark reflections of the hero characters is not unintentional, it’s just good writing (and something that’s sorely missing in storytelling nowadays). The hero and the villain of a story are supposed to be a reflection of one another, because the audience should be able to look at both characters and recognize them, even relate to them, but immediately understand where the villain has failed and how the hero chose to be better.
And it's a great way to show that personality traits aren't inherently good or bad, they're just traits that can be corrupted depending on the attitude and intentions.
No, not really. It's one literary device among many. Just because a story has a hero and villain who reflect each other, doesn't mean it's good. And just because a story lacks such a dichotomy, doesn't mean it's bad. There are no rules to telling stories. There are only goals, and tools for achieving those goals. The quality of a story can only be judged by the standards it set for itself.
@@tbotalpha8133 When I said this dichotomy is sorely lacking in stories these days, I was referring to stories that present a sympathetic view of the villain, but don't provide that same perspective about the hero. For most people this won't be an issue, but for those who would find themselves in a similar predicament to the villain, they'll start to empathize with that villain and rationalize their bad actions as being right. Having a hero that reflects the villain corrects this because it allows that vulnerable person a chance to see how to become better and heal rather than just how to gratify themselves on the suffering of others. That's why its important for the hero to struggle in the same ways that the villain does. Storytelling does have a purpose. No one would doubt that Art has an impact on its audience. If it can affect that audience in a Good (enriching, inspiring) way, that it can also affect the audience in a Bad way. Thus it is completely fair (and actually good) to criticize stories on this basis.
I think it'd be great to see you touch upon The Great Mouse Detective at some point. For some reason, whenever Disney hits its lowest lows, they fall back onto mice leads, and it generally works and they do financially well enough to make it a bit longer.
Did they do that in the early 2000s? If not, I’m almost scared to think about what it might have been… A 3D Disney mouse, pulling Disney from its CGI flop hell
Unfortunately, I think it's because it's got the much slower pace of a mystery unfolding. Which I positively adore, same with 101 Dalmatians being very dialogue heavy as we see samples of daily life then stretches of them on the road trying to get between information points. The live action remake tried to "remedy" this by having more slapstick and a larger focus on the puppies but I think taking away Pongo and Perdy's journey (since the trip to the Devil House and getting back only seemed to have one stop) took away some of the power in the original. And similarly in Rescuers Down Under, we have three separate plots going on with a lot of fun and beautifully animated sequences, but they cut out nearly all of the investigation nature of the first one. They know early on where Cody is, they learn fairly quick as to why, so we get the struggle of getting there but even the sense of danger is cut down since almost every time we check in on Bianca and Bernard, the focus is more on the proposal plot. I don't mind, but it gives the movie a much different vibe than the first one. I kind of want to say Great Mouse Detective struck that pacing balance a lot better between the mystery and action most likely because of the time limit sense of urgency, but maybe that's just me. The Rescuers reminds me of a lot of old dramas in the 50s and 60s where the tension is in the build up since it's not a WHO did it, but WHY with each new clue or location shifting the goal from finding answers to the mystery and the horror of the truth to how do they stop it? CAN they stop it? Since we get a whole scene of the characters forging a plan instead of, say, someone has an idea and whispers it to the others and we don't see it until it's implemented like most movies might do these days to cut down on time. The problem is most kids want action. They might be taken in by the mystery in wondering what's going to happen next, but knowing the answer may make it boring for most to watch a second time. Especially with the more modern crowd being used to bright colors and music and magic and so on, going back to a movie that's muted in colors and dialogue heavy probably seems "boring". Maybe even entertaining but still far down on the list of favorites. I'll admit, I gained a LOT of appreciation for this film when I watched it as an adult. I liked it as a kid, but could never explain why, but I've also grown to love classic lit and Golden Age Hollywood. (I am so sorry for the length of this)
I grew up with Disney's crop of low-profit classics like this on VHS. The ARTISTRY in these films is seriously underappreciated and I'm very happy to see someone taking the time to give credit where credit is due. I recently got to show a friend of mine this film and he was *blown away* by Milt Kahl's work on Lady Medusa. She was like his magnum opus of character animation.
I remember being a kid and pausing my tape of the 101 Dalmatians at certain points - and while I think they've cleaned it up in remastered versions since - at certain times in the old VHS copies you can clearly see the artist underdrawings of the puppies' heads. It was kind of my first insight into the amount of work that it took to put these films together and I lowkey wish they'd kept it in when they remastered the footage for DVDs/digital copies. I love the imperfect aesthetic of this time period at Disney. @@lauren6509
When you raged after Medusa called Penny "homely," it really spoke to me. The last time I watched this movie, I was a kid and it seemed to me just a villain doing what villains do. It was to be expected because Medusa was a bad guy. But now that I'm older, Medusa's words sounded eerily familiar to what I've heard in my head about my own appearance. And I know it's worse because it's someone manipulating a child, but seeing you rage surprised me a little and in an indirect way, spoke to my inner self. Loved your commentary and gave me a new appreciation for a film that creeped me out as a small child.
To me Penny is such an unsung hero in the Disney Canon. She seeks incapable but her bravery and is far more than what she seems to be despite her soft exterior. Cody meanwhile is so capable in the Australian Wilderness that it's silly, riding eagles like its nothing and leaping through the air. Penny is a believable child doing unbelievable things because of her hope and bravery, and that makes her more human and impactful than so many other young characters in animation
I always loved this movie growing up. Rewatching it as an adult, it's even better, as one notices things that went right overhead as a kid. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Bianca and Bernard are hiding in the organ pipes and Brutus and Nero try to get them out by one playing the organ and the other trying to grab the mice as they are launched out of the pipes. Medusa's reaction to the chaotic organ playing has hilarious implications. A normal adult, when hearing that sound on a river boat with another adult, a child and two alligators (Brutus and Nero are more likely to be alligators than crocodiles due to the fact that within the US the former actually inhabit most of the Southeast while the latter only inhabit the extreme southern tip of Florida), the obvious source of the organ playing would be the child. The next most likely would be the other human adult. One would NOT expect the alligators to be doing it, unless one had observed them doing so in the past. When Medusa hears the organ playing, she doesn't shout "Penny!" or even "Snoops!" She immediately shouts at Brutus and Nero! That almost certainly means that she has caught them playing the organ before...
It's funny how The Rescuers were, at one point, supposed to be a sequel to 101 Dalmations with Cruella being the one to kidnap Penny and not Madame Medusa. Then Oliver and Company was supposed to be the sequel to The Rescuers featuring Penny in Jenna's place, adopting Oliver. But I guess they couldnt make these ideas work lol I kinda think these og ideas seemed kinda cool and would make for some decent/interesting fanfiction idea.
Honestly, at the end of the day maybe it was for the best that Cruella wasn't the villain in this movie, for the simple reason that it would have changed our view of Cruella as a character. Cruella is a bitch, but honestly, her worst crime is kidnapping and attempting to kill dogs (that she doesn't know are sentient), and at the end of the day she is one of those villians that people love more than hate because of charisma. But imagine if she had been the villain in the Rescuers, and thus imagine her being the one saying and doing everything that Medusa does. Cruella destroying a young child emotionally in purpose and then being willing to abondon her in the swamps (in other words... in likelyhood killig her)... I don't think us Disney fans would be able to look at Cruella the same way again. Cruella would becaome less of a "You charismatic bitch, I love you!" kind of villain and more of the kind of villain that you genuinly despise and is repulsed by.
My parents weren't in my life growing up and I would keep going back to this movie. I saw Penny as someone to look up to. She never accepted her mistreatment, fighting back how she could. She was small but brave and she never let her hope die.
I always cry at that scene when Medusa said those cruel words to penny. And the song that plays hits harder because she still was resilient and had hope throughout the whole thing
I'm sobbing, this video deserves millions of views. It's been at least 15 years since the last time I saw this movie, and now I want to watch it again. I remember seeing it several times when I was a kid (the Latinamerican Spanish dub) and, as many comments have pointed out, Medusa calls Penny "an ugly girl". The first time I saw that scene I was baffled at her cruelty, and even though I was maybe barely older than Penny, I remember I wanted to fight Medusa lol. I think she was one of the first villains I saw, and she's definitely one of the biggest fictional psycho a-holes I can think of. I also want to add that, now that I think about it, Bernard reminds me of Samwise Gamgee, both characters do manual labor for a living, are not held in high regard and don't seem particularly bright at first. They unwillingly end up involved in a big, high risk mission, and despite them being reluctant, unsure and obviously afraid, as the challenges grow bigger and bigger, they always rise to the occasion despite self-doubt, helping their friends reach the goal. Sorry If I didn't express my ideas very clearly, English is not my first language.
You expressed your ideas beautifully, my friend! Yes, good observation, Bernard is very much like Sam Gamgee, a humble, meek little guy who is called to action and turns out to be a lot braver than anyone, including himself, could ever possibly have known.
This movie has one of my favourite Disney quotes (possibly one of my favourite quotes ever): “Faith is a bluebird you see from afar. It’s as sure and as real as the first evening star. You can’t touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight, but it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.” This movie is so special to me 💖
I'm gonna be honest, people who say Down Under is better kinda don't understand the charm and emotional weight the original had. Down Under may be decent and technically beautiful, but on a rewatch, it personally didn't hold up to me. Penny's personality and resilience, the rough scratchy animation and the dark feel just resonates with me more. I just like all the characters more and people who say its slow probably should be watching an action movie anyways. Its sad that so many people overlook it for Down Under as being better, when its simply not. Its different, but only better in some people's eyes. Also Milt Kaln animated Medusa completely freehanded with no references, which is pretty much almost unheard of talent even among the 12 Wisemen of disney
The worst thing about Down Under was that it was all setups and no payoffs. We never see Cody reunited with his mother, we don’t get to see Bernard and Bianca’s wedding, and we don’t see the eagle eggs hatch, it’s just sound effects and John Candy voiceover. It was as if they threw so much time and money into effects that they couldn’t afford another 2-3 minutes of animation to wrap it all up in a satisfying way.
This was my favorite movie as a kid. The oddly dark feel of it appealed to me like no other Disney movie did. I still love it, and don't really hear anyone talk about it.
I was beaten down and belittled all the time as a child, and Medusa’s hateful comment about how nobody could ever want a kid like Penny, broke me even as a child.. I knew this video was gonna make me cry.. but I also really needed to see it. Thanks.
