Disney Renaissance Month - The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

           Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back with more Disney Renaissance Month. One of the most underrated movies of the Disney Renaissance is also the one movie everyone forgets is part of the Disney Renaissance, and most typically don't associate it with the Disney Renaissance. The Rescuers Down Under was released in 1990, and served as a sequel to the 1977 film The Rescuers. This features a voice cast that includes Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, George C. Scott, Tristan Rogers, and John Candy. And tragically, this would be Eva Gabor's final film performance, as she tragically passed away in 1995. 

         So, to quickly recap the first movie, The Rescuers sees Miss Bianca, an agent of the Rescue Aid Society (which is an international organization of mice based in the United Nations), team up with a R.A.S. janitor named Bernard, as well as Orville the Albatross, to save a little girl named Penny from a vile woman named Madame Medusa who was using the child to try and reach a diamond called the Devil's Eye. It was cute, and I definitely enjoyed it when I was younger. Alright, with that out of the way, let's talk about The Rescuers Down Under. 

        So, the movie is, as the title would suggest, set in the Land Down Under: Australia. We start off with Cody, who comes across a giant eagle named Marahute. Cody unbinds her from the ropes tying her down, and she takes him to her nest, and later gives him one of her feathers. After he is returned to where he was before befriending Marahute, Cody falls into a trap set up by a poacher named Percival McLeach, who is wanted by the Australian Rangers for his crimes. McLeach recognizes the feather Cody has, and takes the boy to his hideout to squeeze him for information about the whereabouts of Marahute. This prompts a nearby mouse to get word to the Rescue Aid Society headquarters at the U.N. 

       Bernard and Miss Bianca, who are enjoying a meal together, are assigned the case to head to Australia and rescue Cody from the clutches of McLeach. Unfortunately for Bernard, this interferes in his attempts to propose to Miss Bianca. Anyway, the two go to meet Orville, only to find another Albatross instead, Orville's brother Wilbur. And yes, I get the obvious nod to the Wright Brothers Orville and Wilbur. But anyway, Wilbur flies Bernard and Miss Bianca to Australia, where they meet with Jake, who is the local agent of R.A.S, and he instantly starts hitting on Miss Bianca, much to the chagrin of Bernard. 

       Now, the reason why McLeach has kidnapped Cody is simple: Cody befriended Marahute and saw her nest. McLeach wants Marahute as a trophy, and to let his pet goanna named Johanna eat Marahute's eggs. Cody refuses to talk, and is locked up with other captive animals in McLeach's camp. McLeach later tricks Cody into thinking someone else has killed Marahute, leading Cody to go for the nest, and McLeach follows in his massive halftrack. Bernard, Miss Bianca, and Jake arrive just as McLeach takes off in his halftrack. 

       So, when Cody reaches the nest, Jake, Bernard, and Miss Bianca try to warn him, but unfortunately Cody, Jake, Marahute, and Miss Bianca are all caught by McLeach, and Bernard fools Johanna into trying to eat egg-shaped stones, this saving Marahute's eggs, which he has Wilbur sit on top of to keep them warm. McLeach takes his captives to Crocodile Falls to feed Cody to the local crocodiles, thus getting rid of him as a witness. Bernard arrives riding on the back of a Razorback pig, and tricks Johanna into crashing into McLeach, sending them both into the water. McLeach barely survives the crocodiles, and he goes over the waterfall to his death. Bernard saves Cody, while Jake and Miss Bianca save Marahute, who saves both Cody and Bernard from going over the waterfall. 

          Cody returns home safely, Bernard finally proposes to Miss Bianca, who accepts, and Jake gives Bernard a salute of respect. Wilbur, meanwhile, is still sitting on the eggs when they hatch, mush to his dismay. 

       Okay, so The Rescuers Down Under is a lot of fun, with a lot of great action and suspense. On top of that, the visual design is just grand and sweeping. This is owed to the animation team using a new animation system called CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) to animate things like landscapes, backgrounds, and the halftrack. CAPS would be used in several films in the Disney Renaissance, including the rainbow scene in the finale of The Little Mermaid, but this was the first to do so as extensively as it did. 

       The voice cast was absolutely fantastic. It was fantastic that both Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor returned to voice Bernard and Miss Bianca. George C. Scott was memorable as McLeach, albeit not one of Disney's more iconic villains. And I can't forget about both Tristan Rogers as Jake and John Candy as Wilbur. Lastly, I gotta give props to Frank Welker for the animal sounds he provided for both Marahute and Johanna. 

         So, what's the deal? Why is The Rescuers Down Under not the most remembered among the movies of the Disney Renaissance? Well, I think it's because it wasn't marketed very well. Now, I'm going based on accounts from those who were around at the time, but from what I've learned, the movie didn't get tons of marketing, and it was going head to head against the more successful Home Alone, which also featured John Candy. And, unfortunately, Disney saw the less than stellar box office for The Rescuers Down Under and pulled the film from the box office. Again, it's not the film's fault, it's just low marketing and stiff competition. 

      Luckily, however, the film has gotten a cult following thanks to home video re-releases and is currently streaming on Disney+. So, I highly recommend checking it out. If you weren't a fan of the original The Rescuers, still check this one out, it's a vast improvement, and the Australian setting is just spectacular. I'm giving The Rescuers Down Under a rating of 4.85/5. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off. Disney Renaissance Month will resume this Monday with the all time Disney Renaissance classic: Beauty and the Beast.