That mouse does not sound like a mouse

Surprisingly dark feature for Disney with a plodding but enjoyable story. Kidnapping, guns, booze and thievery, what a strange entry to the animated studios portfolio. Good but not a headliner, still a fun watch.

'The Rescuers' begins well but quickly loses steam. An average Disney animated film.

I enjoyed the opening half of this, every scene up until they reach Devil's Bayou is filled with intrigue. Once they reach their destination, everything slows down and becomes a little blasé. It isn't necessarily boring, it just isn't all that interesting either.

Eva Gabor is, however, good here as Miss Bianca. Bob Newhart (Bernard) and Geraldine Page (Medusa) are decent, while the dragonfly character (Jimmy MacDonald) is fairly amusing. No others stand out, to be honest.

A cool concept and some solid animation, but this struggles to entertain.

A kidnapped orphan, an arrogant pawn shop owner, a band of friendly, inquisitive small animals and a fabled pirate's treasure come together in a nameless bog, somewhere off the Atlantic coast. General chaos ensues, with frequent breaks for a soft musical interlude.

As Disney features go, this one's kind of a drag. Sluggishly paced, dark and drained in appearance, spiritually down-tempo, it's a bit of a black sheep for the studio. I'm generally a fan of the expressive Don Bluth animation style, and his fingerprints are all over this one, but the budget seems unusually tight and the plot often dwells on long scenes of expository dialog. Not the most visually-fertile subject matter, in other words; it put my kids to sleep. The animation team does its best to overcome these defects, flooding the background with quaint little details and going for broke in their rendition of the spastic, reckless villainess, Madame Medusa, but it's a struggle. One Bluth evidently despised, as he bristled under the experience and soon left Disney to form his own competing studio.

Based on a popular children’s book series, The Rescuers is an odd but entertaining adventure. The story follows a pair of mice from the Rescue Aid Society who are sent to help a little girl named Penny who’s been kidnapped. It’s a rather ugly and gritty looking film; set in grungy cities and swamps. However, Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor bring a lot of charisma to their roles and are able to lighten things up with some much needed comedy. And, the music does a good job at softening up the mood and adding some sweetness to the characters. The Rescues is an unconventional Disney film and has its share of problems, yet there’s also a bit charm to it.