@bidishah Oh yes! Also equally stunning. They have a third sister too, Magda Gabor, she was an actress too. They were very elegant. I believe they fully modeled Bianca's design after Eva.
They did indeed. Zsa Zsa (pronounced zha-zha) was in movies and Eva (pronounced ay-va) was in a few films and on Broadway, but she was best known as a TV star. (She was also a businesswoman, marketing wigs, clothing, and beauty products.) For six years she starred in the sitcom series "Green Acres" which was a HUGE hit it's first 4 years. Eva was the youngest of the sisters and the first one to immigrate to America. The Gabor family were Jewish and with the help of Conrad Hilton (Zsa Zsa's husband, and yes, he's THAT Conrad Hilton, the great-grandfather of Paris Hilton) the family fled to America during the Nazi occupation. Zsa Zsa had more movies under her belt than either of her sisters (more than 30) but Eva was arguably the bigger star. On the whole, her elder sisters were more famous for being famous; they were better known as socialites. (Magda did only one film and 3 TV episodes, one of which was on Eva's variety show.) Eva reprises the role of Bianca for The Rescuers Down Under, as well.
One thing I always loved about this movie was how Bianca took Bernard’s phobia seriously. She didn’t tell him he was being silly, she helped him find solutions like jumping over the 13th step. Everyone else got frustrated with him.
I love how Medusa freaks out when she sees a mouse but when a muskrat in an apron shows up and starts hitting her with a miniature rolling pin, she just rolls with it LOL
If you guys enjoyed the detective nature of this film, I think you would love "The Great Mouse Detective". Excellent over the top, intense villain voiced by Vincent Price himself, plus some wonderful tributes to Sherlock Holmes.
And this movie is an example of why the so-called “Dark Age of Disney” is so underrated! I think some reviewers care too much of the animation and forget that the stories are so unique! Especially after seeing Wish, I’m convinced we really are heading into an actual Dark Age.
This was Disney's most profitable movie of the 1970s, by a long shot. As a studio they had been plugging away at the same formula for years without innovating, and so their movies' appeal began to get narrower and narrower -- to the point where parents would drop their kids off at the theater to see the latest Disney movie, while the adults went to see something else. (Ask me how I know.) This was not a recipe for box office success. I think The Rescuers did well because it was exciting enough for adults to stick around and watch, and for the first time in a while, it seemed like the creators truly cared about the project.
@@Johnny_Socko how’d you know? And you could be right. The story is mature and took itself seriously in how the person in needing of rescue was a kidnapped little girl, the lighting and animation used more darker colours, and the soundtrack was quite grounded compared to other Disney movies at the time. In my opinion, the turnaround for better quality at Disney started here.
You didn't show it in the edit, but when Medusa makes her entrance, she picks up the phone and changes to a sweet customer service voice, "Madam Medusa's pawn shop boutique," with each syllable a staccato singsong climbing in pitch. As kids who saw The Rescuers at least ten times at the theater in its initial run, my sisters used to drive my parents nuts with endless repetition of that line anytime, anywhere, no reason needed. I always found them hysterical and very good at it.
I love this movie, it's noir mystery, it's personal, it's dramatic, it's funny, it's a classic, but the sequel is, idk how to explain it. It's bigger, it's badder, it's epic, it's beautiful, it's like night and day. They're both great movies, but they have completely different vibes. This movie is darker, but the story is simple. The sequel has dark moments, but is mostly a high adrenaline epic story that takes you on a wild ride.
When Disney was trying to focus on being only Disney and not on buying a dozen of brands in movie business. For me, Disney lost It’s original DNA. It’s a pleasure and a relief when we can see something like The Rescuers! ✌️
When this came out, home videos weren't really a thing and so I had the LP record of this film. It was literally the soundtrack to the whole film telling the whole story, but on a record. Not just the songs and background music. I listened to that thing so many times, I know every word and every noise in this film.
