View source for The Rescuers

{{Short description|1977 American animated film}}
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{{Infobox film
| name        = The Rescuers
| image       = Rescuersposter.jpg
| caption     = Original theatrical release poster
| director    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Wolfgang Reitherman]]
* [[John Lounsbery]]
* [[Art Stevens]]
}}
| producer    = {{Plainlist|
* Wolfgang Reitherman
}}
| story       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Larry Clemmons]]
* [[Ken Anderson (animator)|Ken Anderson]]
* [[Vance Gerry]]
* [[Ted Berman]]
* [[Burny Mattinson]]
* [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]]
* David Michener
* Fred Lucky
* [[Dick Sebast]]
}}
| based_on    = {{based on|''[[The Rescuers (book)|The Rescuers]]''<br />''Miss Bianca''|[[Margery Sharp]]}}
| starring    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bob Newhart]]
* [[Eva Gabor]]
* [[Joe Flynn (American actor)|Joe Flynn]]
* [[Geraldine Page]]
}}
| music       = [[Artie Butler]]
| editing     = {{Plainlist|
* Jim Koford
* James Melton
}}
| studio      = [[Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor = [[Buena Vista Distribution]]
| released    = {{Film date|1977|6|22}}
| runtime     = 77 minutes
| country     = United States
| language    = English
| budget      = $7.5 million<ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine|title=Film Reviews: The Rescuers|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1977-06-15_287_6/page/20/mode/1up?view=theater|date=June 15, 1977|access-date=August 8, 2025|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
| gross       = $169 million<ref name="DisneyWW">{{cite magazine |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |title=Cartoon Coffers – Top-Grossing Disney Animated Features at the Worldwide B.O. |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tooned+in%3A+Disney%27s+ani+classics+set+the+bar+and+lit+the+way+for...-a0110473946 |date=October 27, 2003 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=6 |access-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=November 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104215642/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tooned+in%3a+Disney%27s+ani+classics+set+the+bar+and+lit+the+way+for...-a0110473946 |url-status=live |via=TheFreeLibrary.com}}</ref>
}}
'''''The Rescuers''''' is a 1977 American animated [[adventure film|adventure]] [[comedy-drama]] film produced by [[Walt Disney Productions]] and released by [[Buena Vista Distribution]]. [[Bob Newhart]] and [[Eva Gabor]] respectively star as Bernard and Bianca, two mice who are members of the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world. Both must free 6-year-old orphan Penny (voiced by Michelle Stacy) from two treasure hunters (played by [[Geraldine Page]] and [[Joe Flynn (American actor)|Joe Flynn]]), who intend to use her to help them obtain a giant diamond. The film is based on a series of books by [[Margery Sharp]], including ''[[The Rescuers (book)|The Rescuers]]'' (1959) and ''Miss Bianca'' (1962).

An early version of ''The Rescuers'' entered development in 1962, but was shelved due to [[Walt Disney]]'s dislike of its political overtones. During the 1970s, the film was revived as a project intended for the younger animators, with the oversight of the senior staff. Four years were spent on the film's production. ''The Rescuers'' was released on June 22, 1977, to positive critical reception and became a box office success, earning $48 million during its initial theatrical run. It has since grossed $169 million after two theatrical re-releases in 1983 and 1989. Due to the film's success, a sequel titled ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' was released in 1990, which made this the first Disney theatrical animated film to have a sequel.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature film articles should be between 400 and 700 words in length. Current count is 518 words. -->
In an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, [[Louisiana]], a six year old orphan named Penny drops a [[message in a bottle]], containing a plea for help, into the river. The Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization inside the [[United Nations Secretariat Building|United Nations]], finds the bottle when it washes up in [[New York City]]. The [[Hungary|Hungarian]] representative, Miss Bianca, volunteers to accept the case. She chooses Bernard, a stammering janitor, as her co-agent. The two visit Morningside Orphanage, where Penny lived, and meet an old [[cat]] named Rufus. He tells them about a woman named Madame Medusa who once tried to lure Penny into her car, prompting the mice to investigate her [[pawn shop]] for clues.

At the pawn shop, Bianca and Bernard discover that Medusa and her partner, Mr. Snoops, are searching for the world's largest [[diamond (gemstone)|diamond]], the Devil's Eye. The mice learn that Medusa and Snoops are currently at the Devil's Bayou with Penny, whom they have kidnapped and placed under the guard of two trained crocodiles, Brutus and Nero. With the help of an [[albatross]] named Orville and a [[dragonfly]] named Evinrude, the mice follow Medusa to the [[bayou]]. There, they learn that Medusa plans to force Penny to enter a small [[Blowhole (geology)|blowhole]] that leads down into a blocked-off [[pirate]]s' cave where the Devil's Eye is located.

Bernard and Bianca find Penny and devise a plan of escape. They send Evinrude to alert the local animals, who loathe Medusa, but Evinrude is delayed when he is forced to take shelter from a cloud of [[bat]]s. The following morning, Medusa and Snoops send Penny down into the cave to find the gem. Unbeknownst to Medusa, Bianca and Bernard are hiding in Penny's dress pocket. The three soon find the Devil's Eye within a pirate skull. As Penny pries the mouth open with a sword, the mice push the gem through it, but soon the oceanic tide rises and floods the cave. The three barely manage to escape with the diamond.

Medusa betrays Snoops and hides the diamond in Penny's teddy bear, while holding Penny and Snoops at gunpoint. When she trips over a cable set as a trap by Bernard and Bianca, Medusa loses the bear and the diamond to Penny, who runs away with them. The local animals arrive at the riverboat and aid Bernard and Bianca in trapping Brutus and Nero, then set off Mr. Snoops's [[fireworks]] to create more chaos. Meanwhile, Penny and the mice commandeer Medusa's swamp-mobile, a makeshift [[airboat]]. Medusa unsuccessfully pursues them, using Brutus and Nero as water-skis. As the riverboat sinks from the fireworks' damage, Medusa crashes and is left clinging to the boat's smoke stacks. Mr. Snoops escapes on a [[raft]] and laughs at her, while the irritated Brutus and Nero turn on her and circle below.

Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watch a news report of how Penny found the Devil's Eye, which has been given to the [[Smithsonian Institution]] while it is implied that Medusa and Mr. Snoops have been arrested. It also mentions she has been [[adoption|adopted]]. The meeting is interrupted when Evinrude arrives with a call for help, sending Bernard and Bianca on a new adventure.