The reason Medusa takes Teddy from Penny and puts The Devil's Eye in there is so she can smuggle the diamond through customs, to either avoid getting caught by the police, get fined or have to pay a big sum of money for filing the paper work for transporting the (mostly possibly) biggest diamond on Earth.
I agree with you on that one, although I also get the feeling she put it in Penny's bear as a way of removing her one possession that's kept her company all this time. If that's truly the case, then Medusa is going on my hit list
One thing (of many) that she was very short-sighted with was that if customs saw a weird and wild woman, wearing extravagant clothing, and jealously cradling a simple teddy bear, that is singularly the very item that would have drawn their attention! She would have had better luck going through customs shoving the diamond in her big mouth.
"Two little Mice? What can YOU do?" Turns out.... a LOT, actually Honestly, I love the concept of the RAS. Think of all the potential stories of all the other mice who have been on similar adventures.
Reminds me of the Emperor's line from Mulan. "I won't take any chances, General! A single grain of rice can tip the scale; one man can be the difference between Victory and Defeat." Though it may seem like much, Bernard and Bianca actually made the effort to search for Penny. Bianca connected to Penny even through a watered-out note with a single clue, choosing the least-likely candidate as her co-agent, Bernard, who at that point was 'only a janitor'. Even the chairman was skeptical when he tsks about 'a janitor and a lady, bless my soul!' They go to the orphanage, hearing about Penny, and how the police gave up, leaving the case a Cold Case. Surprisingly, Rufus gives them the second clue; the mention of Medusa, to which they follow over to a pawn shop, to Devil's Bayou, and the eventual reason why Penny was taken. I love this movie, because it shows you are never too small or meek to do something great!
That’s why if they do make another Rescuers movie, I don’t care if it’s live action or animated. Make it a NEW story. There’s no need to remake the two movies. But I shutter knowing that chance isn’t very good.
Geraldine Paige - one of the greatest actresses of all time - gave a brilliant vocal performance portraying Medusa's vile greed, obsession, pettiness, cruelty and abusiveness.
This movie is like a time capsule of back when animators gave a shit, and poured every ounce of passion they had into every stroke of the pen. CGI will never compare.
Can't say I agree. I think I understand the spirit of your point, but I don't think this applies when movies like The Last Wish exist. I'm getting more and more tempted to make a video on how animated movies have changed within the past century, because there's a lot to say.
Fair enough. It *is* more of a personal preference on my part. Even though I'll be the first to sing the praises of something like Kubo and the Two Strings, or Spider-man into the spidervers... I'll still say hand-drawn is king.@@keythelich
Yeah sure… When the producers answered « who cares » when one of the animators complained that the mice’s eyes should be colored white. Or the intro that Disney couldn’t be bothered to animate. The Rescuers is one of the best example of animated Disney film that didn’t give a crap. While I’ll admit its cheap animation had some charm to it there is more care in any of the cg animated Disney films than in that one (except Chicken Run, that one felt so cheap as well).
I am sure it wasn't meant like that, but please don't bash the modern animators. They suffer so much for their work. Burnout and even PDSD is common enough among them. That wouldn't happen if they didn't care. And there are many lovingly created CGI animations out there. The fault for the bad ones do not lie with the animators but rather with the detached CEOs.
@@MCTeerling And I must apologize for bashing the 70's animators in my last comment as well when they too were committed to their craft. Again, it all boils down to the direction.
I remember reading somewhere that both Madusa and Snoops are caricatures of real people. Actually, Madusa, allegedly, is a caricature of the ex-wife of one of the animators.
Correct, Milt's wife if I remember right. And Snoops was based on someone who would come into the animator's office from time to time. I forget who exactly.
The Rescuers and the rescuers down under were my childhood, but i never really dived too horribly deep into their meanings. They always stand in my mind though, especially down under, as some of the best movies disney released, when they weren't as afraid of having things for the adults to ponder as well. I do hope that you cover the sequal.
I liked them but I have conflicted feelings about the down under one as it gets the typical American not caring about the place and people you are representing treatment. The Australia you see in American media and the real one are two entirely different countries. Other than that they were great films about saving children who needed saving.
Nobody ever talks about this movie, even hardcore Disney fans, so seeing an hour-long analysis of it makes me happy. I was absolutely obsessed with it as a kid, and I still enjoy the sequel as well, mostly because George C. Scott was so damn good as McLeach.
Fun Fact: the dragonfly that drives Bernard and Bianca’s little leaf boat- Evanrude (also my favourite), is also the brand name of a major boat motor manufacturer!! So his name is a clever allusion to the job he does
This is a bit of insider information so I won't mention any names, but my 2D Animation mentor worked on Hunchback of Notre Dame and he told me that there was deliberate discussion on whether or not Frodo should have rings on his fingers, because adding them costed a lot of extra labor to do and of course, extra money (he told me that Frodo's rings each costed a small fortune in labor). They opted to finally add the rings because it added a lot of visual storytelling to Frodo's character (him being materialistic and vain underneath his facade). Just thought I'd mention it because it was a cool tidbit of knowledge!
Also, considering you've found great success covering Disney content that deals heavily on melancholy and sorrow---Bambi would be right up your alley. It's the film everyone watched back in the day, but might not remember why it so effectively balanced extreme joy and crushing loss.
@@keythelich Black Cauldron could also be an interesting dive. There are a few other CZcams essays on it, but I've no doubt your perspective would bring something significantly different to the table.
36:33 Easter Egg! That's Bambi and his mother right there! Penny's watching Bambi with his mother. And the movie ends in winter; the very season Bambi loses his mother and Penny gains a family. Penny share your past woes with the poor deer some day!
This movie hits a lot of feels, for those of us who survived abuse and were treated like worse than dirt, when we were children. It brings so much more catharsis to see Penny find family and her happy ending. So nice to see video essays on this film; it was part of the precious foundation for my better childhood memories. 💙
God bless whoever decided that the dragonfly should have a sweather, a stache and a tonsure baldness. Your videos essays are great. You voice, tone and diction make them very comfy to listen to, and the montage is impeccable. I can't wait to see more. Don't rush tho. I'd rather have one video a year with this quality then risk seeing yet another good video essayist suffer creator burnout. Now, for the next one, how about Prince of Egypt ? It gets a lot of praise but it still seems this movie got driven into the memory hole for the wider audience...
This movie, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated movies Disney has ever produced. Apart from the charming art, animation and characters, the message of having faith and never giving up was what carried it. I love how Penny, despite being a child held hostage by two greedy strangers, had to be brave while facing all of these dangers so that she could find a way to escape. I also think that more people need to see The Rescuers.
The Rescuers has always been one of my all-time favorite Disney cartoons. It deserves to be held in a similar league with the Disney renaissance films. You brought out the most amazing insights into the story. It’s a war against Hopelessness, a fight to preserve one’s self-esteem, sanity and compassion for others in times of overwhelming trial, particularly if one is in an abusive relationship. (Medusa’s toxic manipulation of Penny, attacking her soul. Medusa is one of the darkest of the Disney villains, just because of how far she is willing to go to get what she wants. Although she does not kill anyone, she comes alarmingly close, and I have no doubt if push came to shove, she would go even that far. She values things more than people. And you’re quite right, even after getting the coveted Diamond, she would not be happy for very long.) That song, “Someone’s Waiting for You,” is so perfect for those who are scared or sad.
Also, Medusa is written as quite down to earth for a disney villain, which makes her feel more "real" and relatable. Like, As bad as Frollo, Cruella and Maleficent are, they are over the top and you aren't likely to meet someone like that in real life, whereas Medusa is a fairly realistic depiction of an abuser, right down to the mannerisms and tactics. It really is the small things that make her so effective, she isn't overthrowing a kingdom and murdering a ruler while evilly laughing over a goose-stepping crowd, it's the way she casually and matter-of-factly destroys a child's heart as if it's nothing, because in her mind that's what the child is worth.
Key's in-depth, break down video essay's are something to look forward to. I'm glad this content creator keeps pushing is passion and putting out videos.
I'm about to cry over the sheer grit of a dragonfly... Honestly, this is one of my comfort movies, and I'm glad it's being given some of its deserved flowers.♡
Huh i figured the mice's eyes werent colored in because it mimics how real mice havd beady black eyes. Like the actual eye is just the black pupil, and the lines around just help with expression
That was probably said during production at some point. But the colour contrast with white eyes lends more towards expression. There's actually multiple times where you can see Bernard flip to white eyes when he's surprised or scared. It's not like I prefer one over the other myself, but it's technically better from an animation perspective.
Looking back at this gem after all these years, Medusa reminds me of my first stepmom. She may not have kept alligators (only two cats that disliked me), but she was just as manipulative and cruel. She even had that expansive yet trashy vibe going on.
Just an interesting note I thought was worth pointing out: Madame Medusa's eyes are the only eyes in the movie (aside from the gators') that have distinct color. What is that color? Green. Madame Medusa is not only deeply greedy, she may also be a deeply envious person as well. Envy is oft described as a "green-eyed monster" by many a writer and poet; perhaps, in a way, she envies Penny and her youth. (note that I'm posting this observation 28:38 into the video, so you may have pointed this out later on)
Funnily enough, this was in my pre-script notes, mentioning how vivid her eyes were (fittingly her name also being Medusa). But it just never ended up in the final draft. I'm not really sure why.
Thanks for doing this! The Rescuers is one of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid, and the visuals and especially the mood really struck a chord with my 5-6 year old self. So did The Fox and the Hound a few years later.
For real, the vibe of some of these movies during this time were so good and really nothing nowadays holds up to what they used to create. Growing up and coming back to these creations as an adult, i realized that they were made so well that people of any age could appreciate these movies. Not just kids.
Your last video got me to go to my local library and read the Fox and Hound. So I'll probably do the same here as well. Excellent essays on these underrated films.
In response to your comment: I think you are very good at thoughtful long form movie reviews like this. I'll watch the short ones if you make them, certainly, but this is the good stuff.
This movie would have been on my "childhood trauma" list if I ever made one. Although I liked it, it always made me incredibly sad and uncomfortable as a kid and I didn't understand entirely why. After watching this video, I completely understand. I guess that without even completely understanding the link, I view myself in Penny. I cried hard watching this video. It's so hard for children when adults, who they are trained to trust, put them down and devalue them.
I sincerely doubt it was a mistake. Later on in the video, he talks about the cost cutting measures they made and my guess is since the world doesn't really give a shit so it African individual countries it was a good way to save on character space and animation.
I kind of wonder if they had ambassadors for both countries and continents. I say this because there were a several mice wearing afros, an indication that they were supposed to be from Africa, so perhaps they represented different African countries.
