Let me start by saying that while it may not be as iconic as the original. For me, The Rescuers Down Under is just as good as the 1977 original movie! It was kind of surprising that 20-plus years later Disney decided to make this movie. Sequels were not something they typically did back then.
How to Download The Rescuers Down Under
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Disney+. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also other Disney animated films from the same time, such as Beauty and the Beast (1991) or Aladdin (1992).
The Movie Review
Once again, we have our two mouse heroes, Bianca and Bernard. Bernard loves Bianca and he plans to ask her to marry him. However, these are two of the best detectives around and they are called to help solve a case in Australia of all places. Oh, the way they get to Australia is awesome, they are flown by an Albatross called Wilbur who is the brother of Orville from the original and he is voiced by John Candy!
The reason that The Rescuers have been called to Australia is for a very high-profile case. A young boy called Cody has gone missing and like Penny from the first movie, Cody can talk to animals. Cody has not just gone missing, he has been kidnapped by the evil poacher, Percival C. McLeach.
The reason McLeach has kidnapped Cody is that Cody knows the location of Marahute! Marahute is a very rare giant eagle whose partner was already killed by McLeach and now she is trying to keep her nest and her babies a secret from him. Cody is loyal to Marahute, but McLeach is not shy about using extreme methods to get this eagle.
Big Landing – Clip – The Rescuers Down Under
Bianca and Bernard are not alone. They are joined by a feisty and charismatic hopping mouse called Jake that is there as part of the Australian office to help them. He also has the hots for Bianca and we get a bit of a love triangle thing going here that is actually way more fun than you would think.
In many ways, The Rescuers Down Under is a very similar kind of movie to the first movie. We have a kidnapped kid that needs to be saved by the two mice. However, I feel that this one here feels a bit bigger with the kid and this eagle needing to be saved and protected. It also has some fantastic animation and the way the animators captured Australia and the wildlife there is truly awesome.
One of the “problems” that this movie has is the first movie is seen as a real iconic and classic Disney movie. When you think of The Rescuers you think of the first movie, not The Rescuers Down Under. I feel that is a shame as this movie is just as good as the first, actually the more I think about it, the more I realize I like this one a little bit more!
I watched this movie for the first time in many years with my son recently and we both had a great time. It holds up very well and is a fun action, adventure-style movie that kids and adults can both enjoy. I actually have a laserdisc copy of this in my collection (with no working laserdisc player to play it on anymore) and it is something I really do cherish as the movie is very special to me.