==Cast==
* [[Bob Newhart]] as Bernard, Rescue Aid Society's timid janitor, who reluctantly tags along with Miss Bianca on her journey to the Devil's Bayou to rescue Penny. He is highly superstitious about the number 13 and dislikes flying (the latter being a personality trait of Newhart).
* [[Eva Gabor]] as Miss Bianca, the Hungarian representative of the Rescue Aid Society. She is sophisticated and adventurous, and fond of Bernard, choosing him as her co-agent as she sets out to rescue Penny. Her Hungarian nationality was derived from that of her voice actress.
* [[Geraldine Page]] as Madame Medusa, a greedy, redheaded, wicked pawn-shop owner. Upon discovering the Devil's Eye diamond hidden in a [[blowhole (geology)|blowhole]], she kidnaps the small orphan, Penny, to retrieve it for her, as Penny is the only one small enough to fit in it. She has two pet crocodiles, who turn on her after she is thwarted by Bernard, Bianca, and Penny.
* [[Joe Flynn (American actor)|Joe Flynn]] as Mr. Snoops, Medusa's clumsy and incompetent business partner, who obeys his boss's orders to steal the Devil's Eye in exchange for half of it. Upon being betrayed by Medusa, however, he turns on her and flees by raft, laughing at her. This was Flynn's final role, with the film being released after his death in 1974.
* [[Jeanette Nolan]] as Ellie Mae and [[Pat Buttram]] as Luke, two [[muskrat]]s who reside in a Southern-style home on a patch of land in Devil's Bayou. Luke drinks very strong, homemade [[liquor]], which is used to help Bernard and Evinrude regain energy when they need it. Its most important usage is for fuel for powering Medusa's swamp-mobile in the film's climax.
* [[Jim Jordan (actor)|Jim Jordan]] as Orville (named after Orville Wright of the [[Wright brothers]], the inventors of the [[airplane]]; most likely influenced from Bob Newhart's stand-up sketch "[[The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart|Merchandising the Wright Brothers]]"), an albatross who gives Bernard and Bianca a ride to Devil's Bayou. Jordan, 80 years old by the time the film was completed, had been lured out of retirement and had not performed since the death of his wife and comic partner [[Marian Driscoll Jordan|Marian]] in 1961; it would serve as Jordan's last public performance.
* [[John McIntire]] as Rufus, an elderly cat who resides at Morningside Orphanage and comforts Penny when she is sad. Although his time onscreen is rather brief, he provides the film's most important theme, faith. He was designed by animator [[Ollie Johnston]], who retired after the film following a 40-year career with Disney.
* Michelle Stacy as Penny, a lonely six-year-old orphan girl, residing at Morningside Orphanage in New York City. She is kidnapped by Medusa in an attempt to retrieve the world's largest diamond, the Devil's Eye.
* [[Bernard Fox (actor)|Bernard Fox]] as Mr. Chairman, the chairman to the Rescue Aid Society.
* [[Larry Clemmons]] as Gramps, a grumpy, yet kind old turtle who carries a brown cane.
* [[Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)|James MacDonald]] as Evinrude (named after a [[Evinrude Outboard Motors|brand of outboard motors]]), a [[dragonfly]] who mans a [[leaf boat]] across Devil's Bayou, giving Bernard and Miss Bianca a ride across the swamp waters.
* [[George Lindsey]] as Deadeye, a fisher rabbit who is one of Luke and Ellie Mae's friends.
* Bill McMillian as TV Announcer
* [[Dub Taylor]] as Digger, a mole.
* [[John Fiedler]] as Deacon Owl

==Production==
In 1959, the book ''[[The Rescuers (book)|The Rescuers]]'' by Margery Sharp had been published to considerable success. In 1962, Sharp followed up with a sequel titled ''Miss Bianca''. That same year, the books were optioned by [[Walt Disney]], who began developing an animated film adaptation. In January 1963, story artist Otto Englander wrote a [[film treatment|story treatment]] based on the first book, centering on a Norwegian poet unfairly imprisoned in a [[Siberia]]-like stronghold known as the Black Castle.{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=49}} The story was revised with the location changed to [[Cuba]], in which the mice would help the poet escape into the United States.<ref name="RememberingTheRescuers">{{cite web |last=Korkis |first=Jim |url=https://www.mouseplanet.com/13099/Remembering_the_Rescuers |title=Remembering the Rescuers |website=Mouse Planet |date=January 19, 2022 |archive-date=January 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220119220805/https://www.mouseplanet.com/13099/Remembering_the_Rescuers |url-status=live}}</ref> However, as the story became overtly involved in international intrigue, Disney shelved the project as he was unhappy with the political overtones.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|pp=153–154}} In August 1968, Englander wrote another treatment featuring Bernard and Bianca rescuing [[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]] during the [[Middle Ages]].{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=49}}

During the early 1970s, ''The Rescuers'' reentered development as a project for the young animators, led by [[Don Bluth]], with the studio planning to alternate between full-scale "A pictures" and smaller, scaled-back "B pictures" with simpler animation. The animators had selected the most recent book, ''Miss Bianca in the Antarctic'', to adapt from. The new story involved a [[King penguin]] deceiving a captured polar bear into performing in shows aboard a [[schooner]], causing the unsatisfied bear to place a bottle that would reach the mice. Fred Lucky, a newly hired storyboard artist, was assigned to develop the story adaptation, alongside [[Ken Anderson (animator)|Ken Anderson]].{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/155/mode/1up 154]}} This version of the story was dropped, to which Lucky explained the Arctic setting "was too stark a background for the animators."{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/155/mode/1up 155]}} [[Vance Gerry]], also a storyboard artist, also explained director [[Wolfgang Reitherman]] "decided not to go with Fred Lucky's version. He said, {{" '}}It's too complicated. I want a simple story: A little girl gets kidnapped and the mice try to get her back, period.{{' "}}{{sfn|Solomon|2016|p=336}} According to [[Burny Mattinson]], he stated: "Our problem was that the penguin wasn't formidable or evil enough for the audience to believe he would dominate the big bear. We struggled with that for a year or so. We changed the locale to somewhere in America and it was now a regular zoo and we tried to come up with something with the bear in the zoo and needing to be rescued but that didn't work either."<ref name="RememberingTheRescuers" />

