The Rescuers

This week's movie was another new one for me.  I'm fairly certain that I had read the children's book growing up, but this was my first time watching The Rescuers.

The movie premiered in 1977 (just like Winnie the Pooh), though the story is much different.  I definitely enjoyed this film.  It was cute, funny and most of all- heartwarming.  Penny, an orphan girl, becomes mixed up with the unscrupulous Madame Medusa and sends a message in a bottle asking for help.  Her message is received by the mice of the Rescue Aid Society- and with little to do, Bianca and Bernard (the janitor) are off on their rescue mission to Devil's Bayou!

 

Penny definitely tugs at my heartstrings.  It pains me so much that children grow up as orphans without families to love them.  When I have a family (all in God's timing), I would love to be able to adopt and make a place in our family for someone who doesn't have one.  And now I should move on before I burst into tears...

The Rescuers is truly a wonderful story.  Bianca is a lovely, adventurous heroine, and Bernard is her slightly-bumbly, ever-lovable, steadfast partner.  The film also has a fabulous villainess in Madame Medusa.  She is an eccentric mix of the laughable and cruel.  Her driving also reminds me of someone... with a penchant for fur coats...  Oh.  And she has pet alligators.  She's memorable to say the least.

As with other great Disney films, The Rescuers has a lovable, dynamic cast of supporting characters.  There is dear Rufus the cat, Penny's friend at the orphanage.  Then there is Bianca and Bernard's pilot/airplane, Orville the albatross (not to be confused with Scuttle the seagull, though there seems to be a bit of a family resemblance).  Once Bernard and Bianca arrive in the bayou, they are assisted in their rescue efforts by an eclectic group of swamp critters- complete with fiery moonshine and a southern twang.  They create fireworks, literally!

This was a lovely, feel-good film.  Definitely a fun stop on our Disney journey together!  Interestingly, this film will be the only film with a sequel in our line-up.  Several other Disney films have sequels, however the vast majority do not meet the feature length release requirements of the Walt Disney Studios, thus they are not part of our journey this year.  In a few weeks, we'll get to spend some more time with Bianca and Bernard in The Rescuers Down Under.

This week's quote is from Rufus (the cat):

Faith is a bluebird, we see from far.  It's for real and as sure as the first evening star.  You can't touch it, or buy it, or wrap it up tight, but it's there just the same, making things turn out right.

Coming Up Next Week: The Fox and the Hound