Nostalgia - First episode ever!

As a way to launch this brand new blog, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about my very first movie experience. Actually, I should say the first film I remember seeing in a movie theatre. Incidentally, this movie can be part of two regular series this blog will host.

The series I'm gonna focus on today is Nostalgia. In this series, I concentrate on movies that I love, not really for their merit or qualities (if they have any) but I love them nonetheless because I saw them during my early years of cinephilia and they kind of shaped the way I see movies nowadays. Some of them are great, some are absolutely terrible, some are just adequate. I will tell you 10 things I love about them and some fun facts.

So, for this first episode, let's talk about a very good if not excellent movie: The Rescuers Down Under (1990).

Or like I knew it then : Bernard et Bianca au Pays des Kangourous (which translates Bernard and Bianca in the land of kangaroos).

Yes, my native language is French. I was born in Brussels, Belgium (see the map on the right). It's a small country north of France, south of the Netherlands. Small as it is, it has great movie multiplexes.

So, in 1990, I was 4 years old. My very first movie experience was a Disney movie. Are you surprised? But because of its "status" in my life, Rescuers Down Under is very special.

Ok, let's get things straight: even if I focus really hard, the only memory of that specific viewing (which exact date I obviously don't remember) is the opening title sequence with the camera travelling fast through the flowered fields (picture above).

But since then, I've seen this movie dozens of times. My father's always been a electronic junkie, so every member of the family (my parents, my sister, myself) had their own TV, VCR, and computer from the time I was 8. And he bought almost all Disney VHS that existed in Europe (doesn't it seem like forever since we've watched a VHS on a VCR?). So, Rescuers Down Under was on the VHS shelf at home. Throughout the years, I've been able to really look into the qualities and the flaws of this movie, and even though it isn't perfect, it's a great piece of entertainment.

Now, I'll tell you 10 things I love about this film (after the Jump)


1) It's better than The Rescuers (1977). It may seem a small feat, but when you think about it, there aren't lots of sequels out there that are better than their predecessors.

2) I love the beautiful landscapes of the Outback and the fact that they took the time to show it. the flowered fields, the jungle, the desert and the canyons.

3) I love the scene where Cody first saves Marahute the Eagle and she thanks him by taking him on a ride through the sky. Such a gorgeous sequence! The colors, the fluidity of the animation, the music, it all works together... The water-skiing on the river up to the jump over the waterfall is an awesome idea! I just love Australia!

4) I love all the unusual animals you get to see because it takes place in Australia: wombats, echidnas, platypus, kangaroos, koalas, frilled-neck lizards, kangaroo-rats, flying squirrels... Love it!!

5) I love the sequence where you see how mice from all over the world communicate with each other and you can see the signal going everywhere, and how humans are too stupid to understand what's going on.

6) I love the restaurant sequence. The idea that mice live just like humans and make soup out of leftovers from humans is funny. When you think about it, it might have been an inspiration for the final scene in Ratatouille (2007).

7) It's kind of a follow-up: I love the running gag of Bernard trying to propose to Bianca during the whole movie. It's an obvious joke that's been done many times before and since, but it was kind of funny to see it with mice. Also like the love triangle with Jake.

8) I love Wilbur and all his mishaps, especially the scenes at the "hospital". (see on the right).

Yes, I know it could be seen as cruelty on animals, but I find it very funny! I grew up watching Looney Tunes, Donald Duck and Goofy cartoons, so yeah, violence and people getting hurt is FUNNY! Seriously, they gave him a shot by shooting a GUN! Hilarious! And they wanted to make an incision using a freaking chainsaw!!! That's comedy! But they knew and they struck comic gold with Wilbur because they decided to end the movie with him.

9) I love Percival C. McLeach. As Disney villains go, he's totally a good one. Not as charismatic as Maleficent or Ursula, not as smoothly evil as Lady Tremaine, Jafar or Scar, but I like his roughness (look at that evil grin on the left!).

10) Did I mention that I love Australia?

Now that I've told you what I love about this film, here's a few fun facts (or weird thoughts depending on what you think of useless information... Personally, I love them!) :

- Despite being released in 1990, Rescuers Down Under is seldom mentioned (if ever) when talking about the Disney Renaissance that occurred from 1989 to 1999. We can blame that on the fact that it's the unfortunate movie that (chronologically) stands between The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), arguably two of the best animated features ever made.

- It's the second Disney film to contain absolutely NO musical number. The first was The Black Cauldron (1985) which, ironically, is often blamed for almost killing the Disney Company before the Renaissance.

- Something few of you English-speakers out there would know: in the French version, Bernard is voiced by Roger Carel, one of the most recognizable voices in the French speaking world. His most well-known role is Asterix in all animated movies of this beloved comic book character. Other credits include the French dubbing of C-3PO, Benny Hill, Fred Flintstone, ALF, Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid franchise, and a lot of other Disney movies. Let's just say that until I was 10 (the time i started watching movies in their original language), it was hard watching a movie or turning on the TV without hearing his voice! He's now 73 years old and still working! Recently, he dubbed Jim Broadbent for the French version of the sixth Harry Potter movie.

- It's the first animated movie to use the CAPS technology, which, if I understand correctly, allowed to scan the drawings on a computer for the rendition, saving a lot of time, and also enabling camera positioning and movement. So, in a way, that little movie about mice was quite revolutionary.

Now, dear readers (if there are readers out there... I hope so), let's discuss. Do you like The Rescuers Down Under? Do you think it's better than the first one? Where does stand in your list of Disney animated features? Do you love Australia too? Please do tell in the comments.