8mm Forum: THE RESCUERS!!

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on April 17, 2007, 07:05 PM:

Here is a fun romp of a Disney film and a rare title on Super 8.

I just aquired a copy of this, from the 80's I believe, and it was fun to re-unite with this film.

The story :

A little girl drops a bottle with a message in it, into the swamps. The bottle floats away during the credits. At credits end, mice find it on the shore and it is sent to the rescue aid society. Bernard (voiced by Bob Newhart), is the resident doorman/handyman for the rescue aid society. He removes the message and it is read, (after a rousing chorus of the rescue aid society theme.

Bianca mouse, (voiced by Zsa Zsa Gabor), takes the challenge. When asked who she would like to go with her, as they don't like the idea of sending ger out alone, she picks the lowly handyman Bernard, much to his suprise.

There first destination is to visit the orphanage, where they meet the old cat who resides there. He relates the last time he was around her, in a sad flashback. The poor girl was feeling sad because no one wanted to adopt her, because she thinks she's ugly. he reassures her she's not. He gives them
directions to find the people who basically kidnapped her.

The mice arrive at her house as she is about to leave for the boat wreck in the bayou where they are keeping the little girl, but they get thrown out of her ramshackle jalopy. They then go to the mice airport, where they meet up with the delightful Wilbur, (voiced by the great Jim Jordan, "Fibber
Magee" of "Fibber Magee and Molly" radio show), who, after a
delightful and roller coaster ride of a launch, takes them to the bayou.

Meanwhile, the little girl has run off. "Snoops" (the stupid but somewhat lovable bad guy) sends up flares to fins her, as well as sending out the two ENORMOUS crocodiles after them, (delightful characters). The flares/fireworks, disrupt Wilburs flightplan and the mice have a rough landing. They then meet the bayou creatures, (all voices by many a popular
character actor), and they send them out to the boat wreck via
Evinrude the dragonflies motorboat, (Evinrude is my favorite character).

The little girl has been re-captured and the mice follow her back to the boat. They then make thier plans to rescue her and finally hear why the scalawags want her. Only the little girl is small enough to fit through a hole in the rocks where a gigantic diamond called "The Devil's Eye" is hidden, but it's a hole in which the tide comes in and so there is a small window of time in which she can do this action. Shew hasn't been able to do it yet. Medusa (the evil lady thug!) says that she'll get her to get the diamond because she has a way with children,
(yeah, right!!) Her way is to take the little girls Teddy hostage!

Before the mice can rescue her, they must get past two very hungry alligators, a pissed off Medusa with a shotgun and stupid "Snoops", as well as a very funny sequence where the alligators try to get the mice out of a pipe organ. The mice send Evinrude back to get the bayou creatures to help, but Evinrude is harrassed by many bats, and is detained.

They can't get her out before the bad guys take her to the cavern to get the diamond out. This time they are sucessful in getting the diamond (in a very harrowing sequence), and each turn against each other for the diamond. Medusa refuses to give the little girls teddy back, but this is because she has hidden the diamond in the teddy. Now it's a mad scramble for the diamond, as well as the bayou creatures coming to the aid of the little girl, (as Evinrude was finally able to get there to them). The creatures set off all the fireworks and destroy the boatwreck, sucessfully setting the little girl free.

Back at the rescue aid society, they watch on TV as the little girl is interviewed coming out of the orphanage with her new parents! (awww), and Bernard and Bianca are back to work on a new case, with Evinrude in tow as part of the group!!