In that version, the bear character was still retained, but was renamed Louie the Bear. Jazz singer [[Louis Prima]] was cast in the role and had recorded most of the dialogue and multiple songs that were composed by [[Floyd Huddleston]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/lost-louis-prima-disney-song-47801.html|last=Beck|first=Jerry|title=Lost Louis Prima Disney Song|publisher=[[Cartoon Brew]]|date=August 15, 2011|access-date=December 10, 2012}}</ref> The writers also expanded the role of his best friend, Gus the Lion.{{sfn|Solomon|2008|p=9}} Huddleston had stated, "It's about two animals. One is Louis Prima — he's the polar bear — and [[Redd Foxx]] is the lion ...Louis gets cornered into leaving and going to the South Pole where he can make himself a bigger star. But he gets homesick; he feels fooled. They send out little mice as 'rescuers'."<ref>{{cite news|last=Rogers|first=Tom|title=Floyd Huddleston Turns 'Love' Into Oscar Bid|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61702334/article-about-floyd-huddleston/|newspaper=[[The Tennessean]]|page=8|date=February 24, 1974|access-date=January 28, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> By November 1973, the role of Louie the Bear had been heavily scaled back and then eliminated.{{sfn|Solomon|2008|p=9}} In one version, the bear was meant to be Bernard and Bianca's connection to Penny. Gerry explained, "We developed the sequence where, while the two mice are searching for clues as to where Penny has been taken, they come across this bear who she had been friends with because the orphanage where Penny was living was near the zoo."<ref name="RememberingTheRescuers" /> In the final film, the idea was reduced to a simple scene where Bernard enters a zoo and hears a lion's roar that scares him away.{{sfn|Solomon|2016|p=336}}

[[File:Rescuers penny.JPG|thumb|left|Penny struggles to free the Devil's Eye diamond from a pirate's [[human skull|skull]]; the filmmakers carefully designed every shot of the scene to raise the tension.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Knowles|first1=Rebecca|last2=Bunyan|first2=Dan|chapter=Animal Heroes|page=80|title=Disney: The Ultimate Visual Guide|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|isbn=978-0-789488-62-6|year=2002}}</ref>]]

While promoting the release of ''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' (1973) in Europe, Reitherman stated: "I took Margery Sharp's books along and there was in there a mean woman in a crystal palace. When I got back I called some of the guys together and I said, 'We've got to get a villain in this thing.{{' "}}{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=49}} The villainess and her motive to steal a diamond was adapted from the Diamond Duchess in ''Miss Bianca''. The setting was then changed to the bayous found in the [[Southern United States]].{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/155/mode/1up 155]}} By August 1973, the villainess was named the Grand Duchess with [[Phyllis Diller]] cast in the role.{{sfn|Solomon|2008|p=9}} A month later, Ken Anderson began depicting [[Cruella de Vil]], the villainess from ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' (1961), as the main antagonist of the film.{{sfn|Solomon|2008|p=9}}{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=51}} Anderson had drawn several sketches of Cruella de Vil sporting alligator-leathered [[chic]] attire and sunglasses; one sketch depicted her wearing [[Bell-bottoms|bell-bottom pants]] and [[platform shoes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/movies/cruella-de-vils-comeback-that-wasnt-see-110587473877.html|title=Cruella de Vil's Comeback That Wasn't: See Long-Lost Sketches of Iconic Villain in 'The Rescuers' (Exclusive)|last=Doty|first=Meriah|publisher=[[Yahoo! Movies]]|date=February 10, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> However, several staff members such as animator [[Ollie Johnston]] stated it felt wrong to attempt a sequel for the character.<ref name="Beck">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&q=jerry+beck+the+rescuers&pg=PA225|title=The Animated Movie Guide|page=225|last=Beck|first=Jerry|publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]]|isbn=978-1-556525-91-9|year=2005|access-date=February 28, 2015|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Furthermore, Mattinson explained that [[Milt Kahl]] did not want to animate Cruella de Vil. "Milt, of course, was very strong against that, 'Oh, no no. We're gonna have a new character. I'm not gonna do Cruella'," Mattinson recalled, "Because he felt that [[Marc Davis (animator)|Marc]] [Davis] had animated Cruella beautifully. He was not gonna go and take his character."{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=51}}

The new villain was named Madame Medusa, and her appearance was based on Kahl's then-wife, Phyllis Bounds (who was the niece of [[Lillian Disney]]), whom he divorced in 1978.{{sfn|Canemaker|2001|p=156}} This was Kahl's last film for the studio, and he wanted his final character to be his best. He was so insistent on perfecting Madame Medusa that he ended up doing almost all the animation for the character himself.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[disney.com]]|title=''Madame Medusa''|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302115813/http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/medusa/medusa.html|url=http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/medusa/medusa.html|archive-date=March 2, 2011|access-date=April 23, 2009}}</ref> The kidnapped child Penny was inspired by Patience, the orphan in the novel. The alligator characters Brutus and Nero was based on the two bloodhounds, Tyrant and Torment, in the novels. For the henchman, the filmmakers adapted the character, Mandrake, into Mr. Snoops. His appearance was caricatured from John Culhane, a journalist, who had been interviewing animators at the Disney studios.<ref name="Beck" /><ref name="interesting facts">{{cite web|title=''The Rescuers'' DVD Fun Facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408170739/http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/rescuers/rescuers.html|url=http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/rescuers/rescuers.html|publisher=disney.com|archive-date=April 8, 2009|access-date=April 12, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Culhane claimed he was practically tricked into posing for various reactions, and his movements were imitated on Mr. Snoops's model sheet. However, he stated, "Becoming a Disney character was beyond my wildest dreams of glory."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnston|first1=Ollie|last2=Thomas|first2=Frank|chapter=The Rescuers|pages=156–163|title=The Disney Villain|year=1993|publisher=Disney Editions|isbn=978-1-562-82792-2}}</ref>

The writers had considered depicting Bernard and Bianca as married professional detectives, but decided that depicting them as novices in a new relationship was more compelling and romantic.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/155/mode/1up 155]}}{{sfn|Thomas|Johnston|1995|p=373}} For the supporting characters, a pint-sized swamp mobile for the mice—a leaf powered by a dragonfly—was created. As they developed the comedic potential of displaying his exhaustion through buzzing, the dragonfly grew from an incidental into a major character.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/154/mode/1up 154]}} Veteran sound effects artist and voice actor [[Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)|Jimmy MacDonald]] came out of retirement to provide the effects.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Obituaries: James MacDonald|url=https://variety.com/1991/scene/people-news/james-macdonald-99125931/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=February 17, 1991|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> 