I'm 49, so I've seen 'The Rescuers' ever since the 80s. I have the DVD. I love the movie and I've seen it more times than I can count, but one thing you brought up I never even thought of: "But Penny, don't you like it here? A big beautiful boat all to yourself?" It never dawned on me that after getting the Devil's Eye, that Medusa had to do something to Penny so she would not tell anyone. So yes, she would abandon her (and Snoops) on that "big beautiful boat" to fend for themselves without food, water or safety.
Not only that, but she would abandon her "precious pets" as well, who would have gone straight after her other throwaways. Snoops and Penny would not have lasted long enough to even hope to escape the island. Medusa and the Devil's eye are the same level of dualled evil as Gollum and The Ring.
Love your videos. I know newer material may be tempting but I honestly love seeing films that have kinda been forgotten or don't have big name appeal getting the love and attention they deserve.
I support this idea. There are so many videos on the newer movies, but not nearly enough on movies previous to Disney's Renaissance. This video is actually the first one I've seen analyzing this movie, the other ones have been simply recaps or reactions, and even then they are so few.
Yes! I'm happy to see this movie get more love. I understand why people like the sequel more, and I love it too, but I love this one a lot too with its dark look, grounded story, and relatable main character. I love your analysis. Also, 18:36 had me in stitches, I must have played that bit like five times in a row. XD
We've all heard the term "underrated" but it's an especially appropriate word to apply to the Rescuers movies. They're beautiful movies, at the very least.
I've always liked that the mice don't have whites in their eyes, they remind me of the Beatrix Potter and Wind in the Willows videos I watched around the same time. This film always makes me think of my Grandparents, because I'd always watch it at their house. I'm so glad someone has taken the time to make a video on it, I've found that lots of people don't really care for it
I love the sequel, it’s great and the villain is so scary that for many years I saw in my nightmares an evil hunter that hunted children. And yet, Penny's situation is much worse than Cody's. After all, mother was worried about Cody, the rangers were looking for him, and no one in the whole world cared about Penny. If it weren't for a small miracle in the form of talking mice, she would have become another set of bones in that hole, and no one would have remembered her. This story is truly terrifying.
This was one of my favorite movies growing up. My sister had the VHS I remember borrowing it and "Beauty and the Beast" constantly. Those were the two movies that besides "Alice in Wonderland" that I adored. Its message about faith and self worth is very very powerful, and the underlying tone about child abduction is still relevant in these days. "The Rescuers" is a charming film with a very serious tone and a powerful message. EDIT: Funny you mentioned "The Rescuers 3" Disney was planning a direct-to-video installment in 1995, but due to the untimely passing of Eva Gabor it was scrapped. In fact Miss Bianca has only made non-speaking cameos since then. The only character voiced by Gabor to have a speaking cameo is Duchess from "The Aristocats" in "House of Mouse", performed by Russi Taylor.
Ok the Pebble and the Penguin was a masterpiece. I will accept no arguments. Evil Tim Curry penguin is amazing. I will say its his 2nd best animated villain roll though. The best belongs to Hexxus from FernGully. Still a great video. Happy to see you do this again.
I really love what you said about a lot of these lessons going over a kid's heads. I think about when I would watch these movies a lot growing up. I'll reminisce or just watch them again and I realize it was stuffed with these lessons that I completely missed. I honestly think that is one of the best ways of learning. Without realizing it you are taking in this media and applying it to the world around you. And you don't think about it a lot but you realize that a lot of the shows or movies you watched really shaped your values and impacted you way more than you might realize. Kids need more of this. More of the dark side and just unpleasant moments life throws at you. And not that Disney movies nowadays don't really teach kids important lessons because I think there is still stuff there but everything is just so sugar-coated anymore. Things aren't as dark as they used to be and sometimes I think that we're just missing that as a whole culture and society. Kids deserve good media. They deserve not to be talked at like they are stupid. And as a society and as adults we should want the best for the future. And if that means it takes a bunch of adults ranting about children's media in order for it to get better than so be it.
Another reason that Disney rejected the idea of having Cruella De Vil as a villian, was the studio weren't interested into making sequels at the time (ironcally The Rescuers Down Under was the movie that broke the trend, a couple of years later Return of Jafar happened which opened up the floodgates to many direct-to-video sequels, most of them being of subpar quality due to cheap production done on the other side of the globe rather than done in the Disney studios in Anaheim and Florida, it wasn't until Winnie the Pooh in 2011 that theatrical sequels were produced, which gave room to two more Disney Animation sequels Ralphs Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2). On a side note, Madame Medusa were created and animated by Milt Kahl, one of The Nine Old Men, who had a rivialry with Marc Davis, who animated Cruella. Despite Davis have stopped animating after 101 Dalmatians to work on Disneyland Attractions at WED Enterprises (making attractions such as The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribeean and The Country Bear Jamboree), Kahl got his chance to top his old rival by making his version of Cruella with Medusa. Both characters have their similiarites, both have an obsession (Cruella the dalmatian fur coats, Medusa The Devil's Eye), they both have a carismatic charm when calm but get angry pretty quickly to the point of shouting and screaming at their goons when they don't deliver the goods (not to mention they both will hit their goons and generally mistreats them for their failures) and both are reckless drivers (both even tell othes to watch the road when they ironically ARE the ones who should watch the road).
I love how they kept some aspects of the original script! I grew up loving the Rescuers and I never knew how different the original idea was. I’m so glad they went with saving an orphan child instead of a polar bear kidnapped by penguins 😅
I actually prefer this film over the sequel, mainly because I've seen the original more; that, and I felt like the story-telling is a better. As for the animation, Milt Kahl is one of my favorites from the 9 Old Men; Madam Medusa is definitely a love letter to his career!
The problem with the sequel is that it abandons the religous roots of the original. No longer is it about how good things will eventually happen to those who believe that it will. Now it's just about believing in yourself.
I think the crocodiles where a excellent choice, besides being thematicly appropriate, it also works with what you mentioned earlier about them sensing fear. Reptiles don’t have empathy and compassion like most mammals do, they are literally and figuratively cold blooded. They do, however, recognize fear, not that they we’re afraid of penny, but them having more respect for penny than snoopes makes sense since she doesn’t show fear.
Please, PLEASE do Rescuers Down Under! I loved these movies as a child. This was such an insane nostalgia trip, and made me feel feelings I haven't felt in a long time. Excellent video.
Medusa being unhinged honeslty explains so many problems with her plan to the point of kidnapping a child, but also shows the scale of her greed and unhingedness. She doesnt bother getting better tools to help dig out the diamond or to help Penny find the diamond, wich would speed up the search... shes willing to let a child drown if she cant find a diamond, meaning she likely would kidnap another child to continue the search, till she was either caught or the diamond was lost for good. I like to imagine after this clusterfuck, Snoops took over the Pawn shop (since Medusa is likely dead) and become more legit in terms of business... especially since he lost a small fortune due to Medusas madness.
I loved both Rescuers movies when I was a child, this one for the storyline, songs and characters, and Down Under for the action and the villain for how scarily real they are, like Frollo was. The messages in the first film of never giving up hope and also of self esteem were powerfully done, that scene with Penny and Rufus still touches my heart. Also, an even sadder detail in the “someone’s waiting for you” scene is if you look on the wall near Penny’s bed, you’ll see she’s drawn a picture of the mom and dad she wishes she had, heartbreaking. It makes me sad as an animation fan and student myself that most adults will brush off animation as only something for kids. It’s a real shame, as videos like this actually prove how deep in storytelling and thought out in details these movies and even shows are. Animation really is an under appreciated art form. Brilliant analysis of a childhood favourite.
Well, what can I say? Another great video about a Disney Classic which nobody remembers but I liked as a kid (and so his sequel) and still enjoy today. Thanks for this analysis and see you soon. P.S. The person who was responsible for THAT frame is the background painter of the movie, Annie Guenther. It was revealed by animator Tom Sito.
Thank you for another insightful deep-dive into an underrated Disney movie! The way that you are able to articulate the themes, speculation, and the behind the scenes parts in these video essays greatly help to supplement your talking points. By the way, all of the previous versions of the Rescuers sound so wild, I’m genuinely curious how they would have turned out if any of them came out instead of the final version. Also, glad to see the deserving appreciation of Evinrude the dragonfly, he’s such a legend :). A lot of folks tend to talk about the renaissance or the modern day films when Disney movies get brought up, but there is a lot of good that can be found during the “Dark Age” movies, even if they’re not as iconic (to most) as the ones found elsewhere. Me and my brother do have a lot of Disney movies at home on VHS, and some of our favorites are the dark age films; my brother’s favorite Disney movie is Robin Hood even! Just the fact that the Rescuers is even getting talked at all brings a good feeling, as memories of people not knowing what we’re talking about felt weird before. This sense of pride/validation of sorts comes out whenever these things get mentioned/discussed, just like in this essay and the Fox and the Hound essay.
It never occured to me that Penny might have been rejected more than once by potential parents on the Adoption Days but it makes sense. I can't belivie I never tought of that even if I listen to the music story version since I was seven, listened to the casette tape version of it during the mid-90's and saw the movie in whole for the first time in 98.
Thank you for this video because I really, really love The Rescuers but I've seen people say it's "boring." It's just nice to see appreciation towards it in the way you've done.
Maybe her real eyelashes fell out ages ago due to too much toxic makeup and so those eyelashes she pulled out are fake BUT all she has. That would be super creepy but make perfect sense.
This movie was pretty much a swan song for the original Disney staff of animators as well as the late Walt himself, and you can definitely feel that somber tone in its atmosphere and the characters. You can see where Don Bluth picked up a lot of his style of direction from.
This and your Fox and the Hound retrospective are easily some of the best analysis on old Disney I've seen on youtube. Your channel is extremely underrated and I hope you'll eventually get the attention you truly deserve. You've earned yourself a sub!
I just realized that I may have been subconsciously inspired by Medusa for the villain in my current writing project. It would make sense since I watched and enjoyed this movie as a kid. First of my villain had *Madame* in her name, she is rich, she is manipulative, and she kidnaps people because she wants them to find what she wants. The rest of the story is quite different from the rescuers though, it’s a road-trip sort of fantasy adventure but I still find it interesting how we get inspired by things without realizing it
My god, you just made me appreciate a Disney gem even more! Fantastic job, man! Also, ou forgot to mention that the fact that he's named "Evinrude" - I had a good chuckle because that's the name of a boat-motor maker. Huge appreciation for the use of Castlevania: Lords of Shadows soundtrack
I'm just so thankful you actually mentioned the bat chase. None of the other reviews of The Rescuers mention Evinrude's little delay for some reason. Thanks.
