MovieChat Forums > The Rescuers (1977) Discussion > They just don't make them like this anym...

They just don't make them like this anymore...

posted 11 years ago by Matuatay
13 replies | jump to latest

In a fit of nostalgia I pulled this out and watched it last night. Was amazed at what a heart-wrenching tale this really is, especially from Disney. Disney used to make some really dark and gritty stories with excellent development, superb songs, and characters you could really feel for. And this story was so DARK in it's tone and subject matter. Now Disney churns out just goofy stuff (no pun intended). Are there any good Disney movies like this anymore? To me this really seemed to be the end of the golden era of Disney. 'Down Under' was pretty dark in some way, but it really lacked something that gave the first movie a more serious undertone. I miss movies like this, The Land Before Time (though not a Disney movie), etc. Stories that were family friendly, but dark and menacing, and able to make you laugh or cry.

[–] Taran_Wanderer_2 11 years ago

Brother Bear was pretty dark and emotionally-driven, but for some reason, very badly received.

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[–] ExplorerDS6789 11 years ago

Brother Bear was pretty dark and emotionally-driven, but for some reason, very badly received.

Is that the one with those two annoying mooses?

[–] Matuatay 11 years ago

I don't even recall ever hearing about this. Going to look up some info.

[–] Taran_Wanderer_2 11 years ago

In answer to both of you, yes Brother Bear featured Rutt and Tuke, two comical mooses. But hey, every Disney film has to have comic relief. The movie came out in 2003 and was not very well received by critics (it did fine commercially), but I thought it had a very intriguing story. A bit slow compared to other Disney films of the era (Treasure Planet, 2002), but not necessarily boring.

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[–] ExplorerDS6789 11 years ago

Seeing as how its competition was Disney and Pixar's Finding Nemo, it was apparent that the times were changing the audience preferred CGI to 2D animation. Even when they brought it back for The Princess and the Frog in 2009, and again for Winnie the Pooh in 2011. It did very little to generate interest in those films.

Personally, I think the last REALLY solid Disney 2D animated film was The Lion King.
Pocahontas had good intentions, but it was so dull and boring.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, pretty much the same thing. Also most people considered it too dark.
Hercules put humor and comedy over any decent story of characters.
Mulan was good, I guess.
Tarzan was forgettable.
Atlantis, dull.
Emperor's New Groove... do I even need to say it?
Treasure Planet, forgettable and dull.
Brother Bear, see above.
Home on the Range, see above.

It's like they just stopped caring, because they knew their Pixar subsidiary would kick their butts.

[–] idonnowho 11 years ago

Hey, ExplorerDS6789, I noticed you left out the likes of "Lilo & Stitch" and, even more alarmingly, "Fantasia 2000"(!!!) from your list of post-"Lion King", pre-"Chicken Little" list of classic animated Disney features.

The latter's omission is especially jarring, considering that I thought it was not only possibly even MORE "solid" than "The Lion King", but in terms of CANON sequels, it whooped "The Rescuers Down Under" right off the page! (Seriously! Why is THAT labelled the "only" "canon" sequel from Disney? It's SERIOUSLY overrated compared to "Fantasia 2000" OR for that matter this original "Rescuers").

P.S. For what it's worth, I thought "Hercules", "Mulan", "Tarzan", "Brother Bear" and, YES, even "Home on the Range" (SUCK ON THAT, HATERS!) were decent enough, in contrast to your views (Though, of course, you're entitled to them...). In fact, "Pocahontas" and "Hunchback" (as well as "Atlantis") are the only post "Lion King" 2D Disney films I didn't care for particularly...

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 11 years ago

It's a shame that Disney just isn't the same these days.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the mindf(_)ck"-Nostalgia Critic

[–] idonnowho 11 years ago

Disney just isn't the same these days

I felt the same way... UNTIL I FINALLY saw "Frozen", just in time for the Academy Awards. It was awesome! Rather than being a "Tangled" rehash as I feared it would be, it whooped "Tangled"'s ass right out the door.

All that COULD have made it better would be (potentially) making it classically animated, simply calling it "The Snow Queen" and/or ending the film with a reprise of a previously sung music number in the movie, like "For the First Time in Forever", "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" or even the epically beautiful and powerful "Let it Go" (Idina Menzel, you are a GODDESS! Congrats on your Oscar win!!!)

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Taran_Wanderer_2 11 years ago

Unfortunately nowadays, it is not uncommon for animated films to feel obligated to supply humorous gags at a steady and recurring rhythm since that's what their target audiences now expect from films, to the point that many more serious scenes are to some degree overshadowed by the comical aspect. This has also become the expectation of many adults that have forgotten, assuming that they ever knew, that child-friendly films at one point worked without these attention-keeping tactics (try to find one forced moment of humor in The Secret Garden, 1993 or in The Bushbaby, 1969). It's a sad reality that most children nowadays are neither interested nor capable of 'handling' more serious-oriented films, animated or not. A shame really. Growing up in Western Europe, some of the Japan-derived animations we grew up with (I resent calling them 'anime' since they were so distanced from what the American audiences regard as such), were heavy dramas (without being dark or disturbing, a characteristic often associated with "quality anime") that kept humor around but only subtly. It's a shame these have fallen out of fashion because I think they contributed to the upbringing of a better generation.

The Rescuers is a dark film in two contexts; much of the action takes place at night or in places darkened by fog and gloom. It is also dark in the sense that, behind the frontal fantasy elements, it makes reference to the darker sides of a very realistic world.

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[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] PreachCaleb 11 years ago

This movie is a treasure.

Straightedge means I'm better than you.

[–] idonnowho 11 years ago

This movie is a treasure.

Amen! 100%!