Additionally, the local swamp creatures were originally written as a dedicated home guard that drilled and marched incessantly. However, the writers rewrote them into a volunteer group of helpful little bayou creatures. Their leader, a singing bullfrog, voiced by [[Phil Harris]], was cut from the film,{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/156/mode/1up 156]}} as were lines characterizing muskrat Ellie Mae as their outspoken boss.{{sfn|Thomas|Johnston|1995|p=401}} For Bernard and Bianca's transportation, a pigeon was proposed (specifically one that would be catapulted, repurposing an unused gag from ''Robin Hood''),{{sfn|Thomas|Johnston|1995|p=398}} until Johnston remembered a ''[[True-Life Adventures]]'' film featuring albatrosses and their clumsy take-offs and landings, leading him suggest that ungainly bird instead.<ref name="book1"/> A scene of the mice preparing for their adventure, with Bianca choosing outfits and Bernard testing [[James Bond]]-like gadgets, was cut for pacing.{{sfn|Thomas|Johnston|1995|p=373}} On February 13, 1976, co-director [[John Lounsbery]] died of a heart attack during production. [[Art Stevens]], an animator, was then selected as the new co-director.{{sfn|Canemaker|2001|pp=260–261}}

===Animation===
After the commercial success of ''[[The Aristocats]]'' (1970), then-vice president [[Ron W. Miller|Ron Miller]] pledged that new animators should be hired to ensure "a&nbsp;continuity of quality Disney animated films for another generation."<ref name=DisneyMagic>{{cite news |last=Culhane |first=John |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/01/archives/the-old-disney-magic-can-a-new-generation-of-artists-make-audiences.html |title=The Old Disney Magic |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 1, 1976 |access-date=March 3, 2022}}</ref> [[Eric Larson]], one of the "[[Disney's Nine Old Men|Nine Old Men]]" animators, scouted for potential artists who were studying at art schools and colleges throughout the United States. More than 60 artists were brought into the training program.<ref name=DisneyMagic /> Then, the selected trainees were to create a black-and-white animation test, which were reviewed at the end of the month. The process would continue for several months, in which the few finalists were first employed as [[Inbetweening|in-betweeners]] working only on nights and weekends.{{sfn|Canemaker|2001|pp=76–77}} By 1977, more than 25 artists were hired during the training program.{{sfn|Canemaker|2001|p=79}} Among those selected were [[Glen Keane]], [[Ron Clements]], and Andy Gaskill, all of whom would play crucial roles in the [[Disney Renaissance]].<ref name=finch>{{cite book|last=Finch|first=Christopher|chapter=Chapter 9: The End of an Era|page=[https://archive.org/details/artofwaltdisneyf00finc/page/260 260]|title=The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms|edition=New Concise|publisher=Portland House|isbn=978-0-517664-74-2|year=1988|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/artofwaltdisneyf00finc/page/260}}</ref> Because of this, ''The Rescuers'' was the first collaboration between the newly recruited trainees and the senior animators.{{sfn|Canemaker|2001|p=79}} It would also mark the last joint effort by Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, and [[Frank Thomas (animator)|Frank Thomas]], and the first Disney film Don Bluth had worked on as a directing animator, instead of as an assistant animator.<ref name=book1>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Bob|title=Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast|url=https://archive.org/details/disneysartofanim00thom|pages=[https://archive.org/details/disneysartofanim00thom/page/111/mode/2up 111–112]|chapter=Carrying on the Tradition|location=New York|publisher=Hyperion|year=1991|isbn=1-56282-899-1|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Ever since ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), animation for theatrical Disney animated films had been done by [[xerography#Uses in animation|xerography]], which had only been able to produce black outlines. By the time ''The Rescuers'' was in production, the technology had been improved for the cel artists to use a medium-grey toner in order to create a softer-looking line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://andreasdeja.blogspot.no/2014/05/xerox.html|last=Deja|first=Andreas|author-link=Andreas Deja|title=Deja View: Xerox|via=[[Blogger (service)|Blogger]]|website=Deja View|date=May 20, 2014|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref>

==Music==
{{Infobox album
| name       = The Rescuers
| type       = soundtrack
| longtype   = [[Vinyl LP]]
| artist     = [[Various artists]]
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = 1977
| recorded   = 1974–1977
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      =
| length     =
| label      = [[Disneyland Records|Disneyland]]
| producer   = Artie Butler
| chronology = [[Walt Disney Records discography|Walt Disney Animation Studios]] soundtrack
| prev_title = [[The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh#Music|The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh]]
| prev_year  = 1977
| next_title = [[The Fox and the Hound#Soundtrack|The Fox and the Hound]]
| next_year  = 1981
}}

[[Sammy Fain]] was first hired as a lyricist and wrote two original songs "Swamp Volunteers March" and "The Rescuers Aid Society". Meanwhile, the filmmakers had listened to an unproduced musical composed by the songwriting team of [[Carol Connors (singer)|Carol Connors]] and [[Ayn Robbins]].{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/156/mode/1up 156]}} Both women had first met each other in 1973 on a double date. Before then, Connors had co-composed and sang successful songs such as "[[To Know Him Is to Love Him]]" and "[[Hey Little Cobra]]" with [[the Teddy Bears]]. Meanwhile, Robbins worked as a personal secretary to actors [[George Kennedy]] and [[Eva Gabor]] and wrote unpublished poetry.<ref name="SongTeamDebuts">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/54278532/|title=Song Team Debuts|url-access=subscription|newspaper=[[Playground Daily News]]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|page=20|date=July 28, 1977|access-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>

Desiring more contemporary songs for the film, Reitherman called Connors and Robbins into his office and shown them storyboards of Bernard and Bianca flying on Orville. Connors and Robbins then composed "Tomorrow Is Another Day" to accompany the scene. They later composed the symphonic piece "The Journey" to play during the opening titles.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/157/mode/1up 157]}} Near the end of the film's production, Reitherman asked artist [[Mel Shaw]] to illustrate pastel sketches to accompany the music. Shaw agreed and was assisted by Burny Mattinson.{{sfn|Ghez|2019|p=138}}

Connors and Robbins wrote another song "The Need To Be Loved", but Reitherman preferred Fain's song "Someone's Waiting for You". He nevertheless asked both women to compose new lyrics for the songs. They also recomposed a new version of the "Rescuers Aid Society" song.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen/page/157/mode/1up 157]}} Most of the songs they had written for the film were performed by [[Shelby Flint]].<ref name="Honolulu_Advertiser" /> Also, for the first time since ''[[Bambi]]'' (1942), all the most prominent songs were sung as part of a narrative, as opposed to by the film's characters as in most Disney animated films.