This is the best look at The Rescuers on all of CZcams. I realize that's not saying much, considering this movie was dwarfed by its sequel and overall did NOT get the appreciation it deserves, but you nailed everything worth discussing. I remember loving this movie as a kid, even listening to the read-along cassette tape a trillion times, yet no matter how often, I was always a little scared of the impeccably dark and bleak atmosphere of the swamp and especially the cave. I lament the bygone era where kids movies were allowed to have some grit to them, because no matter how creepy this movie was to me and how despicable Madame Medusa was, the points of levity and humor throughout shone brighter. As an adult, it's fun to look back and appreciate what we had with Madame Medusa in particular, a wonderfully animated, fantastically voiced villain we can love to hate, especially now that we seem to be doing away with villains entirely (RIP Cruella Deville).
I don't really know where I was going with this, this review just brought the gush right out of me about a film that stuck so hard with me my whole life. While I'm sure a little nostalgia blindness may be playing a factor here, I truly believe that if we tried to harness the soul of a movie like this in an industry of otherwise unchallenging, pandering slop, it would become an instant classic.
I know making videos like this is hard as hell, believe me, but I hope you can find a way to keep doing this and to not be dissuaded by how long it takes to do these sorts of projects. I think you'll be surprised about how long the media analysis audience is willing to wait for a really meaty, well written video on something because after all, the patience is already inherent in the people willing to watch 1+ hour videos! Hopefully you can strike a balance and are willing to stick with the long format because frankly, it's the best format for media analysis, hands down.
Ah thanks mate! That means a lot coming from one of the Efap people.
Balance being the keyword, I'm trying to ease into making CZcams videos in general. It looks like I've found my niche in animation material, at least the really old stuff. But now the challenge is not letting my channel go for several months with nothing being produced.
The easy option is to start streaming, but that's a different skillset that I don't really have. Or bitesize mini-reviews with minimal editing. It's something that I've been thinking about a lot recently.
But yeah, thanks for the praise. I've got a ton of things to say about a lot of movies, so it won't stop anytime soon.
Cruella ain't dead, her movie - that is, 101 Dalmatians - just had a remake not to long ago (well, it's not so much a remake, it's more of a prequel/alternate continuity similar to Maleficent; but it qualifies as part of that trend of Disney capitalizing on nostalgia by remaking their older films)
Damn you are the last person I expected to comment under a video like this.
Heavy: Dis BUH-shiet mahn is Credit to team!
YeY
Dasboshitt the gmod idiot box was my childhood! So surreal seeing you here. Thank you for those videos.
I know a lot of little girls idolized the princesses as the Disney characters they wanted to grow up to be like but for me personally I wanted to be Miss Bianca.
She was soft, feminine, stylish, confident, empathetic, she spoke to everyone she met polite and kindly until they gave her a reason not to. Also she was a thrill seeker and an adventurer. In spite of her being a girly girl she never hesitated for a second to get her hands dirty if the situation called for it. Everyone recognized her as the champ of the RAS and wanted to work with her. I love her.
Honestly, growing up, I really wished for my name to be Bianca! She's such a lady, so classy and brave and his heart is always in the right place. In school l, for creative writing projects, I'd often give a character the name! I've always known it stemmed from this movie, but I've rarely shared it 😄
Same! she was feminine but strong when she had to be, without sacrificing her character. I thought the relationship between Bianca and Bernard was so sweet too
Omg yes Bianca was one of my favorites as a kid I would reenact the rescuers a lot and pretend to be Bianca because I loved her so much.
Mrs. Brisby, Miss Bianca, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Gadget Hackwrench are my favorite animated characters ever.
Honestly, as someone who grew up watching a lot of the macho manly men films in the early 2000s, one of the characters I wanted to emulate growing up was Bernard. Humble, kind, and appearing meek and even a bit clumsy, but when push comes to shove he’s brilliant at finding the root problems in a plan, will actively put himself in harms way to ensure nobody but him gets hurt, and never backs down even in the face of something terrifying and even life threatening. He’s no MacGuyver, but Bernard is certainly a resourceful, caring, and cunning character in his own right.
I was adopted, and I still remember that line from Medusa. I cried so hard, because I knew I was lucky to be loved, and that was the first time I realized that not everyone would have that chance. It hurt then, and even at the age of 38, it still stings to hear.
Same here - I think for most adopted kids even as adults we struggle with doubts about self worth or whether we were even worthy of being taken in at all in the first place (it also means that any additional trauma is like dropping a lit match in a puddle of gasoline). So the line hit hard as a kid and even moreso watching as an adult...
Glad things work out 4 u..
I think whether u r adopted or not..ppl.n words still can hurt u
.
I’m crying just reading your comment 😭💜
Medusa was a beeyotch. She even calls Penny "homely" when Medusa doesn't look so attractive herself (although her usage of it has a double meaning considering Penny's situation, but still...)
People forget that this film was a major success for the time. While The Aristcats and Robin Hood did fine at the box office, they weren’t legendary. The Rescuers was viewed as a return to form for Disney. Yet, today the film is treated as a Disney failure or underrated gem. How can a film that was a major box office success get that reputation? Sad.
It almost reminds me of another underrated Disney movie that came out back in the 2000s, a film staring a dog with a lightning bolt tattoo
It's the same as Great Mouse Detective. It's thanks to that movie that we even have the Disney renaissance!
I'm happy to learn this.
Thankfully, Robin Hood has become a cult favorite overtime (especially thanks to the likes of HourofPoop)
@@SrMechaGojira93 that is true. I rewatched Robin Hood recently and the story is really tight and the characters are really good. I know the movie gets criticized for the repeated animation but the story and characters are very memorable
Rufus is one of the few animated cats that isn't portrayed as a villian or negatively.
Its a small detail, but I like that about this movie.
He really is! Same with Tibbs in 101 Dalmatians. My dude was really ready to die protecting those puppies, and it would be cool to see more cats like them.
There’s also Aristocats
Oliver from Oliver and Company is portrayed positively! 😊
Danny from Cats Don't Dance
Ironic, considering the protagonists are mice😊
As an adopted person, I can safely say that Medusa's "What makes you think ANYONE would want a homely little girl like you?" is the biggest gut punch I've ever had watching a Disney movie. It's actually worse in some of the foreign language dubs. I think the Spanish version translates to "what makes you think anyone would want an ugly orphan like yourself?"
Ouch, not quite as subtle.
True. The Latin American dub was very straight forward. Just as a reference: I grew up with my biological parents, I have Asperger syndrome (which means my sense of empathy is weaker than the average person's) and even I, when I was a little kid, could feel Penny's pain after hearing these words.
It's what I miss the most from old Disney: absolute irredimible monsters.
It's the same in german. She calls her little and ugly, which even makes it worse because calling her little is belittling her in this context. So she's unsignificant AND ugly in german..
I can confirm, in the spanish dub she says that and she does it with this absolute casual tone that many grown ups use with kids, wich made it so realistic and so relatable to any kid who has ever had a grown up tell them something mean while hiding it behind a sweet tone
Americans def put things a little softer sometimes haha
I can confirm that Don Bluth did, in fact, take issue with the eyes being left unfinished and did propose a solution, to which Disney essentially said “shut up.” He told the story himself, at a session at CTN Animation Expo about ten years ago. I was in the room and heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Disney. Love to hate em
Honestly I think the designs look better without the eyes colored.
I first heard it from Doug Walker’s interview of Don Bluth, if anyone wants to hear for themselves.
What’s hilariously stupid is Disney was already using the “Xerox method” which was where the scratch animation was photo scanned onto the cells for inking to save time, and eliminate cleanup, which is why Disney films from 101 Dalmatians until Little Mermaid have that distinct, scratchy look to them.
@@The_13th_Hussar I agree. It makes them seem more like actual mice, very cute and beady. But I still do heavily sympathise with Bluth in that situation, there was no way the higher ups were gonna be interested in letting the film be refined.
The Dragonfly's name is also Evinrude, which is a popular boat motor
I like to think they used recordings of a revving Evinrude motor for his buzzing ☺️
@@gavdawiziscool Also back in those days when the movie was made, boat engines (mostly outboards) were two strokes so Evinrude sounded like one.
This is the comment I was looking for before I posted the same thing.
Saddly Evinrude is dead as a brand.
Gosh and it hurts more when I noticed Penny's things are in a cardboard box, and not in a nice heavy chest like the other children have at the foot of their beds. I think it further adds to how she views herself, as something not worth having a place at the orphanage. As if she is ready to be taken elsewhere yet not with a family. Stuck in limbo.
Im happy she gets parents in the end. Also I think the red headed girl getting adopted is a nod to the story "Little Annie".
I hadn't considered that. I assumed they might've moved her things because she went missing for "weeks". After the police checked them out maybe.
@@keythelich Oh I just noticed myself when I watched your video! In the scene where she carries Rufus away to get supper, her things were already in a cardboard box, despite there being a chest next to her bed (which is also heartwrenching that even in her own space of the room, her side is treated like storage). So dont worry XD Im just adding my nickel to the jar heheh
@@blepp7641 It might be heartbreaking to think about, but, if you recall the initial conversation she had with Rufus, about not getting adopted during adoption day, it's quite possible she packed her things up in anticipation of finally being able to leave.
@@hoshinoutaite I love this theory, there goes my heart 💔 This is destroying me all over again 🥺😭
Or that she’s waiting to move outta there, she’s already packed and ready to go and get some love in a second of given a chance
My theory is that. The rescuers, an american tail, and the great mouse detective and secret of nimh are in the same mouse universe. And yes the rescuers are definitely a part of the don bluth universe as well. This feels like a don bluth film always has been to me.
Wonder if we can cram redwall in as well
It's possible they exist in the same universe. Could be a good theory, same with adding Redwall into the mix.
'Flushed Away' feels like ardmans nod to this era of Disney too.
Don’t forget the mice in Cinderella.
Those mice from NIMH did really well for themselves.
I just wanted to gush about how cute of a couple Bianca and Bernard are. They're just so affectionate and Bianca gives him a much needed boost of confidence. And they manage to make them not feel like lame nice guy romance.
And not something I see often anymore :/
Absolutely. Bianca shows faith in Bernard and he steps the f*rk up and earns it.