People who make lists of worst Disney villains always sleep on Madame Medusa. I think she’s almost up there with Mother Gothel for that “homely little thing” line alone. The rest of the stuff she did gets her the rest of the way up. Kidnaps a kid, leaves her with a sleazy criminal, puts her down a well, threatens to leave her in there if she doesn’t risk her life to bring back a diamond, then steals her most prized possession and tries to leave her with the criminal who most likely won’t bother to save her even if he saves himself, assuming he doesn’t do anything worse to her. She’s a complete monster, man.
Yeah. Madame Medusa in this film is a criminally, pun intended underrated Disney villain who is actually much more realistic than most. That’s what makes her so vile and scary.
@@798jeremy Apparently they were considering making Cruella the villain of the movie (does that car seem familiar?) before casting someone original. Makes sense if there's some remnants in there.
Medusa WAS the most scary villain to me by far. The scene were she removes her fake eyelashes was the creepiest and most disgusting thing I had ever seen as a kid and her German voice actress is scarier then the original. -I think I saw the movie ony ones or twice but we listened to the audio tape all the time.
This is one of my mom's favorite Disney movies because she likes Bernard and Bianca, but for me, if they weren't there, it would probably be the saddest cause of what poor Penny goes through.
Fun Fact: I the original VHS cut, there was a still from from a p**nographic film in the window of the scene where they're flying over the city. It was of course removed from future releases. I've always loved this one. Medusa is such an underrated villain. I love how she is drawn, she is so dynamic, I mean I hate her, but she just stands out from my childhood memory so much!
What i like about this p** pic in the window is that it's only a very specific version of the film which has it. It has never been officialy revealed who did it, but the more or less "plausible" culprit was one of the female animators who got laid off and decided to have a bit of..fun.
@@blitz3391 The weird thing is that the movie had already been released on VHS early on and only after the re-release of the video in the mid 90s was where people started finding that.
16:57 It was one of the windows in this descending sequence. VHS in the 80s/90s allowed people to pause movies and analyze them frame by frame in a way that animators from previous eras never expected to be available to the general public.
17: 04-"can you emagine being in the city when a albatross flying over you." Me: yeah happens all the time in coastal citys....what you should of said is: can you emagine....being the 1st person to discover the nude girl in the window 🪟 around 17:57 in your video.
5:52 - Miss Bianca was voiced by the late Eva Gabor, who was a Hungarian-American actress (she also voiced Duchess in "The Aristocats"). They made Bianca the mouse Hungarian in the movies because of this casting.
Rescuers Down Under is more grand in scale and its first fifteen minutes is incredible, but I think the original tugged at the heartstrings more and succeeded in making us invest in the characters more. It's almost apples/oranges, or what you're in the mood for on any given day EDIT: First 15 minutes are epic not first 5 lol
This is by far the most charming and wholesome Disney movie in the Animated Canon. Plus, this is my mom's favorite Disney movie. She loves Miss Bianca and her personality.
If you watch closely, one of the animators named Milt Kahl has a very particular way of animating character movement and has since gone down in history for the "head swaggle" when characters speak. Its seen in The Sword in the Stone as well as this movie, (and others of the era) and its apparently very difficult to do!
There's one point in the movie where Medusa is doing the head swaggle while *looking in the mirror*. It's one of the most epic flexes in the history of hand-drawn animation.
If I recall correctly, Milt animated Bagheera and Shere Khan in the Jungle Book. Bagheera does the swaggle, and Baloo does it back. It feels like an animator flexing contest.
Legend has it that Khal based Medusa’s mannerisms on his wife, whom he had recently divorced at that time. I also think this was his last movie before retirement.
I think this was the movie where Don Bluth got promoted to be the animation director. He found it weird they hadn't finished coloring the eyes on the mice, and took it upon himself with his buddy Gary Goldman, to show to the ones deciding, that coloring in the eyes would be fast, effortless and mainly inexpensive. Nevertheless, they were ignored 😅.
I enjoy watching The Rescuers. It’s one of those Disney films that I like coming back to occasionally. It’s charming, entertaining, and has a good cast of characters, which I like a lot, especially Penny. Such a wholesome film imo.
