Crikey mate, we've only gone and made it to the '90s! After The Little Mermaid set the tone for a streak of many Menken musicals to come, we've got some familiar faces to revisit first. Yes, it's time to catch up with our favourite rodent secret agents, in one of the very few sequels in the Disney animated canon. Tie your kangaroo down sport, we're hopping over to Australia with...
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
There are only a few things I remembered about this film from watching it as a kid, even though it did get some repeat viewing. One was the ENORMOUS eagle that's big enough for an 8-year-old boy to ride on. Another is smooth as Skippy kangaroo rat Jake (the only character to actually have an Australian accent). But probably the most striking is the very opening shot.
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| I can hear this image |
Planted straight into the Aussie outback, we're presented with the eerily still scene of insects scuttling over leaves, with just the sound of nature clicking away. Then, suddenly, a frenzied drumbeat kicks in and we start hurtling forward across a field, skimming the undergrowth. As the camera cinematically zooms in, Disney sets the pace for a different kind of Rescuers adventure — complete with early-stage CGI animation. This isn't your sweet '70s ballad — it's the '90s and we're ready for a white-knuckle ride.
From the opening scenes to the finale, The Rescuers Down Under doesn't really let up. There's danger around every corner, and many more hair-raising moments than the first film. For example, the very next scene after the opening credits sees young Cody, an adventurer/nutjob with an inexplicable American accent, climb up a vertical cliff edge — we're talking Ethan Hunt style — in order to rescue a gigantic golden eagle from a poacher's trap. Then, if you didn't already have vertigo, he falls hundreds of feet into a ravine, before being swooped up by said eagle at the last minute. And he's smiling! This is one unrelatable protagonist, I've got to say.
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| I would be hysterically crying |
Due to his instant and downright strange connection to the eagle Marahute, Cody puts himself in the firing line of sadistic but hapless poacher, Percival McLeach. Like Madame Medusa before him, he's motivated by wealth, hunting down animals to sell their hydes. And like Medusa, he has a reptilian pet/assistant, this time a Spencer's Goanna lizard called — you guessed it — Joanna. Even more threatening than Medusa's crocs, Joanna rasps and scuttles around in a way that makes your skin crawl, and is always on the hunt for eggs to eat — which is somehow just really creepy in and of itself.
McLeach himself is certainly one of the most brutal villains in Disney history, in terms of physical threat. He has no problem capturing a kid, throwing knives at him(!) and trying to feed him to some hungry crocodiles(!!!) all in pursuit of a bit of extra cash. Luckily McLeach's tendency to orate all of his plans out loud, as well as putting all of his plans in the hands of a lizard, means that he's fairly easily outsmarted by an 8-year-old boy and some well-dressed rodents.
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| So that explains the big egg shortage of March 2020 |
Speaking of, there are some comfortingly familiar elements in this dark and treacherous tale. Thirteen years after their first outing, the adorable Bernard and Bianca are back — and they haven't aged a day. Bernard's mission this time requires a different kind of heroism — trying to get Bianca to stop being badass for 10 minutes so that he can propose. The moments between this power couple deliver on the charm of the original film, as Bernard fumbles with the engagement ring in a miniature New York restaurant (situated inside a chandelier), and is repeatedly robbed of the perfect moment to pop the question, as the two embark on a new adventure to save Cody.
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| Never thought I'd be living vicariously through some talking mice |
Bernard's biggest challenge this time (apart from the immeasurable task of overthrowing a villain over 100x his size), is to keep Bianca's affection in the presence of an impressive new eligible bachelor, Jake the kangaroo-rat. Jake's easy, extremely Australian charisma marks him as the antithesis to Bernard — in theory. He goes with the flow and isn't afraid of a risky choice. However, we know Bianca only has eyes for her janitor-turned-rescue partner, and the girl's got taste. Bernard's commitment to doing what's right makes him an invaluable member of the team, leading him to take the biggest risks of them all.
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| Wide-brimmed hat? Check. Boomerang? Check. I'm an Australian man. |
Bernard and Bianca provide the reliable heart of this film. As for the humour? That's on slightly shakier ground. In order to get down under, B&B (as I've decided to call them for short) take to the skies yet again on a whimsical albatross. This time, however, the OG albatross Orville isn't available, so we conveniently meet his brother — Wilbur. (We do love an aviation joke.) Wilbur's zany presence helps to lighten the film, which has more sharp edges than its predecessor.
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| Me attempting crow pose in yoga |
However, he does seem over-used. Probably because he's voiced by the legendary John Candy, the writers felt they had to pad out his role. Rather than just getting B&B from A to B, the film keeps returning to a bizarre segment where he tries to escape medical experiments by a German-sounding mouse with some unorthodox tools. It doesn't fit with the rest of the storyline at all, and seems kind of xenophobic, but I suppose it gives us a break from people falling in ravines.
All in all, The Rescuers Down Under is an entertaining ride, but it strikes me as a little less cosy than the first film. Perhaps if this has been released a decade or two earlier, I would have more glowing words to say about it, but in the company of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, et al, it's more of a diversion than a bonafide gem. However, some breathtaking scenes and a rich musical score make it a memorable addition to the canon.
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| Seriously, this bird's head and neck are the same size as a human being |
Villain Rating: 7/10 — McLeach is certainly deadly, and will resort to all sorts of ruthlessness to build up his collection of animal hydes. His lizardy sidekick Joanna is suitably sinister. However, he's not the brightest bulb in the box. And, no villain song, for which he has to be docked a point.
Best Song: No songs in this one! The score is pretty uplifting though, especially when Cody takes flight on Marahute the eagle.
Disney Detail: Like with the last film, there aren't any obvious Easter Eggs in this one (just eagle eggs. [smirk emoji]). I suppose being a sequel itself, thus including a lot familiar characters and settings from The Rescuers, is enough to satiate Disney nerds like myself.
Why it's a Classic: I'm not gonna lie, it isn't as classic as I remember it being. The characters and story pale somewhat in comparison to the original film, especially as the charming underground critter world has already been introduced to us so isn't a novelty anymore. However, the cinematography of the animated Australian landscape does make for some breathtaking, memorable moments.