Describing their collaborative process, Robbins noted "...Carol plays the piano and I play the pencil." During production, both women were nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] for "[[Gonna Fly Now]]" from ''[[Rocky]]'' (1976) with [[Bill Conti]].<ref name="Honolulu_Advertiser">{{cite news|last=Harada|first=Wayne|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/262287374/|title=It's a "Rocky" road to stardom, says Oscar-losing lyricist|url-access=subscription|newspaper=[[The Honolulu Advertiser]]|page=D-6|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 30, 1977|access-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref>

===Songs===
Original songs performed in the film include:

{{Track listing
| all_writing     = 
| all_lyrics      = 
| all_music       = 
| extra_column    = Performer(s)

| title1          = The Journey
| extra1          = [[Shelby Flint]]

| title2          = Rescue Aid Society 
| extra2          = [[Robie Lester]], [[Bob Newhart]], [[Bernard Fox (actor)|Bernard Fox]] & the Disney Studio Chorus

| title3          = Tomorrow is Another Day
| extra3          = [[Shelby Flint]]

| title4          = Someone's Waiting for You 
| extra4          = [[Shelby Flint]]

| title5          = Tomorrow is Another Day (Reprise)
| extra5          = [[Shelby Flint]]
}}

Songs heard in the film but not released on the soundtrack include:

* "Faith is a Bluebird" – Although not an actual song, it is a poem recited by Rufus and partially by Penny in a [[flashback (narrative)|flashback]] the old cat has to when he last saw the small orphan girl, and comforted her through the poem, about having [[faith]]. The titular [[bluebird]] that appears in this sequence originally appeared in ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1951).
* "[[The U.S. Air Force (song)|The U.S. Air Force]]" – Serves as the [[leitmotif]] for Orville.
* "For Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow" – Sung by the orphan children at the end of the film, as a variation of the song "[[For He's a Jolly Good Fellow]]".

==Release==
===Original theatrical run===
On June 19, 1977, ''The Rescuers'' premiered at the [[AFI Silver]] Theatre in [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Culhane|first=John|title=The Last of the 'Nine Old Men'|date=June 1977|magazine=[[American Film (magazine)|American Film]]|pages=10–16}}</ref> and was accompanied with the live-action nature documentary film, ''[[A Tale of Two Critters]]'' (1977).<ref name="GeneSiskel">{{cite news |last=Siskel |first=Gene |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58158153/gene-siskels-film-review-of-the/ |title=Orphan, teddy bear rescue Disney film |date=July 6, 1977 |work=Chicago Tribune |at=Section 2, p. 6 |access-date=October 17, 2018 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> By January 1979, the film had earned $15 million in [[List of highest-grossing films#distributor rental|distributor rentals]] from the United States and Canada,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=All-Time Film Rental Champs|date=January 3, 1979|page=54|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1979-01-03_293_9/page/54/mode/1up|access-date=January 21, 2024|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> achieving the highest-gross for an animated film during its initial release.<ref name="Overseas">{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Contrasting 'Sells' in Titles, U.S. Against Hispanic Lands|last=Fleener|first=Charles J.|date=January 3, 1979|page=52|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1979-01-03_293_9/page/52/mode/1up|access-date=January 21, 2024|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

The film was the highest-grossing film in [[France]] in 1977, out-grossing ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' and ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]''.<ref name="Overseas" /> It received admissions of 7.2 million in France, generating nearly $6 million in box office rentals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/france-1977-c25249366|title=Box office for 1977|website=Box Office Story}}</ref><ref name=high>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 18, 1978|page=4|title=New Disney World High}}</ref> The film also became the highest-grossing film in [[West Germany]] for 1977,<ref>{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean|author-link=Aljean Harmetz|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/27/archives/disney-incubating-new-artists-mickey-mouse-turning-50-pompousness.html|title=Disney Incubating New Artists|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 28, 1978|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> earning $6 million during its first 20 days of release.<ref name="Overseas" /> Altogether, it received admissions of 10.3 million in Germany, generating rentals of almost $12 million.<ref name="GermanAdm">{{cite web|url=http://www.insidekino.com/DJahr/DAlltime100.htm|title=Top 100 Deutschland (1957–2022)|access-date=March 15, 2018|website=Inside Kino|language=de}} (Search: ''Bernard & Bianca - The Mouse Police'')</ref><ref name=high/> During its release, it earned $48–50 million in worldwide gross rentals at the box office.<ref>{{cite news|title=Disney's animated classic 'The Rescuers' marks 35th anniversary|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-jun-22-la-et-mn-disney-animated-film-the-rescuers-is-35-20120621-story.html|last=King|first=Susan|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 22, 2012|access-date=July 22, 2015}}</ref>

===Re-releases===
''The Rescuers'' was re-released in 1983 and 1989.<ref name="interesting facts" /> During its 1983 re-release, the film was accompanied with the new [[Mickey Mouse]] featurette, ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'', which marked the character's first theatrical appearance after a 30-year absence. The film grossed $21 million domestically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr4229321221/|title=The Rescuers (1983 re-release)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=January 20, 2024}}</ref> In 1989, the film earned $21.2 million domestically.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr4246098437/|title=The Rescuers (1989 re-release)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=January 20, 2024}}</ref> The film's total lifetime domestic gross is $71.2 million,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0076618/|title=The Rescuers (1977)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=March 21, 2018}}</ref> and its total lifetime worldwide gross is $169 million.<ref name="DisneyWW"/>

