Disney’s 1977 animated adventure The Rescuers pairs a stammering janitor and a sophisticated mouse to save a kidnapped child, and the result holds up as one of the studio’s better late-’70s efforts. Bob Newhart voices Bernard, the timid janitor who stammers and fears the number 13, while Eva Gabor plays Miss Bianca, the Hungarian representative of the Rescue Aid Society who chooses him as her co-agent.
Trailer, via Animation Compendia.
Bernard and Bianca
Newhart brings his signature deadpan delivery to Bernard, whose nervousness sells the comedy without ever crossing into cartoonish territory. Gabor’s Bianca is the opposite: confident, adventurous, and fond of Bernard despite his obvious flaws. Their partnership is the film’s engine, and it clicks immediately.
Madame Medusa and Her Plan
Geraldine Page plays Madame Medusa, a greedy pawn-shop owner who kidnaps Penny to retrieve the Devil’s Eye diamond, which only Penny can reach because she is small enough to fit into a narrow blowhole. Page’s performance is commanding, and her schemes drive the plot forward. Her pet crocodiles, Brutus and Nero, turn on her after she is thwarted by Bernard, Bianca, and Penny.
The Supporting Cast
Joe Flynn voices Mr. Snoops, Medusa’s clumsy business partner who steals the diamond in exchange for half of it. After being betrayed by Medusa, he turns on her and flees by raft, laughing at her. This was Flynn’s final role, with the film released after his death in 1974. Jeanette Nolan and Pat Buttram play Ellie Mae and Luke, two muskrats who live in a Southern-style home in Devil’s Bayou. Luke drinks very strong, homemade liquor, which powers Bernard and Evinrude when they need it.
The Voice Cast
The supporting voices round out the picture. Jim Jordan voices Orville, an albatross named after Orville Wright of the Wright brothers, and the dragonfly Evinrude rounds out the animal helpers. Michelle Stacy voices Penny, the orphan at the center of the scheme.
The Devil’s Eye Plot
The central plot is simple: Penny drops a message in a bottle from an abandoned riverboat in Devil’s Bayou, Louisiana. The Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization inside the United Nations, finds the bottle and sends Bernard and Bianca to investigate. They follow Medusa to the bayou, where they learn she plans to force Penny to enter a blowhole leading to a pirates’ cave to retrieve the diamond.
“Two tiny agents vs. the world’s wickedest woman in a dazzling animated adventure!”
The Technical Craft
The animation is polished, and the film spends four years in production. The pacing is brisk at 78 minutes, and the adventure moves quickly between the orphanage, the pawn shop, and the bayou. The film’s success spawned a sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, released in 1990.
Where It Falls Short
The villain’s scheme relies on a convenient weakness — that only a small child can fit into a narrow passage — and some of the middle act drags slightly as Bernard and Bianca gather allies and clues. The humor leans heavily on Bernard’s fear of flying, which becomes repetitive by the film’s midpoint.
The Verdict
The Rescuers is a solid, entertaining family film that earns its reputation as a highlight of Disney’s animation during the 1970s. Bernard and Bianca are memorable leads, and Page’s Medusa is a worthy adversary. The film’s success launched a franchise, and it remains a pleasant entry in the studio’s catalog.
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