8 Overlooked Animated Disney Films That Are Better Than You Think
3. The Rescuers Down Under
Disney films are notoriously hard to make sequels to that aren't unashamed cash-ins. Most of the classics are completely stand-alone stories, what with them being based on stand-alone fairytales and all, so any extension is going to be innately contrived.
But before Jaafar returned and the spew of straight-to-video follow-ups to any well known Disney animation produced by subsidiary DisneyToon Studios ruined the childhoods of anyone born after 1937, the main studio produced an official, feature sequel that showed how it can be done right.
Already based on a book series, The Rescuers were ripe for sequelization; the first was a fine film, if a little more broad than Disney at its best, and the second is more of the same (and maybe a little bit better).
Bernard and Bianca, the titular mice from the original, return to save a young boy from a hunter in the Australian outback. The plot is actually well plotted and thanks to less time required for set up is more engaging than the before. A love triangle is added, although made far from superfluous thanks to the likability of Aussie rodent Jake. But what really makes this worth seeing is the animation; one sequence in particular, with Cody and eagle Marahute taking a fly over the outback, stands up against the likes of The Lion Kings stampede.
However, coming slap-bang between The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, it got rather lost in all the commotion. The Rescuers Down Under doesnt need to be regarded as a classic. It just needs to be remembered to some degree.