@@keythelich Dungeons & Dragons movie has a great example of a guy and gal who are together not because of love but out of a sense of responsibility to the child they're caring for.
i definitely shipped them before i knew what shipping was
Yeah Biancca Yeah Bianca had effortless charm and the natural instinct to do the right thing.
Bernard was just a well meaning guy with a lack of confidence but Bianca saw potential in him
I just realized one little thing. Medusa’s crocodiles are named Brutus and Nero, apt names considering they both eventually turn traitor on her. (Brutus betrayed Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 B.C. when he and Cassius and certain members of the Roman Senate assassinated Caesar. As for Nero, he betrayed his own mother and had her executed for treason, even though she was probably his most loyal ally in his rise to power, even suspected of poisoning her husband Claudius so the boy would have a chance, since he was Claudius’ stepchild and not the heir). Medusa probably did lose her life in the swamp to those two crocs. I don’t think they would let off in their snapping at her until they had her.
I just wanna say the voice acting in this movie is top notch. All the adult and animals are voiced really well. But the biggest stand out to me is Penny's va because she was voiced by an actual child. When she's being sassy to Snoops and the crocodiles she acts like a child who shows she doesn't like them. But heartbreakingly so when she has the conversation with Medusa about going home or when she's talking about how she wasn't picked on adoption day it breaks my heart cuz hearing a child being heartbroken is the worst feeling in the world🥺
You just gave me an idea for a fun, short(ish) video I could do in future, thanks. 😁👍
@@keythelichchild voice acting/child actors?! YES! There is such an art with directing child actors. Some people got the chops to direct them (Steven Spielberg never disappointed)
My headcanon about the non-diegetic songs is that Penny grew up into a singer and started using her music to spread comfort to those like her.
That’s a lovely interpretation
That is now headcanon for me too.
Aw, that's real sweet.
Awe that’s adorable and I love it 🥰
I always thought she would go on to become a police officer or something just like the two little mice that saved her
Weirdly dark animated movies were my favorite as a kid.
Same. I appreciate them so much. I wish things like this were still created today..
@@benmcreynolds8581 Crazy how this channel covered both Fox and the Hound and Rescuers. Now we just need a Brave Little Toaster video.
Same it really shaped me as a person
@@Pillarofcreation1 i love the brave little toaster. By any chance have you seen "little nemo: Adventures in slumberland" it's a movie i saw when i was young and i thought it was a fever dream until i found out it was real later on. There's a scene in that movie that reminds me of the flooding scene from "the shining" it's worth checking out. It's actually a pretty interesting movie
Me too, particularly the "cute yet dark" variety, like "Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland," "Unico," and any Don Bluth movie. 90s Disney had it's dark stuff too.
Im glad someone else appreciates the detail of the crocs having some baseline respect for Penny despite being in charge of watching her and dragging her back to Medusa. I always thought it was an nice detail. Like they recognize and appreciate her strength, compared to a bumbling coward like snoops who they see as weak.
I also loved your reaction to Medusa telling Penny nobody would ever want her lol. So good. Love your essay/analysis videos ❤️❤️
32:45 for anyone looking for it. yesss, i was like, i'm gonna subscribe, hell yeah.
Madam Medusa and Lady Tremaine are the two villains that always frightened me the most as a kid because they felt so real. The animation of Medusa's hands especially scared me. Love this film and thanks for the deep dive.
They both remind me of abusive women my dad used to date. I don't care what he thinks of what I wrote for my Creative Writing class about one of those awful women, my and my sisters' stories deserve to be told, after the hell we were put through!
It hits different, revisiting this film again, even through a video essay. But it's still such a precious underrated gem, and it always brings such catharsis to see Penny find a new family and her happy ending.
@@Daelyah Sorry for meeting the real deals, writing does help release trauma. Hope you have found peace, and agreed- this movie is so underrated.
I give deep respect to the writers when a villain in a movie doesn't have magical powers (like Maleficent and most villains in animated films). Characters like Frollo, Gaston, Lady Tremaine and Madam Medusa are my favorite villains because they're just human, but they still have enough power (through manipulation, abuse, charisma, use of resources and sheer determination) and that's what makes them terrifyingly real.
Whenever parents try to calm their scared children that "the big bad guy" can't hurt them because "it's fantasy", they point to the magic element to prove it, but those parents can't do it with THESE villains, can they? Frollo IS real, Madam Medusa IS real, there are so many Frollos, Gastons and Tremaines out there in real life, but acknowledging them is admitting to the children that manipulative humans do exist, and they can be family relatives or people close to you, something many irresponsible parents don't want to do. Just because magic doesn't exist doesn't mean malicious powerful people don't either. We all know that is FAR from the truth.
Edit: I forgot to include Mother Gothel! She's the most recent villain (and Tangled came in 2010, yikes, shows what Disney's state is right now) that counts in the category of non-magical and yet manipulative and scarily real. She represents so many real manipulative mothers that abuse their children not physically but through gaslighting and deception. I'm so glad they didn't make her a witch (since i think that's what she was in the original story, or maybe just in the Barbie version) because it would've ruined the subtelty of her abuse.
@@100lovenana Agree with all the other villains you have mentioned and yes Mother Gothel is terrifying too!
@@100lovenanaI think Hans from Frozen could also count. No magic power, and he's not even revealed as the real villain until near the end.
I think what you noticed about the villain characters being dark reflections of the hero characters is not unintentional, it’s just good writing (and something that’s sorely missing in storytelling nowadays). The hero and the villain of a story are supposed to be a reflection of one another, because the audience should be able to look at both characters and recognize them, even relate to them, but immediately understand where the villain has failed and how the hero chose to be better.
And it's a great way to show that personality traits aren't inherently good or bad, they're just traits that can be corrupted depending on the attitude and intentions.
No, not really. It's one literary device among many. Just because a story has a hero and villain who reflect each other, doesn't mean it's good. And just because a story lacks such a dichotomy, doesn't mean it's bad.
There are no rules to telling stories. There are only goals, and tools for achieving those goals. The quality of a story can only be judged by the standards it set for itself.
@@tbotalpha8133 When I said this dichotomy is sorely lacking in stories these days, I was referring to stories that present a sympathetic view of the villain, but don't provide that same perspective about the hero. For most people this won't be an issue, but for those who would find themselves in a similar predicament to the villain, they'll start to empathize with that villain and rationalize their bad actions as being right. Having a hero that reflects the villain corrects this because it allows that vulnerable person a chance to see how to become better and heal rather than just how to gratify themselves on the suffering of others. That's why its important for the hero to struggle in the same ways that the villain does.
Storytelling does have a purpose. No one would doubt that Art has an impact on its audience. If it can affect that audience in a Good (enriching, inspiring) way, that it can also affect the audience in a Bad way. Thus it is completely fair (and actually good) to criticize stories on this basis.
I think it'd be great to see you touch upon The Great Mouse Detective at some point. For some reason, whenever Disney hits its lowest lows, they fall back onto mice leads, and it generally works and they do financially well enough to make it a bit longer.
I strongly agree with you "a touch up" on The Great Mouse Detective, but my favorite character is..Toby..I just ❤him!! He's so cute. "Great" choice..👍
Ratigan will always be my favorite villain.
It is called the House of Mouse for a reason
I mean that makes sense, it all started with a mouse.
Did they do that in the early 2000s? If not, I’m almost scared to think about what it might have been…
A 3D Disney mouse, pulling Disney from its CGI flop hell
finally someone who appreciates this film! I'm tired of everyone collectively calling it "boring" and "forgettable" when it's anything but
Those people like the live action remakes and straight to dvd sequels and consider them “masterpieces”
@@nationalinstituteofcheese3012 I know right🫤
Unfortunately, I think it's because it's got the much slower pace of a mystery unfolding. Which I positively adore, same with 101 Dalmatians being very dialogue heavy as we see samples of daily life then stretches of them on the road trying to get between information points. The live action remake tried to "remedy" this by having more slapstick and a larger focus on the puppies but I think taking away Pongo and Perdy's journey (since the trip to the Devil House and getting back only seemed to have one stop) took away some of the power in the original. And similarly in Rescuers Down Under, we have three separate plots going on with a lot of fun and beautifully animated sequences, but they cut out nearly all of the investigation nature of the first one. They know early on where Cody is, they learn fairly quick as to why, so we get the struggle of getting there but even the sense of danger is cut down since almost every time we check in on Bianca and Bernard, the focus is more on the proposal plot. I don't mind, but it gives the movie a much different vibe than the first one. I kind of want to say Great Mouse Detective struck that pacing balance a lot better between the mystery and action most likely because of the time limit sense of urgency, but maybe that's just me.
The Rescuers reminds me of a lot of old dramas in the 50s and 60s where the tension is in the build up since it's not a WHO did it, but WHY with each new clue or location shifting the goal from finding answers to the mystery and the horror of the truth to how do they stop it? CAN they stop it? Since we get a whole scene of the characters forging a plan instead of, say, someone has an idea and whispers it to the others and we don't see it until it's implemented like most movies might do these days to cut down on time. The problem is most kids want action. They might be taken in by the mystery in wondering what's going to happen next, but knowing the answer may make it boring for most to watch a second time. Especially with the more modern crowd being used to bright colors and music and magic and so on, going back to a movie that's muted in colors and dialogue heavy probably seems "boring". Maybe even entertaining but still far down on the list of favorites. I'll admit, I gained a LOT of appreciation for this film when I watched it as an adult. I liked it as a kid, but could never explain why, but I've also grown to love classic lit and Golden Age Hollywood.
(I am so sorry for the length of this)
I grew up with Disney's crop of low-profit classics like this on VHS. The ARTISTRY in these films is seriously underappreciated and I'm very happy to see someone taking the time to give credit where credit is due. I recently got to show a friend of mine this film and he was *blown away* by Milt Kahl's work on Lady Medusa. She was like his magnum opus of character animation.
60's/70's Disney is peak 👌🏻
Wait...did you happen to see a certain image in one of the windows?
The xerox era is def underappreciated. It has a gritty grainy look that matches the tone of the film quite well
I remember being a kid and pausing my tape of the 101 Dalmatians at certain points - and while I think they've cleaned it up in remastered versions since - at certain times in the old VHS copies you can clearly see the artist underdrawings of the puppies' heads. It was kind of my first insight into the amount of work that it took to put these films together and I lowkey wish they'd kept it in when they remastered the footage for DVDs/digital copies. I love the imperfect aesthetic of this time period at Disney. @@lauren6509
@@lauren6509 I think it helped that they were still trying to tell good stories and made sure the scripts were solid before animating.