===Marketing===
To tie in with the film's 25th anniversary, ''The Rescuers'' debuted in the [[Walt Disney Classics Collection]] line in 2002, with three different figures featuring three of the film's characters, as well as the opening title scroll. The three figures were sculpted by Dusty Horner and they were: ''Brave Bianca'', featuring Miss Bianca the heroine and priced at $75,<ref name="Secondary Price Guide">{{cite web|work=Secondary Price Guide|title=''The Rescuers''|url=https://www.wdccduckman.com/spgmm14.htm|access-date=April 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110195758/http://www.wdccduckman.com/spgmm14.htm|archive-date=November 10, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Bold Bernard'', featuring hero Bernard, priced also at $75<ref name="price"/> and ''Evinrude Base'', featuring Evinrude the dragonfly and priced at $85.<ref name="Secondary Price Guide"/> The title scroll featuring the film's name, ''The Rescuers'', and from the opening song sequence, "The Journey," was priced at $30. All figures were retired in March 2005, except for the opening title scroll which was suspended in December 2012.<ref name="Secondary Price Guide"/>

''The Rescuers'' was the inspiration for another Walt Disney Classics Collection figure in 2003. Ken Melton was the sculptor of ''Teddy Goes With Me, My Dear'', a limited-edition, 8-inch sculpture featuring the evil Madame Medusa, the orphan girl Penny, her teddy bear "Teddy" and the Devil's Eye diamond. Exactly 1,977 of these sculptures were made, in reference to the film's release year, 1977. The sculpture was priced at $299 and instantly declared retired in 2003.<ref name="price">{{cite web|work=Secondary Price Guide|title=''The Rescuers''|url=http://www.wdccduckman.com/spgmm14e.htm|access-date=April 12, 2007}}</ref>

In November 2008, a sixth sculpture inspired by the film was released. Made with [[pewter]] and [[resin]], ''Cleared For Take Off'' introduced the character of Orville into the collection and featured Bernard and Bianca a second time. The piece, inspired by Orville's take-off scene in the film, was sculpted by [[Ruben Procopio]].<ref name="2008wdcc">{{cite web|work=WDCC Duckman|title=''2008 Limited Edition-Orville with Bernard & Bianca''|url=https://www.wdccduckman.com/cleared.html|access-date=November 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207165322/http://www.wdccduckman.com/cleared.html|archive-date=December 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Home media===
''The Rescuers'' premiered on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]] on September 18, 1992, as part of the [[Walt Disney Classics]] series. The release went into [[Moratorium (entertainment)|moratorium]] on April 30, 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-09-18-9203250071-story.html|title='Rescuers' Leads Classic Kid Stuff|last=Stevens|first=Mary|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=September 18, 1992|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> It was {{nowrap|re-released}} on VHS as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection on January 5, 1999, but due to a scandal was recalled three days later and reissued on March 23, 1999.

''The Rescuers'' was released on [[DVD-Video|DVD]] on May 20, 2003, as a standard edition, which was discontinued in November 2011.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

On August 21, 2012, a 35th-anniversary edition of ''The Rescuers'' was released on [[Blu-ray]] alongside its sequel in a "2-Movie Collection".<ref>{{cite web|last=Burger|first=Dennis|title=The Rescuers Slated for 2012 Blu-ray Release! (Along with Over 30 Other Disney Flicks)|url=https://www.technologytell.com/hometech/84299/the-rescuers-slated-for-2012-blu-ray-release-along-with-over-30-other-disney-flicks/|work=Technologytell|publisher=www.technologytell.com|access-date=March 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318030545/http://www.technologytell.com/hometech/84299/the-rescuers-slated-for-2012-blu-ray-release-along-with-over-30-other-disney-flicks/|archive-date=2012-03-18|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Katz|first=John|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=8139|title=Disney Teases 2012 Blu-ray Slate|date=February 3, 2012|work=Blu-ray.com|access-date=June 26, 2012}}</ref>

On June 14, 2022, ''The Rescuers'' and its sequel were re-released on [[Blu-ray]] in a "2-Movie Collection."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Rescuers-2-Movie-Collection-Blu-ray/316091/|title=
The Rescuers 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray|accessdate=2025-07-24|via=Blu-ray.com}}</ref>

====Nudity scandal====
[[File:Rescuers Topless Woman.jpg|thumb|One of the frames containing a picture of a topless woman in the window]]

On January 8, 1999, three days after the film's second release on home video, The Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of the videotapes because there was a blurry image of a topless woman in the background of a scene.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mikkelson|first=David|website=[[Snopes]]|title=Photographic images of a topless woman can be spotted in ''The Rescuers''|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-rescuers-topless/|date=January 13, 1999|access-date=April 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dis Calls in 'Rescuers' After Nude Images Found|last=Davies|first=Jonathan|date=January 11, 1999|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Disney Knows the Net Never Blinks|last=Howell|first=Peter|date=January 13, 1999|newspaper=The Toronto Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=What Would Walt Do?: An Insider's Story About the Design and Construction of Walt Disney World|last=Miller|first=D.M.|year=2001|publisher=Writers Club Press|isbn=978-0-595-17203-0|page=96}}</ref>

The image appears twice in non-consecutive [[film frame|frames]] during the scene in which Miss Bianca and Bernard are flying on Orville's back through New York City. The two images could not be seen in ordinary viewing because the film runs too fast—at 24 frames per second.<ref>{{cite news|last=White|first=Michael|title=Disney Recalls 'The Rescuers' Video|url=https://apnews.com/0c4e3681c3576b572b1d6204e96aec6a|date=January 8, 1999|work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

On January 10, 1999, two days after the recall was announced, the London newspaper ''[[The Independent]]'' reported:<blockquote>A Disney spokeswoman said that the images in ''The Rescuers'' were placed in the film during post-production, but she declined to say what they were or who placed them... The company said the aim of the recall was to keep its promise to families that they can trust and rely on the Disney brand to provide the best in family entertainment.<ref>{{cite web|work=The Independent (London)|title=Disney recalls "sabotaged" video|date=October 23, 2011|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/disney-recalls-sabotaged-video-1045806.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225175933/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/disney-recalls-sabotaged-video-1045806.html|url-status=live|archive-date=December 25, 2014|access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref></blockquote>

''The Rescuers'' home video was reissued on March 23, 1999, with the nudity edited and blocked out.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

