The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

 

Disney used to take their time releasing sequels and they weren't always straight-to-video. Case and point the second 'Rescuers'-film, which was made more than a decade after the original one. And wouldn't you know it? It's almost as good as well. 

Sure, it lacks the creepy atmosphere that makes the first one so memorable but it is still a very, very good effort.

This time it's not a little orphan girl who is in trouble. No, we're out in Australia where a young boy named Cody is doing his best to help animals wherever and whenever he can. He discovers a massive golden eagle is caught by a devious poacher and frees her, but of course this doesn't sit well with the poacher, who is called McLeach (George C Scott at his most vicious). A mouse that Cody helped runs off to get help and eventually this reaches the headquarters of the Rescue Aid Society, where Miss Bianca and Bernard are once again chosen for the mission at hand. 

So they head out to Australia with some help from Wilbur the albatross, Orville's brother. What complicates things is that Bernard really wants Miss Bianca to marry him, but in Australia a suave mouse by the name of Jake seems to be stealing his thunder. Add to that a colourful cast of different animals and going up against the evil McLeach and his goanna Joanna and you're up for a great adventure.

This one might not be as creepy as before, but the animation is once again stunning. This is apparently one of the first Disney animations that utilizes CG backgrounds to the fullest and it looks grandiose. You could argue the feeling of handpainted backgrounds is lost, but it's tough to create the sense of depth they got here. In fact, a lot of the animation feels extremely smooth, something that truly shines through whenever Cody is in the air on the back of the massive golden eagle. 

Maybe the one issue with this one is that it is not that memorable on the whole. McLeach is a decent villain, but a bit flat. Heck, his character feels too akin to several later villains Disney would use. And even though the side characters are quirky, none really stand out as much as for example Evinrude or Ellie Mae. Nevertheless: you could do a lot worse as far as sequels are concerned. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.