When you raged after Medusa called Penny "homely," it really spoke to me. The last time I watched this movie, I was a kid and it seemed to me just a villain doing what villains do. It was to be expected because Medusa was a bad guy. But now that I'm older, Medusa's words sounded eerily familiar to what I've heard in my head about my own appearance. And I know it's worse because it's someone manipulating a child, but seeing you rage surprised me a little and in an indirect way, spoke to my inner self. Loved your commentary and gave me a new appreciation for a film that creeped me out as a small child.
I literally cheered loudly at that part. It's good to recognize what shouldn't be normalized
In the spanish dub she flat out calls her ugly
To me Penny is such an unsung hero in the Disney Canon. She seeks incapable but her bravery and is far more than what she seems to be despite her soft exterior.
Cody meanwhile is so capable in the Australian Wilderness that it's silly, riding eagles like its nothing and leaping through the air.
Penny is a believable child doing unbelievable things because of her hope and bravery, and that makes her more human and impactful than so many other young characters in animation
I always loved this movie growing up. Rewatching it as an adult, it's even better, as one notices things that went right overhead as a kid. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Bianca and Bernard are hiding in the organ pipes and Brutus and Nero try to get them out by one playing the organ and the other trying to grab the mice as they are launched out of the pipes. Medusa's reaction to the chaotic organ playing has hilarious implications. A normal adult, when hearing that sound on a river boat with another adult, a child and two alligators (Brutus and Nero are more likely to be alligators than crocodiles due to the fact that within the US the former actually inhabit most of the Southeast while the latter only inhabit the extreme southern tip of Florida), the obvious source of the organ playing would be the child. The next most likely would be the other human adult. One would NOT expect the alligators to be doing it, unless one had observed them doing so in the past. When Medusa hears the organ playing, she doesn't shout "Penny!" or even "Snoops!" She immediately shouts at Brutus and Nero! That almost certainly means that she has caught them playing the organ before...
This movie did more to teach me the true meaning of "stranger danger" than anything else.
It's funny how The Rescuers were, at one point, supposed to be a sequel to 101 Dalmations with Cruella being the one to kidnap Penny and not Madame Medusa. Then Oliver and Company was supposed to be the sequel to The Rescuers featuring Penny in Jenna's place, adopting Oliver. But I guess they couldnt make these ideas work lol I kinda think these og ideas seemed kinda cool and would make for some decent/interesting fanfiction idea.
It’s a cool idea :)
Though I guess the writers just wanted to give Penny her happy ending and not put her through any more trauma 😅
Honestly, at the end of the day maybe it was for the best that Cruella wasn't the villain in this movie, for the simple reason that it would have changed our view of Cruella as a character. Cruella is a bitch, but honestly, her worst crime is kidnapping and attempting to kill dogs (that she doesn't know are sentient), and at the end of the day she is one of those villians that people love more than hate because of charisma. But imagine if she had been the villain in the Rescuers, and thus imagine her being the one saying and doing everything that Medusa does. Cruella destroying a young child emotionally in purpose and then being willing to abondon her in the swamps (in other words... in likelyhood killig her)... I don't think us Disney fans would be able to look at Cruella the same way again. Cruella would becaome less of a "You charismatic bitch, I love you!" kind of villain and more of the kind of villain that you genuinly despise and is repulsed by.
@rattis Still though, that idea would've been insane
Then they wanted to make a spin-off TV show which became Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers.
My parents weren't in my life growing up and I would keep going back to this movie. I saw Penny as someone to look up to. She never accepted her mistreatment, fighting back how she could. She was small but brave and she never let her hope die.
I always cry at that scene when Medusa said those cruel words to penny. And the song that plays hits harder because she still was resilient and had hope throughout the whole thing
I legit forgot about that scene, I think I'm gonna have to rewatch the movie tonight
I'm sobbing, this video deserves millions of views. It's been at least 15 years since the last time I saw this movie, and now I want to watch it again. I remember seeing it several times when I was a kid (the Latinamerican Spanish dub) and, as many comments have pointed out, Medusa calls Penny "an ugly girl". The first time I saw that scene I was baffled at her cruelty, and even though I was maybe barely older than Penny, I remember I wanted to fight Medusa lol. I think she was one of the first villains I saw, and she's definitely one of the biggest fictional psycho a-holes I can think of.
I also want to add that, now that I think about it, Bernard reminds me of Samwise Gamgee, both characters do manual labor for a living, are not held in high regard and don't seem particularly bright at first. They unwillingly end up involved in a big, high risk mission, and despite them being reluctant, unsure and obviously afraid, as the challenges grow bigger and bigger, they always rise to the occasion despite self-doubt, helping their friends reach the goal.
Sorry If I didn't express my ideas very clearly, English is not my first language.
You expressed your ideas beautifully, my friend! Yes, good observation, Bernard is very much like Sam Gamgee, a humble, meek little guy who is called to action and turns out to be a lot braver than anyone, including himself, could ever possibly have known.
This movie has one of my favourite Disney quotes (possibly one of my favourite quotes ever): “Faith is a bluebird you see from afar. It’s as sure and as real as the first evening star. You can’t touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight, but it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.” This movie is so special to me 💖
I'm gonna be honest, people who say Down Under is better kinda don't understand the charm and emotional weight the original had. Down Under may be decent and technically beautiful, but on a rewatch, it personally didn't hold up to me. Penny's personality and resilience, the rough scratchy animation and the dark feel just resonates with me more. I just like all the characters more and people who say its slow probably should be watching an action movie anyways. Its sad that so many people overlook it for Down Under as being better, when its simply not. Its different, but only better in some people's eyes. Also Milt Kaln animated Medusa completely freehanded with no references, which is pretty much almost unheard of talent even among the 12 Wisemen of disney
Facts! I only like the sequel because Bernard proposed! But the way they portrayed the mice felt off to me. and they have very little screen time
Fun fact, part of the reason Milt could free-hand sketch her like that is because Medusa was based on his ex-wife LMAO
Down Under is just as good, but in a subtly different way.
The worst thing about Down Under was that it was all setups and no payoffs. We never see Cody reunited with his mother, we don’t get to see Bernard and Bianca’s wedding, and we don’t see the eagle eggs hatch, it’s just sound effects and John Candy voiceover. It was as if they threw so much time and money into effects that they couldn’t afford another 2-3 minutes of animation to wrap it all up in a satisfying way.
Yes! I thought I was the only one who felt this way! Down under is good but I much prefer this for those exact reasons.
This was my favorite movie as a kid. The oddly dark feel of it appealed to me like no other Disney movie did. I still love it, and don't really hear anyone talk about it.
I was beaten down and belittled all the time as a child, and Medusa’s hateful comment about how nobody could ever want a kid like Penny, broke me even as a child.. I knew this video was gonna make me cry.. but I also really needed to see it. Thanks.
The reason Medusa takes Teddy from Penny and puts The Devil's Eye in there is so she can smuggle the diamond through customs, to either avoid getting caught by the police, get fined or have to pay a big sum of money for filing the paper work for transporting the (mostly possibly) biggest diamond on Earth.
I agree with you on that one, although I also get the feeling she put it in Penny's bear as a way of removing her one possession that's kept her company all this time. If that's truly the case, then Medusa is going on my hit list
One thing (of many) that she was very short-sighted with was that if customs saw a weird and wild woman, wearing extravagant clothing, and jealously cradling a simple teddy bear, that is singularly the very item that would have drawn their attention! She would have had better luck going through customs shoving the diamond in her big mouth.
@@julieabraham3566 She probably would say the teddy bear is a gift to her niece or something.
"Two little Mice? What can YOU do?"
Turns out.... a LOT, actually
Honestly, I love the concept of the RAS. Think of all the potential stories of all the other mice who have been on similar adventures.
Reminds me of the Emperor's line from Mulan. "I won't take any chances, General! A single grain of rice can tip the scale; one man can be the difference between Victory and Defeat."
Though it may seem like much, Bernard and Bianca actually made the effort to search for Penny.
Bianca connected to Penny even through a watered-out note with a single clue, choosing the least-likely candidate as her co-agent, Bernard, who at that point was 'only a janitor'. Even the chairman was skeptical when he tsks about 'a janitor and a lady, bless my soul!'
They go to the orphanage, hearing about Penny, and how the police gave up, leaving the case a Cold Case. Surprisingly, Rufus gives them the second clue; the mention of Medusa, to which they follow over to a pawn shop, to Devil's Bayou, and the eventual reason why Penny was taken. I love this movie, because it shows you are never too small or meek to do something great!
That’s why if they do make another Rescuers movie, I don’t care if it’s live action or animated. Make it a NEW story. There’s no need to remake the two movies. But I shutter knowing that chance isn’t very good.
Geraldine Paige - one of the greatest actresses of all time - gave a brilliant vocal performance portraying Medusa's vile greed, obsession, pettiness, cruelty and abusiveness.
This movie is like a time capsule of back when animators gave a shit, and poured every ounce of passion they had into every stroke of the pen.
CGI will never compare.
Can't say I agree. I think I understand the spirit of your point, but I don't think this applies when movies like The Last Wish exist. I'm getting more and more tempted to make a video on how animated movies have changed within the past century, because there's a lot to say.
Fair enough. It *is* more of a personal preference on my part. Even though I'll be the first to sing the praises of something like Kubo and the Two Strings, or Spider-man into the spidervers... I'll still say hand-drawn is king.@@keythelich
Yeah sure… When the producers answered « who cares » when one of the animators complained that the mice’s eyes should be colored white. Or the intro that Disney couldn’t be bothered to animate. The Rescuers is one of the best example of animated Disney film that didn’t give a crap. While I’ll admit its cheap animation had some charm to it there is more care in any of the cg animated Disney films than in that one (except Chicken Run, that one felt so cheap as well).
I am sure it wasn't meant like that, but please don't bash the modern animators. They suffer so much for their work. Burnout and even PDSD is common enough among them. That wouldn't happen if they didn't care. And there are many lovingly created CGI animations out there. The fault for the bad ones do not lie with the animators but rather with the detached CEOs.
@@MCTeerling And I must apologize for bashing the 70's animators in my last comment as well when they too were committed to their craft. Again, it all boils down to the direction.
I remember reading somewhere that both Madusa and Snoops are caricatures of real people. Actually, Madusa, allegedly, is a caricature of the ex-wife of one of the animators.
Correct, Milt's wife if I remember right. And Snoops was based on someone who would come into the animator's office from time to time. I forget who exactly.