@@nsasupporter7557 You're entitled to your opinion but here's why I prefer the first movie. Down Under suffers from all the characters doing their own thing in the middle and not building up to anything. You've got scenes of Bernard, Bianca and Jake riding on various animals through the outback, which are fine but repetitive, scenes of Cody and the captured animals trying to escape, which are fine but go nowhere, and scenes of Wilbur being tortured at the hospital which are...just kind of nasty. I prefer how in The Rescuers, there's more of a mystery. We follow Bernard and Bianca as they find out who Penny is, where she is and why she was kidnapped. Then they develop a relationship with her, and we see them devise an escape plan and implement it.
@@theadaptationstationmaster yeah, those are good points. I don’t know what it is about the sequel, I guess the animation is better plus the voice acting… the sequel had John Candy as Wilbur and George C Scott as the villain
@@nsasupporter7557 I understand where you come from to be fair. The sequel was actually the first of the Rescuers film I saw, before its predecessor, and I did like it more in my childhood. But over time, I’ve come to appreciate both films on equal ground.
@@SpacialRend7 same 🙂 I saw the Rescuers Down Under first and have always liked it better… it was the exact same thing about An American Tail, I liked the sequel “Fievel Goes West” better. I don’t know that I liked either of those sequels better than their predecessors but it’s cool that you do 😀👍
I’m in the same boat as you are James I only remember watching _The Rescuers Down Under_ (which enjoyed it more than the 1st film) but not the first _Rescuers_ as my only memory of the film was having a picture book of the film from Disney's Wonderful World of Reading and that was my familiarity of the movie. But this along with _Fantasia_ and _Pinocchio_ (until I got the 2009 platinum edition and watched it) were the only Disney Animated films I didn’t watched as a kid until I got Disney+. Also, Don Bluth recalls there was a friendly rivalry going on between Marc Davis, who'd animated Cruella De Vil, and Milt Kahl who was animating Medusa, with Kahl constantly claiming _"Just wait, MY villainess is going to be nastier than yours!”_ It got so intense animators started taking bets on who was going to win. And speaking of Cruella, originally she was going the be the main antagonist of the film until they went with Madame Medusa. Finally, most of Madame Medusa’s characteristics and mannerisms were the inspiration for Ursula in _The Little Mermaid_ Looking forward to your reaction to _The Rescuers Down Under_ next week.🦘
Yes, same with me! 🙂 I only knew of Rescuers Down Under as a kid and I didn’t know about the Rescuers until I was older. I though the second one was better anyway
i couldn't tell you the amount of times i forced my dad to watch this with me when i was a kid, this movie will always have a special place in my heart
The animator for Medusa, Milt Kahl, based her off of his at the time wife. About a year later, they were divorced. But for real, Medusa is so fluid in her motion and characteristization that it's beautiful. Orville is voiced by Jim Jordans (thanks for the correction). Albatros are notorious for having problems taking off and landing because of how big they are.
Actually Orville was voiced by Jim Jordan, a comedian going back as far as the 30s (although in this era, Don Knotts was starring a few Disney films including GUS and HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO). Jordan sadly died RIGHT as casting was being done for THE RESCUERS DOWNUNDER (just a few months before they started recording in 1988). Instead of recasting, Roy Disney actually requested the character be written out of the script and it was changed to his brother Wilbur (played by the late great John Candy), The production of THE RESCUERS was really where Don Bluth started getting frustrated with Disney over the avoidable animation flaws (which, for him, was more due to producers dragging their feet than any actual budget issues). While he was starting to get animation directing jobs, Bluth had finally had enough by the late 70s and started off on his own with other animators also having issues with Disney.
@aliyahpulido953 I've seen an albotros try to take off, it really was wild to see them try to take off. The crazy thing is though, because they have such large wings, they can be airborne for a long time with little need to stop and rest.
Man they don't make them like this anymore: impressively detailed artwork, simple plot contrasting complex characters, amusingly animated, side characters that actually contribute without being obnoxious, unapologetically dark writing, and still being able to tell they were having fun making it.
