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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.
