Les Aventures de Bernard et Bianca

One of Walt Disney's finest animated films, this concerns two mice named Bernard & Bianca, who belong to the Rescue Aid Society, that operates out of the basement of the United Nations building in New York. There is a little girl named Penny being held captive by an evil woman named Madame Medusa and her henchman Mr. Snoops, who need her to lead them to a priceless jewel in the Devil's Bayou swamp, where she is being held on a riverboat. The mice fly atop Orville the Albatross to rescue her, and defeat the villains. Surprisingly touching and thrilling film done with care and imagination, with wonderful songs. To be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.

'The Rescuers' marked the advent of a new team of Disney animators taking over in 1977 as nine of the "old men" faced retirement. Under the guidance of the old pros, they turned out a charming fantasy about two adventurous mice (Bianca and Bernard) who set about to rescue a young girl (Penny) from the clutches of the villainess (Madame Medusa). As voiced by Geraldine Page, she all but steals the show--although Bianca and Bernard are perfectly voiced by Eva Gabor and Bob Newhart. A completely delightful Disney hit, welcome after some let-downs, and fortunately there would be more hits in the '80s and '90s. Don't underestimate this one. It has plenty of action, suspense and even a few nice songs--nothing spectacular, in keeping with the quiet nature of much of the story. This was a big box-office hit at time of release and led to a sequel, 'The Rescuers Down Under'. It may not be Disney's best, but it has a good amount of humor and charm. The animation is superb.

There is something really nice about seeing a cartoon film that you know was hand drawn, without a speck of CGI anyplace(too early!). The voices here carry the day-Newhart, Gabor, Page, Fibber MaGee, little turns by Pat Buttram, Dub Taylor, Jeannette Nolan, etc. All fine.

Film still has a lotta heart, the songs aren't bad, the backgrounds muted and not in your face. I remember seeing the sequel (in Aussie from '90)-the character held up but it wasn't as involving.

Test for a flick like this is to see if it holds up after some years. Well I had not seen it for about 24 years or so, and ya know what? It still works very well.

Came from the mid-period team of Disney, post-Jungle Book and pre-Mermaid, a rather hit and miss era-this one stands out quite well.

*** outta ****

The Rescuers (1977)

*** (out of 4)

Mice Bernard and Bianca agree to go out and search for a missing girl after the Rescue Aid Society receive a mysterious letter with a girl asking to be helped. The two mice set out to locate the girl and eventually do in a swamp where she's being held captive by a couple bad guys and their large crocodiles. I wouldn't call THE RESCUERS one of Disney's greatest films but it certainly has enough charm and laughs to make it worth sitting through. I think the best thing going for the film is the animation, which simply looks terrific. I really loved the look of the film as its quite gloomy in spots and especially during all the scenes inside the swamp. There are some pretty dark moments and especially during a sequence where the girl and the mice are inside a small cave looking for a priceless diamond. This entire sequence was full of great fun and imagination. Another major plus were the two lead vocal artists with Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor doing excellent work as the lead mice. Both of them really helped bring their characters to life and helped add to the fun. The supporting characters are also good for the most part and I especially liked the two crocodiles as well as the other critters living in the swamp. I thought both villains weren't all that memorable and especially when you consider how great the studio usually is at delivering bad guys. The film certainly has a nice pace to it and I'm sure people of all ages could get into it.

Why is The Rescuers my favorite Disney movie? I'm not sure, other than the fact that it's just so sweet, and never fails to make me really happy. Seeing those mice from all over the world is just too adorable for words!

The animation is beautiful, as are the backgrounds, and the character design is some of the best among Disney movies (Madame Medusa is a great departure from typical Disney characters). The songs are nice too (my favorite part of the whole movie is the sequence to "Tomorrow Is Another Day").

They just don't make movies like this anymore. Penny, the orphan that Bernard and Bianca rescue from that nasty old Medusa, is truly warm and sweet, and you really care about her. Something was missing from the boy that Bernard and Bianca rescued in the sequel. Penny's truly something else.

The Rescuers is an underrated gem, and has something for everyone.