I headcanon that Medusa is a distant relative of the DeVille family. She's got the temperament, the fashion sense, the aggressive driving... Also fun fact, the albatross in Rescuers Down Under is named Wilbur; both albatrosses are named after the Wright brothers who invented the first motor airplane!
Pennys story just brings me to tears every time. Even as a kid I wanted to adopt her, because she deserves a family and love! It’s heartbreaking how she talks about a family choosing another kid over her because she thinks the girl was prettier. I just love the style and feel of this movie and the music is just adding to all of it
I used to watch this movie ALL the time as a kid. The only neat little fact I know about it is about the dragonfly. Evinrude acts as the motor of the boat in the movie, but in real life Ole Evinrude was the name of the guy that was an American entrepreneur, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application. Evinrude Outboard Motors was the name of the company that started in 1907 and they shut down in 2020. Obviously Orville is named after the Wright Brothers. The sequel, The Rescuers Down Under is good too!
I used to own The Rescuers on VHS. My little sister and I loved the movie and introduced it to our neighborhood friends and they loved the movie as well
Dudes! I saw this as a boy, and I enjoyed it so much, my mother took me back to the theater to watch it all day one Saturday, over and over. Summer of 1977 was gold for me.
This is definitely one of my absolute FAVORITE Disney movies of all time ❤❤❤ I love the intrigue, the darkness of the theme, and all the heart it has. Great reaction! Glad you liked it! 😊
I cannot believe I’m only just now hearing it after all these years but Miss Bianca and Duchess from the Aristocats are both voiced by Eva Gabor, who was born in Hungary 🩷
Fun fact about this film. It was originally going to be a sequel to 101 Dalmatians, and the villain was going to be Cruella DeVille once again, having moved on from furs and now into reptile skins and out to get rich once again after having fallen on hard times after the incident with the puppies. They decided against this in the end, because they worried that children would not get the reference, as it wasn't until the 80's that they started to do sequels. But that is the main reason why Medusa is such a reckless driver, as it was storyboarded to be Cruella and she was famous for her car.
I loved this movie growing up I loved all the hand drawn aspects without a hint of CGI! I also loved the thought of little mice running around saving the day
i was just commenting this lol i love that movie so much! it's a huge comfort movie of mine but no one seems to know what i'm talking about when i bring it up lmao
I watched this movie a million times as a kid, and I just today learned that the albatross's name is Orville - all this time I thought he was saying, "just call me 'horrible', little lady", like him being modest about being called 'wonderful' lol. Also, fun fact, albatrosses are very clunky flyers in real life, I guess cause they're so heavy. Look up albatrosses landing, if you have some spare time, it's very funny to watch.
Medusa’s voice was provided by the late Oscar winner actress Geraldine Page. And Miss Bianca was performed by hungarian (USA based) actress Eva Gabor and Bernard by the great Bob Newhart.
I really love this film full of laughs, sorrow and action. I remember watching again as an adult and I was at the edge of my seat. Please react to the Great Mouse Detective another underrated mouse rescue film. 🐭
Another childhood favorite! It often scared me, yet I kept coming back to it. The cave would always give me nightmares, but man it was hard to keep me away for long because I always loved the animals and swampy environment. Never got tired of the baddies getting their comeuppance! And the songs in this, so heartfelt and brings tears to my eyes to this day. What I love about this movie the most is that it holds a religious value, but isn't shoved down your throat. Penny prayed to be rescued, to be returned home, and despite her captors and circumstances telling her there was no hope she DID get an answer. Sure, it wasn't the rescue she thought it'd be, but one could argue it is like this for many hopes we have in life. In the end, her prayer was answered and she was rescued!
I read that they were considering reusing Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. In the end, they made Medusa an original character, but I sure see signs of Cruella in her. Not least her driving.
Such a charming movie! I feel like the charm of the old Disney movies no longer exists in the newer ones! Also... 13:21 that's totally me packing a suitcase!!