==Reception==
''The Rescuers'' was said to be Disney's greatest film since ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' (1964), and seemed to signal a new golden age for Disney animation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cawley|first=John|via=Cataroo.com|title=The Animated Films of Don Bluth|chapter=The Rescuers|url=https://www.cataroo.com/DBrescu.html|access-date=April 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311015411/http://www.cataroo.com/DBrescu.html|archive-date=March 11, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' praised the film as "the best feature-length animated film from Disney in a decade or more—the funniest, the most inventive, the least self-conscious, the most coherent, and moving from start to finish, and probably most important of all, it is also the most touching in that unique way fantasy has of carrying vibrations of real life and real feelings."<ref>{{cite news|last=Champlin|first=Charles|title=Animation: the Real Thing at Disney|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58158597/charles-champlins-review-and-article/|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|pages=1, 33, 35–36|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=July 3, 1977|access-date=October 17, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote the film "is one of the most rousing and appealing animated features ever made by the Disney studio. The last production for several members of the original feature animation unit assembled by Walt Disney in the late '30s, the film is both a triumphant swan song and gladdening act of regeneration."<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=Gary|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/06/24/the-disney-legacy-to-the-rescue/bf0f156e-b93c-4490-8ada-f8f5f5d60b55/|title=The Disney Legacy To the Rescue!|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=B1|date=June 24, 1977|access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref> Dave Kehr of ''[[The Chicago Reader]]'' praised the film as "a beautifully crafted and wonderfully expressive cartoon feature," calling it "genuinely funny and touching."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kehr|first=Dave|url=https://chicagoreader.com/film/the-rescuers-2/|title=The Rescuers|newspaper=The Chicago Reader|date=May 24, 1985|access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine wrote the film was "the best work by Disney animators in many years, restoring the craft to its former glories. In addition, it has a more adventurous approach to color and background stylization than previous Disney efforts have displayed, with a delicate pastel palette used to wide-ranging effect."<ref name="Variety" />

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the film "doesn't belong in the same category as the great Disney cartoon features (''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs]],'' ''[[Bambi]],'' ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'') but it's a reminder of a kind of slickly cheerful, animated entertainment that has become all but extinct."<ref>{{cite web|last=Canby|first=Vincent|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/07/archives/disneys-rescuers-cheerful-animation.html|title=Disney's 'Rescuers,' Cheerful Animation|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 7, 1977|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four writing, "To see any Disney animated film these days is to compare it with Disney classics released 30 or 40 years ago. Judged against ''Pinocchio,'' for example. ''The Rescuers'' is lightweight, indeed. Its themes are forgettable. It's mostly an adventure story."<ref name="GeneSiskel" /> ''[[TV Guide]]'' gave the film three stars out of five, opining that ''The Rescuers'' "is a beautifully animated film that showed Disney still knew a lot about making quality children's fare even as their track record was weakening." They also praised the [[voice acting]] of the characters, and stated that the film is "a delight for children as well as adults who appreciate good animation and brisk storytelling."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-rescuers/review/2000120011/|title=The Rescuers Reviews|website=TV Guide|date=September 3, 2008|access-date=May 27, 2012}}</ref> Ellen MacKay of [[Common Sense Media]] gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "Great adventure, but too dark for preschoolers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/rescuers|title=The Rescuers – Movie Review|author=Ellen MacKay|work=Common Sense Media|date=July 15, 2003|access-date=May 27, 2012}}</ref>

In his book ''The Disney Films'', film historian [[Leonard Maltin]] referred to ''The Rescuers'' as "a breath of fresh air for everyone who had been concerned about the future of animation at Walt Disney's" and considered it their "the most satisfying animated feature to come from the studio since ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians|101 Dalmatians]]''." He further praised the film's "humor and imagination and [that it is] expertly woven into a solid story structure ... with a delightful cast of characters."<ref>{{cite book|last=Maltin|first=Leonard|title=The Disney Films|year=2000|page=265|location=New York|publisher=Disney Editions|isbn=0-7868-8527-0}}</ref> The film's own animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston stated on their website that ''The Rescuers'' was their best film without Walt Disney.<ref name="frankandollie">{{cite web|website=Frank and Ollie|title=Feature Films|url=http://frankandollie.com/Film_Features.html|access-date=April 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051121221342/http://frankandollie.com/Film_Features.html|archive-date=November 21, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that the film received {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval rating, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews. The website's consensus states: "Featuring superlative animation, off-kilter characters, and affectionate voice work by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, ''The Rescuers'' represents a bright spot in Disney's post-golden age."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_rescuers_1977|title=The Rescuers (1977)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rescuers-1977|title=The Rescuers (1977): Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=November 5, 2021}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| [[50th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "Someone's Waiting for You" <br /> Music by [[Sammy Fain]]; <br /> Lyrics by [[Carol Connors (singer)|Carol Connors]] and [[Ayn Robbins]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref name="Oscars1978">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978 |title=The 50th Academy Awards (1978) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=oscars.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111072046/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978 |archive-date=November 11, 2014 }}</ref>
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1977|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Special Citation
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1977/ |title=1977 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|}

In 2008, the [[American Film Institute]] nominated ''The Rescuers'' for its [[AFI's 10 Top 10#Animation|Top 10 Animated Films list]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/10top10.pdf?docID=381&AddInterest=1781|title=AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees|format=PDF|access-date=August 19, 2016|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716071937/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/10top10.pdf?docID=381&AddInterest=1781|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Bernard and Bianca made appearances as meet-and-greet characters at [[Walt Disney World]] and [[Disneyland]] in the years following the original film's release. While they currently do not make regular appearances at the American parks, both continue to appear regularly at [[Tokyo Disney Resort]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.charactercentral.net/C274_DisneyCharacters_DisneyClassics_Bernard.aspx |title=Character Central {{!}} Bernard |access-date=2010-11-02 |publisher=charactercentral.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.charactercentral.net/C275_DisneyCharacters_DisneyClassics_Bianca.aspx |title=Character Central {{!}} Bianca |access-date=2010-11-02 |publisher=charactercentral.net}}</ref>

Like other Disney animated characters, the characters of the film have recurring cameo appearances in the television series ''[[House of Mouse]]''.

