AND MY PICK FOR THE MOST UNDERRATED DISNEY ANIMATED FILM: 01. THE RESCUERS DOWNUNDER: Once again, I’m sure plenty of people are so tired of me mentioning this movie (I’ve often talked about this film), but really, this is in the top 10 of my personal favorite Disney films, animated or not. It was also one of my favorite theater experiences ever as a kid. I still find it shocking that this film bombed in theaters when it first came out. A sequel to the original RESCUERS from the 70s, Bernard and Bianca from the Rescue Aid Society are sent to Australia to save young Cody, a boy kidnapped by the poacher MacLeach in order find Marahute the Great Golden Eagle. With help from the Kangaroo Mouse Jake, the two go through every peril possible in the outback. Handsdown, this is one of those sequels that shouldnt have been made, and somehow, it completely tops the original film. Where the first film was more slowly paced and more a product of the “too cutesy” Disney venues, RESCUERS DOWNUNDER just pumps you with adrenaline right at the start (the opening credits alone has you literally flying across the landscape). It also takes the actors from the first film (Bob Newhart and the late Eva Gabor) and not only makes them even more likeable, but ups the ante by putting them through the grinder (so many of these moments had me hyped). They’re also given great supporting characters, especially with the late John Candy playing the Gen X version of the wiseguy character from the first film. Candy nearly steals the movie every time his character’s onscreen. Along with that, George C Scott plays a great villain with MacLeach (this character just has a great power in Scott’s booming voice alone). Yea, he never really does an Australian accent, but his performance more than makes up for it. The highlight of the film however goes to animator Glen Keane and his amazing work with the flying scenes with the Golden Eagle (which never talks). This was the true showboat moment of the film (especially amazing to watch in theaters) and the animation is some of Disney’s best moments in epic talent. Something I’ve always promoted is rereleasing this film on IMAX, and this scene alone makes it a valid argument (just watch this on a very LARGE SCREEN TV, show this scene and imagine it on a skyscraper sized screen, and you tell me that wouldn’t be awesome). The story itself is fairly basic, but it’s the powerhouse execution that truly made this one of my favorite films of all time and one of the true underrated Disney classics. Id even call it my personal Gateway Film (the film that turned me into a cinefile). If youve never seen it, GO SEE IT!
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 15:01:49 +0000
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