The Rescuers (novel and film)

### Novel

***The Rescuers*** is a British children's novel written by Margery Sharp and illustrated by Garth Williams; its first edition was published in 1959. The novel is the first in a series of stories about Miss Bianca, a socialite mouse who volunteered to lend assistance to people and animals in danger.

#### Plot

The story begins during a meeting of the Prisoners’ Aid Society, an international organisation of mice dedicated to accompany and brighten the lives of prisoners. When the old clerk informs delegates about the case of a Norwegian poet imprisoned in the Black Castle, the moderator lady suggests changing the traditional rules of the organisation and try to rescue him. Despite the clerk's doubts, the company decides to try to carry out her proposal. To achieve this, know they will need a Norwegian mouse who knows the language of the captive. They know that Miss Bianca, a privileged white mouse, will travel to Norway by plane accompanying her owner, an ambassador's son. The moderator asks Bernard, a resident of the pantry, to locate Miss Bianca in her magnificent porcelain pagoda and convince her to undertake the mission to find the bravest mouse in Norway.

#### Sequels

The Rescuers was followed by

* Miss Bianca (1962)
* The Turret (1963)
* Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines (1966)
* Miss Bianca in the Orient (1970)
* Miss Bianca in the Antarctic (1971)
* Miss Bianca and the Bridesmaid (1972)
* Bernard the Brave (1977)
* Bernard into Battle (1978)

#### Margery Sharp

***Clara Margery Melita Sharp*** (January 25, 1905 – March 14, 1991), was an English author of 26 novels for adults, 14 children's novels, 4 plays, 2 mysteries, and numerous short stories. Her most famous work is The Rescuers series about a mouse named Miss Bianca, which was later adapted in two animated feature films, The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under by Disney.

Sharp had other novels turned into feature films, namely:

* The Nutmeg Tree (1937), which was made into the film Julia Misbehaves (1948), starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
* Cluny Brown (1944), which was made into a movie of the same title (1946), featuring a pre-Rat Pack Peter Lawford
* Britannia Mews (1946), which was made into the film The Forbidden Street (1949), starring Dana Andrews, Maureen O'Hara, Sybil Thorndike and Wilfred Hyde-White.

### Film

> *"Two tiny agents vs. the world's wickedest woman IN A DAZZLING ANIMATED ADVENTURE!"*
>
>

*The Rescuers* is an American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released in the US on June 22, 1977, and in the UK on October 13, 1977. The 23rd Disney animated feature film, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organisation headquartered in New York City and shadowing the United Nations, dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world at large. Two of these mice, jittery janitor Bernard (Bob Newhart) and his co-agent, the elegant Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor), set out to rescue Penny (Michelle Stacy), an orphan girl being held prisoner in the Devil's Bayou by treasure huntress Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page).

The film is based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, most notably The Rescuers and Miss Bianca. Due to the film's success, a sequel entitled The Rescuers Down Under was released in 1990, which made this film the first Disney animated film to have a sequel.

#### Plot Summary

A bottle containing a plea for help arrives at the Rescue Aid Society, an organisation of mice from all over the world whose mission is to help those in need. Bernard and Miss Bianca are chosen for the task and after gathering the needed clues and information, they fly on the back of albatross Orville to the gloomy and uncharted Devil's Bayou. There, together with Ellie Mae and other swamp folk, they must work together to save a little orphan girl from the evil Madame Medusa. [IMDb.com]

### The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

***The Rescuers Down Under*** is an American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released in the US on November 16, 1990 and in the UK on October 11, 1991. The 29th Disney animated feature film, the film is the sequel to the 1977 animated film The Rescuers, which was based on the novels of Margery Sharp. Set in the Australian Outback, the film centres on Bernard and Bianca travelling to Australia to save a boy named Cody from a villainous poacher in pursuit of an endangered bird of prey.

Featuring the voices of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor (in her final film role), John Candy, and George C. Scott, The Rescuers Down Under was the first animated theatrical film sequel produced by Disney. The film was the second released during the Disney Renaissance (1989–1999) era, which had begun the year prior with The Little Mermaid, but was an underperformer at the box office compared to the other films of the era.

#### Plot Summary

Cody, a boy from Mugwomp Flats responds to a distress call about a trapped giant Golden Eagle called Marahute. Freeing her, he gains a close friendship with the bird. However, Cody is soon abducted by the murderous poacher, Percival McLeach, who is after that bird which is of a highly endangered species and therefore an extremely profitable quarry. In a panic, a mouse Cody freed from one of McLeach's traps sends a desperate call for help to the Rescue Aid Society in New York City who assigns their top agents, Miss Bianca and Bernard, to the task. With transportation provided by the goofy albatross, Wilbur, the agents arrive in Australia and link up with the RAS' local field operative, Jake the Kangaroo Rat. Together, the trio must race against time to find Cody, stop McLeach, and save Marahute. [IMDb.com]