In the ''[[Disney Infinity]]'' video games, Medusa's Swamp Mobile was introduced as a vehicle in ''[[Disney Infinity 2.0]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/09/24/disney-infinity-2-0-character-and-power-disc-checklist.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927090109/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/09/24/disney-infinity-2-0-character-and-power-disc-checklist.aspx |url-status=live |archive-date=September 27, 2014 |title=Disney Infinity 2.0 - Character And Power Disc Checklist |publisher=GameInformer |author=Mike Futter |date=September 24, 2014}}</ref>

In the [[City-building game|world builder]] video game ''[[Disney Magic Kingdoms]]'', Bernard, Miss Bianca, Penny, Madame Medusa, and Orville appear as playable characters in the main storyline of the game, along with The Rescue Aid Society and Madame Medusa's Riverboat as attractions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-AlsBHbxis&ab_channel=DisneyMagicKingdoms |title=Update 59: The Rescuers (Part 1) {{!}} Livestream|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=May 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vf7kthIMU0&t=895s&ab_channel=DisneyMagicKingdoms |title=Update 60: The Rescuers Part 2 & Up {{!}} Livestream|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=July 8, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqt8G7uvXlM&ab_channel=DisneyMagicKingdoms |title=Update 64: DuckTales & The Rescuers (Part 3) + Tower Event {{!}} Event Walkthrough|publisher=[[YouTube]]|date=November 11, 2022}}</ref>

Along with other Walt Disney Animation Studios characters, the main characters of the film have cameo appearances in the short film ''[[Once Upon a Studio]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reif |first1=Alex |title=Disney's "Once Upon a Studio" – List of Characters in Order of Appearance |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-entertainment/disneys-once-upon-a-studio-list-of-characters-in-order-of-appearance/ |website=Laughing Place |date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>

===Related media===

==== Comics ====
*[[Gold Key]] published an adaptation of the film under its ''Disney Comics Showcase'' banner<ref>{{cite web | url=https://inducks.org/simp.php?d1=&d2=The+Rescuers&d4=&creat=&exactpg=&kind=0 | title=Search results (38 items) &#124; I.N.D.U.C.K.S. }}</ref>
*Two Comic strips adaptations were also published<ref>{{cite web | url=https://inducks.org/story.php?c=ZT+094 | title=The Rescuers (ZT 094) &#124; I.N.D.U.C.K.S. }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=The Return of the Rescuers | url=https://inducks.org/story.php?c=ZT+117 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201100305/http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=ZT+117 | access-date=2025-02-21 | url-status=live | archive-date=2013-12-01}}</ref>

====Sequel====
{{Main|The Rescuers Down Under}}
''The Rescuers'' was the first Disney animated film to have a sequel. After three successful theatrical releases of the original film, ''The Rescuers Down Under'' was released theatrically on November 16, 1990.

''The Rescuers Down Under'' takes place in the Australian [[Australian Outback|Outback]], and involves Bernard and Bianca trying to rescue a boy named Cody and a giant [[golden eagle]] called Marahute from a greedy [[Poaching|poacher]] named Percival C. McLeach. Both Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor reprised their lead roles. Since Jim Jordan, who had voiced Orville, had since died, a new character, Wilbur (Orville's brother, another albatross), was created and voiced by [[John Candy]].

====Scrapped television series====
In 2022, ''[[Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure]]'', ''[[Monsters at Work|Monsters At Work]]'' and ''[[Wish (film)|Wish]]'' alumnus Tom Caulfield revealed that he alongside ''[[The Ghost and Molly McGee]]'' creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth had pitched a [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] series between ''The Rescuers'' and ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' at [[Disney Television Animation]]. The series would have featured the descendant of [[Basil, the Great Mouse Detective|Basil]] working at a modernized version of The Rescue Aid Society, more akin to ''[[Kingsman (franchise)|The Kingsman]]'' or ''[[Mission: Impossible (film series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' led by Bianca. According to Caulfield, the project was scrapped due to the 2022 film ''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]''.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=TomCaulfield01 |title=A while ago, I had a pitch for the Rescue aid Society. Influenced by the Rescuers movies, this was an updated R.A.S more akin to the kingsman or Mission Impossible. It was never meant to be, heres some ruff images from the pitch |number=1531040684114726912}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |user=TomCaulfield01 |title=Yes. You have very awesome detective skills 😉 |number=1531073762153484290}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[1977 in film]]
* [[List of American films of 1977]]
* [[List of animated feature films of 1977]]
* [[List of highest-grossing animated films]]
* [[List of highest-grossing films in France]]
* [[List of Walt Disney Pictures films]]
* [[List of Disney theatrical animated feature films]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|50em}}
* {{cite book |last=Canemaker |first=John |author-link=John Canemaker |url=https://archive.org/details/waltdisneysnineo0000cane |title=Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation |year=2001 |location=New York |publisher=Disney Editions |isbn=978-0-7868-6496-6 |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book|last=Deja|first=Andreas|author-link=Andreas Deja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cc6PCgAAQBAJ|title=The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques, and Inspiration from Disney's Great Animators|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2015|isbn=978-1-1350-1586-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Ghez|first=Didier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9l2vDwAAQBAJ|title=They Drew as They Pleased Vol. 5: The Hidden Art of Disney's Early Renaissance|publisher=[[Chronicle Books]]|year=2019|isbn=978-1-7972-0410-9}} 
* {{cite book|last=Koenig|first=David|url=https://archive.org/details/mouseunderglasss0000koen|title=Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks|chapter=The Rescuers|url-access=registration|location=[[Irvine, California]]|publisher=Bonaventure Press|pages=153–161|isbn=978-0-9640-6051-7|year=1997}}
* {{cite book|last=Solomon|first=Charles|editor-last=Ghez|editor-first=Didier|title=Walt's People: Volume 5 — Talking Disney with the Artists Who Knew Him|chapter=Vance Gerry (1929–2005)|publisher=Theme Park Press|year=2016|isbn=978-1-6839-0011-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Solomon|first=Charles|title=Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation|location=New York|publisher=Disney Editions|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4231-1601-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Frank |author-link1=Frank Thomas (animator) |last2=Johnston |first2=Ollie |author-link2=Ollie Johnston |title=[[Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life]] |publisher=[[Disney Publishing Worldwide]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-7868-6070-7 |orig-year=1981}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/the-rescuers}}
* {{IMDb title|0076618}}
* {{TCMDb title|24415|The Rescuers}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|rescuers}}
* {{mojo title|rescuers}}

{{The Rescuers}}
{{Disney theatrical animated features}}
{{Walt Disney Animation Studios}}
{{Wolfgang Reitherman}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rescuers}}
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