Review #50 | The Rescuers Down Under

It has its own charms but it will always be compared with the previous film and therefore loved less.

The Rescuers Down Under, 1990

Bernard (voice of Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (voice of Eva Gabor), the intrepid mouse squad from the International Rescue Society of The Rescuers, return to help a little boy from the Australian outback named Cody (voice of Adam Ryen), who has been kidnapped by an evil poacher named McLeach (voice of George C. Scott). Enlisting the air services of Wilbur the Albatross (voice of John Candy), the two mice travel to the wasteland of Australia. McLeach is a dark complexioned exploiter who scours the Outback in a giant hovercraft, intent on capturing endangered species and selling them for a hefty profit. Bernard and Miss Bianca befriend a Paul Hogan-type mouse named Jake (Tristan Rogers), but to battle against the evil McLeach, Bernard's wisdom is required in order to save the day. Disney got its feet wet in computer animation with several impressive flight sequences, which bracket the film.

I will start of by saying that they have named the title right, instead of just saying ‘2’ in the title, I am glad they did something different. This is an experimental feature that used computers for animation.

The animation in my point lacked the rich colors the first movie used. What bugged me was that the character didn't look the same as before. The Rescuers Down Under kind of lost its magic. The characters seem more lightly handled and weak in their purposes.

The villain McLeach for instance is a weak character although he gives the impression of scariness. Other characters like Miss Bianca and the ‘new’ mouse, Jake. The background animation was descent and beautiful at times.

A few good moments does not justify the overall story being a flop. The thing about sequel is that it will always be compared with the previous films, so that is ways it has be handled with care. What disappointed me was that it did not feel as authentic as the previous one. I believe it could have been handled better with people who loved the first movie.

Inside Outside Rating: 55%