That’s awesome! I wish I could do that with people in my life.
The Rescuers and the rescuers down under were my childhood, but i never really dived too horribly deep into their meanings. They always stand in my mind though, especially down under, as some of the best movies disney released, when they weren't as afraid of having things for the adults to ponder as well. I do hope that you cover the sequal.
I think I will at some point, but it's going to be a shorter video. Not by choice, but there's less I have to say.
I liked them but I have conflicted feelings about the down under one as it gets the typical American not caring about the place and people you are representing treatment. The Australia you see in American media and the real one are two entirely different countries. Other than that they were great films about saving children who needed saving.
Nobody ever talks about this movie, even hardcore Disney fans, so seeing an hour-long analysis of it makes me happy. I was absolutely obsessed with it as a kid, and I still enjoy the sequel as well, mostly because George C. Scott was so damn good as McLeach.
Fun Fact: the dragonfly that drives Bernard and Bianca’s little leaf boat- Evanrude (also my favourite), is also the brand name of a major boat motor manufacturer!! So his name is a clever allusion to the job he does
I remember when I was a kid, I always loved Bernard. he was probably one of my first heroes and did a lot to define my views of bravery.
This is a bit of insider information so I won't mention any names, but my 2D Animation mentor worked on Hunchback of Notre Dame and he told me that there was deliberate discussion on whether or not Frodo should have rings on his fingers, because adding them costed a lot of extra labor to do and of course, extra money (he told me that Frodo's rings each costed a small fortune in labor). They opted to finally add the rings because it added a lot of visual storytelling to Frodo's character (him being materialistic and vain underneath his facade). Just thought I'd mention it because it was a cool tidbit of knowledge!
…do you mean Frollo?
@@eldrichhorrornya5933how to piss off two fandoms at once
Also, considering you've found great success covering Disney content that deals heavily on melancholy and sorrow---Bambi would be right up your alley. It's the film everyone watched back in the day, but might not remember why it so effectively balanced extreme joy and crushing loss.
I'm not sure I could talk much about Bambi, but maybe as a mini-app in future.
@@keythelich Black Cauldron could also be an interesting dive. There are a few other CZcams essays on it, but I've no doubt your perspective would bring something significantly different to the table.
36:33 Easter Egg! That's Bambi and his mother right there! Penny's watching Bambi with his mother. And the movie ends in winter; the very season Bambi loses his mother and Penny gains a family.
Penny share your past woes with the poor deer some day!
Agreed! I think the sequel does it justice as well!
This movie hits a lot of feels, for those of us who survived abuse and were treated like worse than dirt, when we were children. It brings so much more catharsis to see Penny find family and her happy ending.
So nice to see video essays on this film; it was part of the precious foundation for my better childhood memories. 💙
God bless whoever decided that the dragonfly should have a sweather, a stache and a tonsure baldness.
Your videos essays are great. You voice, tone and diction make them very comfy to listen to, and the montage is impeccable. I can't wait to see more.
Don't rush tho. I'd rather have one video a year with this quality then risk seeing yet another good video essayist suffer creator burnout.
Now, for the next one, how about Prince of Egypt ? It gets a lot of praise but it still seems this movie got driven into the memory hole for the wider audience...
Prince wouldn't be a bad idea, I was planning to move away from Disney for the next one.
This movie, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated movies Disney has ever produced. Apart from the charming art, animation and characters, the message of having faith and never giving up was what carried it. I love how Penny, despite being a child held hostage by two greedy strangers, had to be brave while facing all of these dangers so that she could find a way to escape. I also think that more people need to see The Rescuers.
True
the way they animate medusa taking off her false eyelashes is like my favorite 500ms of the movie. it’s just so good.
Every time I wear false lashes for costumes and have to remove them, I think of this scene. 😂
The Rescuers has always been one of my all-time favorite Disney cartoons. It deserves to be held in a similar league with the Disney renaissance films. You brought out the most amazing insights into the story. It’s a war against Hopelessness, a fight to preserve one’s self-esteem, sanity and compassion for others in times of overwhelming trial, particularly if one is in an abusive relationship. (Medusa’s toxic manipulation of Penny, attacking her soul. Medusa is one of the darkest of the Disney villains, just because of how far she is willing to go to get what she wants. Although she does not kill anyone, she comes alarmingly close, and I have no doubt if push came to shove, she would go even that far. She values things more than people. And you’re quite right, even after getting the coveted Diamond, she would not be happy for very long.) That song, “Someone’s Waiting for You,” is so perfect for those who are scared or sad.
Also, Medusa is written as quite down to earth for a disney villain, which makes her feel more "real" and relatable. Like, As bad as Frollo, Cruella and Maleficent are, they are over the top and you aren't likely to meet someone like that in real life, whereas Medusa is a fairly realistic depiction of an abuser, right down to the mannerisms and tactics. It really is the small things that make her so effective, she isn't overthrowing a kingdom and murdering a ruler while evilly laughing over a goose-stepping crowd, it's the way she casually and matter-of-factly destroys a child's heart as if it's nothing, because in her mind that's what the child is worth.
Key's in-depth, break down video essay's are something to look forward to. I'm glad this content creator keeps pushing is passion and putting out videos.
I agree!
YOU'RE JUST SUCKING UP
I'm about to cry over the sheer grit of a dragonfly...
Honestly, this is one of my comfort movies, and I'm glad it's being given some of its deserved flowers.♡
Thank you for perfectly describing why I love Bernard and Bianca as a couple so much.
I liked that you quoted Biggering, the best song that was never in the Lorax.
Yes I noticed too :) a nice little nod to song they should’ve used in the final cut
Huh i figured the mice's eyes werent colored in because it mimics how real mice havd beady black eyes. Like the actual eye is just the black pupil, and the lines around just help with expression
That was probably said during production at some point. But the colour contrast with white eyes lends more towards expression. There's actually multiple times where you can see Bernard flip to white eyes when he's surprised or scared.
It's not like I prefer one over the other myself, but it's technically better from an animation perspective.
As a kid, I liked Rescuers Down Under more. As an adult, I came to appreciate this movie on its own terms.
Looking back at this gem after all these years, Medusa reminds me of my first stepmom.
She may not have kept alligators (only two cats that disliked me), but she was just as manipulative and cruel. She even had that expansive yet trashy vibe going on.
Just an interesting note I thought was worth pointing out: Madame Medusa's eyes are the only eyes in the movie (aside from the gators') that have distinct color.
What is that color?
Green.
Madame Medusa is not only deeply greedy, she may also be a deeply envious person as well. Envy is oft described as a "green-eyed monster" by many a writer and poet; perhaps, in a way, she envies Penny and her youth.
(note that I'm posting this observation 28:38 into the video, so you may have pointed this out later on)
Funnily enough, this was in my pre-script notes, mentioning how vivid her eyes were (fittingly her name also being Medusa).
But it just never ended up in the final draft. I'm not really sure why.
Thanks for doing this! The Rescuers is one of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid, and the visuals and especially the mood really struck a chord with my 5-6 year old self. So did The Fox and the Hound a few years later.
For real, the vibe of some of these movies during this time were so good and really nothing nowadays holds up to what they used to create. Growing up and coming back to these creations as an adult, i realized that they were made so well that people of any age could appreciate these movies. Not just kids.
Your last video got me to go to my local library and read the Fox and Hound. So I'll probably do the same here as well.
Excellent essays on these underrated films.
In response to your comment:
I think you are very good at thoughtful long form movie reviews like this.
I'll watch the short ones if you make them, certainly, but this is the good stuff.
If anything I might start streaming, just so the channel isn't silent for months at a time. Or just not heavily edited stuff.
the white eye animation tea was unexpected but wholly welcomed
The sound effects in this movie are giving me The legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask vibes even though Majora’s Mask came out in 2000
This movie would have been on my "childhood trauma" list if I ever made one. Although I liked it, it always made me incredibly sad and uncomfortable as a kid and I didn't understand entirely why. After watching this video, I completely understand. I guess that without even completely understanding the link, I view myself in Penny. I cried hard watching this video. It's so hard for children when adults, who they are trained to trust, put them down and devalue them.
I never noticed that even in this movie they thought Africa was a country. Classic America 🤦🏾♂️
I never noticed that either. Really no excuse for that one Disney...
I sincerely doubt it was a mistake. Later on in the video, he talks about the cost cutting measures they made and my guess is since the world doesn't really give a shit so it African individual countries it was a good way to save on character space and animation.
I kind of wonder if they had ambassadors for both countries and continents. I say this because there were a several mice wearing afros, an indication that they were supposed to be from Africa, so perhaps they represented different African countries.
I'm 49, so I've seen 'The Rescuers' ever since the 80s. I have the DVD. I love the movie and I've seen it more times than I can count, but one thing you brought up I never even thought of: "But Penny, don't you like it here? A big beautiful boat all to yourself?" It never dawned on me that after getting the Devil's Eye, that Medusa had to do something to Penny so she would not tell anyone. So yes, she would abandon her (and Snoops) on that "big beautiful boat" to fend for themselves without food, water or safety.
Not only that, but she would abandon her "precious pets" as well, who would have gone straight after her other throwaways. Snoops and Penny would not have lasted long enough to even hope to escape the island. Medusa and the Devil's eye are the same level of dualled evil as Gollum and The Ring.
Love your videos. I know newer material may be tempting but I honestly love seeing films that have kinda been forgotten or don't have big name appeal getting the love and attention they deserve.
I support this idea. There are so many videos on the newer movies, but not nearly enough on movies previous to Disney's Renaissance. This video is actually the first one I've seen analyzing this movie, the other ones have been simply recaps or reactions, and even then they are so few.
Yes! I'm happy to see this movie get more love. I understand why people like the sequel more, and I love it too, but I love this one a lot too with its dark look, grounded story, and relatable main character. I love your analysis. Also, 18:36 had me in stitches, I must have played that bit like five times in a row. XD
We've all heard the term "underrated" but it's an especially appropriate word to apply to the Rescuers movies. They're beautiful movies, at the very least.
You sir have just made my favourite video essay to date.
I've always liked that the mice don't have whites in their eyes, they remind me of the Beatrix Potter and Wind in the Willows videos I watched around the same time.
This film always makes me think of my Grandparents, because I'd always watch it at their house. I'm so glad someone has taken the time to make a video on it, I've found that lots of people don't really care for it
I love the sequel, it’s great and the villain is so scary that for many years I saw in my nightmares an evil hunter that hunted children. And yet, Penny's situation is much worse than Cody's. After all, mother was worried about Cody, the rangers were looking for him, and no one in the whole world cared about Penny. If it weren't for a small miracle in the form of talking mice, she would have become another set of bones in that hole, and no one would have remembered her. This story is truly terrifying.
