The Rescuers (1997)

 

Genre: Family/Adventure

Time: 1h 18mins

Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens

Quick Summary: Two mice of the Rescue Aid Society search for a little girl kidnapped by unscrupulous treasure hunters.

This is absolutely charming and I adore the fact that the two main characters are mice.

I loved the animation and art style, having a dark and grainy look with thin lines to give it a more softer look. It captured a more creepy atmosphere, especially in the swamp which worked really well to create a sense of danger and being incredibly gloomy. 

At times it was rather silly, which was nice as it balanced out the seriousness of this film that could unsettle kids, like when Bianca teases Bernard for being scared of the dark, or two crocodiles are playing a pipe organ in an attempt to get the mice out of it. All the humour in this is lighthearted and never mean. There is a running joke about one of the mice, Bernard, who is scared of the number 13 which crops up at every moment possible.

A lot of the side characters, even though they were cute or pretty funny, didn't really stand out. Although I did really like the villain in this. She's mean and nasty but at the same time funny. A lot of her reactions to things are extreme and over the top. As well, she's really different to most Disney villains, where she is pretty evil for her actions, but she's incredibly useless like when she is running around trying to shoot the mice with a shotgun and just completely misses every single time. Honestly, it's pretty hilarious to watch her.

This is a more slow-paced film, but that isn't a complaint. I think this needs it, being a more simple film. I like the message too, you have to confront a challenge even if you're afraid, and I think that is incredibly important to learn especially for kids. 

Even though the songs were quite sweet, I didn't really find them that memorable aside from the first one which really sets the mood of the film straight away.

I find this to be incredibly charming and imaginative, and more importantly a lot of fun. It's different to your usual Disney film as it's not really anything fairytale-like or whimsical, but it's still a gem of a film.

8/10

"Madame Medusa: Snoops, you don't have a way with children. You must gain their confidence... make them like you.

Mr. Snoops: Yeah? How do you do that?

Madame Medusa: You FORCE them to like you, idiot!"

"Penny: Didn't you bring somebody big with you? Like the police?

Bernard: Uh, no. There's just, uh - the two of us."

"Miss Bianca: Captain, you fly beautifully. It's just like being on a "roller coaster".

Bernard: He just went through a red light.

Miss Bianca: I do that all the time, darling. Now come on, stop worrying."