I'm sorry, but The Rescuers simply can't cut it as an animated classic. It's barely even an also-ran, though the superiority of its sequel, The Rescuers Down Under, makes it worth a look for completists. (Most notable is the fact that troublemaking animators inserted a nude woman into a fleeting shot as the mice are flying through the town -- alas, it's been excised from the new DVD release.)

The story is classic Disney, which is to say, it's pretty typical and lacking any real surprise. The Rescuers are a group of mice working out of the United Nations. They pledge to help anyone in need, and when a "HELP" message-in-a-bottle washes up, the mice send two of their group to the rescue. Why they pick the prissy Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor) and accident-prone city mouse Mr. Bernard (Bob Newhart) is a bit of a mystery.

Eventually, our rescuers stumble upon a kidnapped girl, a stolen jewel plot, and one Madame Medusa -- a hastily retouched Cruella DeVil. Medusa (voiced by Geraldine Page) is one of the worst-drawn characters in animated film history. Sadly, much of the film looks unfinished and jerky, even jumping out of focus during a frame or two. Considering the camera and the animation cels never move, getting the focus right seems like a real no-brainer. Alas, here we are.

The Rescuers' low-budget roots would be forgivable if it had anything of interest to tell us. I guess, in the vein of all Disney classics, it says that the little guy can triumph over the big ones -- in this case, a floppy-boobed, badly drawn, crazy woman who rides a jet engine through the bayou.

And if that ain't a message we can get behind, I don't know what is.