The Rescuers Down Under

Disney's sequel to 1977's The Rescuers (which was based on stories by Margery Sharp), reunites Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor as Bernard and Miss Bianca, the star "rescuers" of the mouse-operated Rescue Aid Society. This time out the dashing duo head for Australia where a young boy has been kidnapped by an evil poacher (George C. Scott) and his pet gila monster, Joanne. While the story is not on a par with The Little Mermaid, Disney's latest classic, the animation in The Rescuers Down Under is simply stunning. In the opening minutes, a series of aerial shots skimming over fields is enough to make you dizzy, and when the young boy is befriended by an eagle, his wild ride through the skies is puts a lump in the back of your throat (not because of any dramatic reason, but because the animation is so beautiful). Scott, with his wonderfully raspy voice, is a fine addition to the hall of Disney villains, and John Candy does a good comic turn as Wilbur, the new albatross who provides bumpy fare to Australia for the Rescuers. A delightful animated adventure for the whole family. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Aug. 28, 2012—Walt Disney, 156 min., G, $39.99—Making their first appearance on Blu-ray, 1977's The Rescuers (35th Anniversary Edition) and 1990's The Rescuers Down Under both feature fine transfers and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtracks. Bonus features include the 1952 True-Life Adventures short doc 'Water Birds' (31 min.), a 'making-of' featurette for The Rescuers Down Under (11 min.), the Silly Symphony short 'Three Blind Mouseketeers' (9 min.), the deleted song 'Peoplitis' (5 min.), the 'Someone's Waiting for You' sing-along song (2 min.), and bonus DVD copies of the films. Bottom line: a fine Disney Blu-ray two-fer of these solid animated films.]