As a former foster kid I can not tell you what this movie meant to me. Rufus alone got me through some hard times. ❤😊
This was one of my favorite movies growing up. My sister had the VHS I remember borrowing it and "Beauty and the Beast" constantly. Those were the two movies that besides "Alice in Wonderland" that I adored. Its message about faith and self worth is very very powerful, and the underlying tone about child abduction is still relevant in these days. "The Rescuers" is a charming film with a very serious tone and a powerful message.
EDIT: Funny you mentioned "The Rescuers 3"
Disney was planning a direct-to-video installment in 1995, but due to the untimely passing of Eva Gabor it was scrapped. In fact Miss Bianca has only made non-speaking cameos since then. The only character voiced by Gabor to have a speaking cameo is Duchess from "The Aristocats" in "House of Mouse", performed by Russi Taylor.
Ok the Pebble and the Penguin was a masterpiece. I will accept no arguments. Evil Tim Curry penguin is amazing. I will say its his 2nd best animated villain roll though. The best belongs to Hexxus from FernGully. Still a great video. Happy to see you do this again.
“Don’t make me laugh!”
*Spectators crack TF up*
🤣🤣
The movie's opening is a masterpiece, we can agree on that. 😚
@@keythelich I can take that deal 😂
I really love what you said about a lot of these lessons going over a kid's heads. I think about when I would watch these movies a lot growing up. I'll reminisce or just watch them again and I realize it was stuffed with these lessons that I completely missed. I honestly think that is one of the best ways of learning. Without realizing it you are taking in this media and applying it to the world around you. And you don't think about it a lot but you realize that a lot of the shows or movies you watched really shaped your values and impacted you way more than you might realize.
Kids need more of this. More of the dark side and just unpleasant moments life throws at you. And not that Disney movies nowadays don't really teach kids important lessons because I think there is still stuff there but everything is just so sugar-coated anymore. Things aren't as dark as they used to be and sometimes I think that we're just missing that as a whole culture and society. Kids deserve good media. They deserve not to be talked at like they are stupid. And as a society and as adults we should want the best for the future. And if that means it takes a bunch of adults ranting about children's media in order for it to get better than so be it.
Another reason that Disney rejected the idea of having Cruella De Vil as a villian, was the studio weren't interested into making sequels at the time (ironcally The Rescuers Down Under was the movie that broke the trend, a couple of years later Return of Jafar happened which opened up the floodgates to many direct-to-video sequels, most of them being of subpar quality due to cheap production done on the other side of the globe rather than done in the Disney studios in Anaheim and Florida, it wasn't until Winnie the Pooh in 2011 that theatrical sequels were produced, which gave room to two more Disney Animation sequels Ralphs Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2).
On a side note, Madame Medusa were created and animated by Milt Kahl, one of The Nine Old Men, who had a rivialry with Marc Davis, who animated Cruella. Despite Davis have stopped animating after 101 Dalmatians to work on Disneyland Attractions at WED Enterprises (making attractions such as The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribeean and The Country Bear Jamboree), Kahl got his chance to top his old rival by making his version of Cruella with Medusa. Both characters have their similiarites, both have an obsession (Cruella the dalmatian fur coats, Medusa The Devil's Eye), they both have a carismatic charm when calm but get angry pretty quickly to the point of shouting and screaming at their goons when they don't deliver the goods (not to mention they both will hit their goons and generally mistreats them for their failures) and both are reckless drivers (both even tell othes to watch the road when they ironically ARE the ones who should watch the road).
I remember stumbling upon their rivalry during research. I sort of wish I had included it in some form, it's interesting.
This is a better review than the nostalgia critic ever gave the movie. He thought it was a bad movie. What does he know?
I love how they kept some aspects of the original script! I grew up loving the Rescuers and I never knew how different the original idea was. I’m so glad they went with saving an orphan child instead of a polar bear kidnapped by penguins 😅
How has it only taken me until now to realise Penny was kidnapped?! I never noticed that in Rufus' words. Plus Catrine Tate would be a great Medusa.
I actually prefer this film over the sequel, mainly because I've seen the original more; that, and I felt like the story-telling is a better.
As for the animation, Milt Kahl is one of my favorites from the 9 Old Men; Madam Medusa is definitely a love letter to his career!
Same here
The problem with the sequel is that it abandons the religous roots of the original. No longer is it about how good things will eventually happen to those who believe that it will. Now it's just about believing in yourself.
I think the crocodiles where a excellent choice, besides being thematicly appropriate, it also works with what you mentioned earlier about them sensing fear. Reptiles don’t have empathy and compassion like most mammals do, they are literally and figuratively cold blooded. They do, however, recognize fear, not that they we’re afraid of penny, but them having more respect for penny than snoopes makes sense since she doesn’t show fear.
Thanks for reminding me why the Rescuers was/is my favorite disney series.
*& noticing the lack of Evenrude in Down Under lol
The Rescuers is a film to watch if you feel like becoming unfathomably angry for a few hours
Please, PLEASE do Rescuers Down Under! I loved these movies as a child. This was such an insane nostalgia trip, and made me feel feelings I haven't felt in a long time. Excellent video.
"What makes you think anyone would want a homely little girl like you?"
Breaks my heart everytime I watch that scene.
Medusa being unhinged honeslty explains so many problems with her plan to the point of kidnapping a child, but also shows the scale of her greed and unhingedness.
She doesnt bother getting better tools to help dig out the diamond or to help Penny find the diamond, wich would speed up the search... shes willing to let a child drown if she cant find a diamond, meaning she likely would kidnap another child to continue the search, till she was either caught or the diamond was lost for good.
I like to imagine after this clusterfuck, Snoops took over the Pawn shop (since Medusa is likely dead) and become more legit in terms of business... especially since he lost a small fortune due to Medusas madness.
I loved both Rescuers movies when I was a child, this one for the storyline, songs and characters, and Down Under for the action and the villain for how scarily real they are, like Frollo was. The messages in the first film of never giving up hope and also of self esteem were powerfully done, that scene with Penny and Rufus still touches my heart.
Also, an even sadder detail in the “someone’s waiting for you” scene is if you look on the wall near Penny’s bed, you’ll see she’s drawn a picture of the mom and dad she wishes she had, heartbreaking.
It makes me sad as an animation fan and student myself that most adults will brush off animation as only something for kids. It’s a real shame, as videos like this actually prove how deep in storytelling and thought out in details these movies and even shows are. Animation really is an under appreciated art form. Brilliant analysis of a childhood favourite.
Well, what can I say? Another great video about a Disney Classic which nobody remembers but I liked as a kid (and so his sequel) and still enjoy today. Thanks for this analysis and see you soon.
P.S. The person who was responsible for THAT frame is the background painter of the movie, Annie Guenther. It was revealed by animator Tom Sito.
Really? I think I looked into it a little and never found anything.
@@keythelich The CZcamsr Eddache dedicated a video about it
Thank you for another insightful deep-dive into an underrated Disney movie! The way that you are able to articulate the themes, speculation, and the behind the scenes parts in these video essays greatly help to supplement your talking points. By the way, all of the previous versions of the Rescuers sound so wild, I’m genuinely curious how they would have turned out if any of them came out instead of the final version. Also, glad to see the deserving appreciation of Evinrude the dragonfly, he’s such a legend :).
A lot of folks tend to talk about the renaissance or the modern day films when Disney movies get brought up, but there is a lot of good that can be found during the “Dark Age” movies, even if they’re not as iconic (to most) as the ones found elsewhere.
Me and my brother do have a lot of Disney movies at home on VHS, and some of our favorites are the dark age films; my brother’s favorite Disney movie is Robin Hood even! Just the fact that the Rescuers is even getting talked at all brings a good feeling, as memories of people not knowing what we’re talking about felt weird before. This sense of pride/validation of sorts comes out whenever these things get mentioned/discussed, just like in this essay and the Fox and the Hound essay.
It never occured to me that Penny might have been rejected more than once by potential parents on the Adoption Days but it makes sense. I can't belivie I never tought of that even if I listen to the music story version since I was seven, listened to the casette tape version of it during the mid-90's and saw the movie in whole for the first time in 98.
Thank you for this video because I really, really love The Rescuers but I've seen people say it's "boring." It's just nice to see appreciation towards it in the way you've done.
I just wanna say, when I was a kid I thought she was pulling out her real eyelashes, which scared me. Like, that woman is UNHINGED. Lol
Maybe her real eyelashes fell out ages ago due to too much toxic makeup and so those eyelashes she pulled out are fake BUT all she has. That would be super creepy but make perfect sense.
This movie was pretty much a swan song for the original Disney staff of animators as well as the late Walt himself, and you can definitely feel that somber tone in its atmosphere and the characters. You can see where Don Bluth picked up a lot of his style of direction from.
This and your Fox and the Hound retrospective are easily some of the best analysis on old Disney I've seen on youtube. Your channel is extremely underrated and I hope you'll eventually get the attention you truly deserve. You've earned yourself a sub!
I just realized that I may have been subconsciously inspired by Medusa for the villain in my current writing project. It would make sense since I watched and enjoyed this movie as a kid.
First of my villain had *Madame* in her name, she is rich, she is manipulative, and she kidnaps people because she wants them to find what she wants.
The rest of the story is quite different from the rescuers though, it’s a road-trip sort of fantasy adventure but I still find it interesting how we get inspired by things without realizing it
The Rescuers is a comfort movie for me, i'm glad to see it being talked about in great detail
My god, you just made me appreciate a Disney gem even more! Fantastic job, man! Also, ou forgot to mention that the fact that he's named "Evinrude" - I had a good chuckle because that's the name of a boat-motor maker.
Huge appreciation for the use of Castlevania: Lords of Shadows soundtrack
I actually didn't know that before people started telling me. 😄
I remember seeing a boat with an Evinrude motor for the first time soon after I saw The Rescuers, and chuckling as I realised the joke.
17:47 The bird making that sound is Eurasian Curlew. I hear them singing all summer in Finnish countryside.
Thank you. I was wondering how long it would take for some smarty-pants to tell me.
I've never stopped watching The Rescuers. I grew up with that movie.
I'm just so thankful you actually mentioned the bat chase. None of the other reviews of The Rescuers mention Evinrude's little delay for some reason. Thanks.