The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

The Rescuers Down Under was the 29th animated feature film produced by Disney. Released in theaters on November 16, 1990. It was released along with the Mickey Mouse cartoon short film, The Prince and the Pauper. It is the sequel to the 1977 Walt Disney Productions animated feature film The Rescuers. Produced by Walt Disney Productions in association with Silver Screen Productions IV and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution. Based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, including The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Bianca (1962). The first feature film to be completely created digitally, using the Computer Animation Production System (CAPS), which allowed the digital colorization of scanned elements, multi-plane backgrounds, and complex camera movements.

The heroic Bernard and Bianca travel to the Australian Outback to rescue a young boy named Cody, who has been kidnapped by a ruthless poacher named Percival McLeach. Cody, a brave animal lover, is trying to protect a rare golden eagle named Marahute from being captured. With the help of their quirky local ally, a kangaroo mouse named Jake, Bernard and Bianca embark on a daring adventure filled with excitement, humor, and danger. The film blends breathtaking animation with a fast-paced story of courage, teamwork, and wildlife protection. 

The score for the film was composed and conducted by Bruce Boughton. Unlike many Disney animated films, this one had no original songs written for it. This was the second Disney animated film that did not include any original songs, the first since The Black Cauldron in 1985.  

Released on home video for the first time on VHS and LaserDisc on September 20, 1991, as part of the Walt Disney Classic series. Released on VHS and DVD on August 1, 2000, as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection. Released on DVD on August 21, 2012, as a 2-Movie Collection with The Rescuers, along with a Blu-Ray and DVD 2-Movie Collection version 35th Anniversary Edition. Released on a Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Code version on June 14, 2020, as a 2-Movie Collection along with The Rescuers. The Rescuers Down Under is available on Disney+.

Cast & Crew

Director: Handel Butoy, Mike Gabriel. Screenplay: Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson, Joe Ranft (Story Supervisor). Producer: Thomas Schumacher, Kathleen Gavin (Associate). Voice Cast: Bob Newhart (voice of Bernard), Eva Gabor (voice of Miss Bianca), John Candy (voice of Wilber), Tristan Rogers (voice of Jake), Adam Ryen (voice of Cody), George C. Scott (voice of McLeach), Wayne Robson (voice of Frank), Douglas Seale (voice of Krebbs), Frank Welker (voice of Joanna), Bernard Fox (voice of Chairman / Doctor), Peter Firth (voice of Red), Billy Barty (voice of Baitmouse), Ed Gilbert (voice of Francois), Carla Meyer (voice of Faloo / Mother), Russi Taylor (voice of Nurse Mouse). Editor: Michael Kelly. Composer: Bruce Broughton. Art Director: Pixote Hunt (as Maurice Hunt). Supervising Animators: Ruben A. Aquino, David Cutler, Anthony DeRosa (as Anthony De Rosa), Russ Edmonds, Ed Gombert, Mark Henn, Glen Keane, Duncan Marjoribanks, Nik Ranieri, Kathy Zielinski. Layout Supervisor: Dan Hansen. Background Supervisor: Lisa Keene. Effects Supervisor: Randy Fullmer. Clean Up Supervisor: Richard Hoppe (as Rick Hoppe). Casting: Mary V. Buck C.S.A., Susan Edelman C.S.A.

Technical Specifications

MPAA Rating: G. Runtime: 77 minutes. Sound: Dolby Stereo. Color: Color. Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1. Genre: Action and Adventure, Animation

Box Office

Budget: $30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $3,499,819

Gross (U.S. & Canada): $27,931,461

Gross (Worldwide): $27,931,461

My Thoughts

The CAPS digital animation system gave the animation smoother movement, vibrant colors, and cinematic camera work that was far ahead of its time. The sequel is much faster-paced than its predecessor, The Rescuers. The plot is a little lackluster, especially when compared to other Disney films around the time, such as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid. Bernard and Bianca sometimes feel more like supporting characters at times, instead of the lead characters. The film performed poorly at the theaters, some believe due to a limited marketing push and stiff competition at the box office. My overall rating for The Rescuers Down Under is 60.00 (out of 100). 

Ratings

My Rating: 60.00 (out of 100)

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Tomatometer) | 68% (Popcornmeter)

Metacritic: 68 (Metafore) | 6.9 (User Score)

IMDb: 6.8 (out of 10)

The Movie DB: 68% (User Score)

Combined Rating: 69.40

Have you seen The Rescuers Down Under? Share your thoughts and comments below. 

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