The Rescuers Down Under

The Rescuers Down Under is an animated film prduced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990. This film, which takes place in the Australian Outback, is the sequel of the 1977 film The Rescuers, based upon the novels of Margery Sharp.

About the film

Characters

The Rescuers Down Under had the familiar characters from the first Rescuers movie, the mice Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Bianca (Eva Gabor). New characters included the albatross Wilbur (John Candy), brother of the albatross played by the late Jim Jordan in the original; Jake the kangaroo mouse (Tristan Rogers); and the movie's villain, an animal poacher, who was called Percival C. McLeach (George C. Scott).

Related Topics:
Bob Newhart - Eva Gabor - Albatross - John Candy - Jim Jordan - Kangaroo mouse - Tristan Rogers - George C. Scott

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Disney firsts

The Rescuers Down Under is notable for its firsts for Disney. It was the first Disney traditionally-animated movie to completely use the new computerized CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) process. CAPS allowed more efficient and sophisticated post-production of the Disney animated films, and made obsolete the traditional practice of hand-painting cels. As a result, The Rescuers Down Under was the first feature film for which all original film elements were completely made within a digital environment. The film was also the first sequel made by Disney for one of its animated films and the only such sequel to be included in the Animated Features Canon.

Related Topics:
CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) - Cel - Sequel

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On its first release, The Rescuers Down Under was preceded by a short subject starring Mickey Mouse in an adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper. (This was only the second new Mickey Mouse short made since the 1950s, the first being Mickey's Christmas Carol, which was made to accompany the re-release of The Rescuers.)

Related Topics:
Short subject - Mickey Mouse - The Prince and the Pauper - 1950s - Mickey's Christmas Carol

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Box office popularity

The film did poorly in the box office (making only $27 million), at least partly due to stiff competition from the hit film Home Alone. Consequently, there were no further sequels.

Related Topics:
Box office - Home Alone

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Rumors

• In 2003, users at the Amazon.com and the IMDB forums rumored that Disney was to produce a third Rescuers film, entitled The Rescuers: Journey to the Black Castle, based on the original book by Margery Sharp.
• There was a rumour that a picture of a topless woman had been inserted into this film, as it had been in the original Rescuers film, during the beginning flight scene in Australia. The rumor has been proven false, since each frame of the film was scrutenized during production using the CAPS system.