THE END

This was a very interesting Disney release. This was the last true release by Disney's "Nine Old Men". It was also the last feature done in the Xerox style, first began with 101
dalmations and ending here. (The Xerox process allowed the animators original sketches to be photo-copied directly to a animation cell, which allowed a very expressive form of animation to come through which was largely lost if inked directly onto a cell.) This process, if you'll note on the "Fox and the Hound", was laregely abandoned. This was also the first major feature that the upcoming animators that Disney has hoped would continue the Disney tradition, (Don Bluth is shown as a head animator in the credits), animated on. While many of the nin old men would work on The Fox and the Hound.
This was the first time in a number of years that Disney would design it's characters first before getting the animators, a mistake made on the earlier features starting with "Jungle Book" that many would see as a crutch, (note that Phil Harris, the voice of Baloo the Bear (Jungle Book), Little John (Robin Hood) and Thomas O Malley (Aristocrats) are essentially the same character.) But the two great characters are Evinrude the dragonfly, who was so expressionful, (who was facially modeled after one of the nine old men, Ollie Johnston), and especially the little girl, with truly realistic mannerisms, (notice how the child carries the cat, just like a child would carry a cat)
. One thing that has been rather hard for the Disney animators to do after the Rescuers, was to make emotions that were not cloying, but touched your heart strings in a way that you didn't feel manipulated, this is done rather well. Note in the story how the little girl, back in the orphanage, comments that she thinks she is ugly, and then later, when she asks Medusa when she'll be returned to the orphanage, Medusa responds with, "Who would want to adopt an ugly little girl like you?", and we see the hurt little girl slowly walk out of the door.

This also illustrates how Disney could also have a rather hard edge to thier story telling, ( as in the above, as well as the sequence in the cavern ), and yet calm that by good placement of humor. Great drama as well as well placed moments, here and there. Neddless to say, I admire this film.

I was extremely happy to find a copy of this feature on Super 8, but I have issues with the print.

It's too bad that this isn't a Derann release as the quality would be much better. I believe that this was either a Picolo release or a Technofilms release. It was released in Italy. the film itself has Italian titles on it. Now, I'm not sure if the original credits had animation underneath them, but this is done with still shots for Italy. This was rerecorded in English by Robert Aragon, (and quite masterfully so, very crisp and clear and darn near the best mono soundtrack I have heard.)

The biggest issue is the original master negative that was used for this release. it has SERIOUS issues that a simple cleaning of the negative would have erased in large part. It has serious "flecks" throughout the print, and though I was happy to see this film, it is quite distracting. This is fault that I have heard was a problem with these Italian releases, but I had never witnessed before this.

The colour stock is 3M, and it has held up quite well. There is little or no colour loss. The colour is quite fine.

The shaprness of the image is not Derann level, but it is passable, much in the line of the old Ken films digest prints, which gives you a good idea. The contrast of the print is pretty good as well. I was informed that there was some "washout" to the print, but actually, it is quite good. Madam Medusa was very fair skinned to begin with, and the there is very little washout to the print.

Oh, I was struck by how thick this film stock is. This film only runs 77 minutes, and yet, it fills three whole 600ft.
reels, which would usually house 90 minutes of film. This must be a very thick film stock indeed!

While it does have serious issues with the orginal negative, if you are a lover of this film, it is worth picking up if you can find a print of this, as it is quite hard to find. I don't know how many prints were made of this title.

Good hunting!

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on September 07, 2009, 08:43 AM:

Nice to read about THE RESCUERS, Osi.
About my Italian copies, I have discovered last week my 4:3 edition is printed on LPP. The letter boxed one is on Eastman.
The most incredible thing is that the source is the same for both versions!

I know CHC released it too: does anybody have any news about German labs prints of this Disney's Classic?
Does s

Posted by Oemer Yalinkilic (Member # 86) on September 07, 2009, 02:27 PM:

I didn´t received yet my print but I bought one from a friend. This is a german release, it must be in perfect condition.
It cost me 300 Euro but I think a mint print is worth that money.
If I receive my print in 2-3 weeks I will make some screen shots.
Oemer

Posted by Robert Aragon (Member # 181) on September 07, 2009, 03:43 PM:

Thanks Osi..It was MASTERFULLY done if I may say so myself. Did you notice, how with the strong sound you almost forget the quality of the picture? It's interesting how the sound is MORE of the film experience than the visual is...in many ways.
hugs, Rob
PS good REVIEW btw!

[ September 07, 2009, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: Robert Aragon ]

Posted by Gian Luca Mario Loncrini (Member # 1417) on September 07, 2009, 05:17 PM:

Thanks Oemer.
It will help to compare it to my prints.
Take care.

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