The Rescuers Down Under

The Rescuers Down Under
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Based onCharacters
by Margery Sharp
Produced byThomas Schumacher
Starring
Edited byMichael Kelly
Music byBruce Broughton
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • November 16, 1990 (1990-11-16) (United States)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$47.4 million

The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and the sequel to The Rescuers (1977). In the film, Bernard and Bianca travel to the Australian Outback to save a young boy named Cody from a villainous poacher who wants to capture an endangered golden eagle for money. It was directed by Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel and written by Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson, and Joe Ranft. Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor (in her final film role) reprise their roles as Bernard and Bianca respectively, with John Candy, Tristan Rogers, Adam Ryen, Wayne Robson, and George C. Scott in supporting roles.

By the mid-1980s, The Rescuers had become one of Disney's most successful animated releases. Under the new management of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, a feature-length sequel was approved, making it the first animated film sequel theatrically released by the studio. Following their duties on Oliver & Company (1988), animators Butoy and Gabriel were recruited to direct the sequel. Research trips to Australia provided inspiration for the background designs. The film would also mark the full use of the Computer Animation Production System (CAPS), becoming the first feature film to be completely created digitally. The software allowed for artists to digitally ink-and-paint the animators' drawings, and then composite the digital cels over the scanned background art.

The Rescuers Down Under was released in theaters on November 16, 1990, it received positive reviews from critics. However, it underperformed at the box office and garnered $47.4 million worldwide.