You guys are always such a joy for me and my kitties to watch. I’m so glad you reacted to “The Rescuers” and this video was a blast to watch! It would be so fun to see you both react to “The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh.” It’s an older Disney classic and actually came out the same year as this film and it was the first Winnie The Pooh movie.
A detail i just noticed is that The Tortoise that helps the main characters, had a Civil-war cap on, cause Tortoises live for a long time, so he would’ve been there when it happened.
I was hoping you would eventually watch this one. I'm trying to get myself into a Christmas Spirit now that Thanksgiving is over. And been watching several of your Christmas reactions... Christmas is going to be rough this year, but your reactions have been helping keep my mind off things a little and I am looking forward to what Christmas reactions your going to do this year.
It's such a sweet movie, and instills a want to be a detective or private eye. And how many viewers still know the anthem by heart ✋and proud of it. 😊 I know I've seen down under so many times but it hasn't stuck with me like the OG.
Fantastic reaction ❤ I absolutely love this film. It's one of those 70's Disney films that kind of fell under the radar. Disney wasn't pumping out princess films, they were using photocopying (xeroxing) a lot and so people weren't that interested but I think The Rescuers is top tier and deserves to be up there with the Disney greats. The animation is fantastic, the story makes you laugh and cry, it's totally chaotic, the side characters are hilarious and you fall in love with the main characters and hate the "baddies" and the music is super evocative and nostalgic. You can't ask for anything more.❤
The "other dog" you're thinking of was voiced by Pat Buttram. Orville is voiced by Jim Jordan, who starred with his wife in the The Fibber McGee and Molly Show.
Had the read along book & cassette tape as a child. When the villain basically tells the little girl Diamond or drown…!!! That’s one of the darkest moments in Disney. Surprised they have made a live action version of these. It’s a very sweet idea actually that little mice go around the world saving children. 🥹
In the original version of this movie when they're flying through the city there are two frames where someone snuck in an image of a topless woman. Earlier this year they finally figured out that an artist named Annie Guenther put it in. They still haven't figured out who the centerfold was even though people went through every issue of Playboy and Penthouse prior to 1977 to find the image.
Don Bluth was the animation director of this film and from a visual standpoint, he's definitely all over this. And while the animation is during that lower budget, scratchy era, the movement and characterization is all excellent. I especially like Mit Kahl's animation on Mme. Medusa, including her facial expressions showing off her accent. The sequel, speaking of, has awesome animation. I like it better than the first film and I look forward to your reaction to it.
So Evinrude does share the name with an outboard motor engine company that's based out of (or was, not 100% on it) Wisconson! He mimics that style of motor!
Ooooo I grew up with this and its sequel!! I recall being a little kid crawling in the floor to push the VHS in the VCR so I could sit in front of the giant tv with my stuffed toys. I have a deep love of these older movies.
Check this out right here: in earlier production, Madame Medusa was originally going to be none other than Cruella de Vil. And Jenny from the later film Oliver & Company was originally going to be Penny from this film. Obviously, neither of those things happened, but isn't it fun to imagine? Three bronze age Disney films which *almost* shared a single continuity.
Eva Gabor, who voices Miss Bianca, is indeed from a Hungarian background. She became famous for starring in a sitcom called Green Acres (1965-1971) alongside Eddie Albert, who appears in Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). She is also the voice of Duchess in The Aristocats (1970).
0:10 - As a VERY little kid, I knew The Rescuers only from short clips from Disney compilation specials like Disney's Halloween Treat. I saw The Rescuers Down Under when it premiered in theaters long before I saw the original in full. 5:51 - Miss Bianca is played by the ever talented Eva Gabor of the legendary Gabor Sisters. She's probably most well know for the sitcom Green Acres and for this role, but you'll remember her more recently from The Aristocats, in which she played Duchess, and yes, she and her sisters were from Hungary. 8:13 - Listen carefully as the audio fades and you hear Bernard talking about "walking through the dark and bumping into something." So yeah, Bernard DID wake him up. 13:51 - She got it used from Cruella De Vil. 16:58 - Didja see it? 20:09 - Well, that can only be 'shine, boy! 24:11 - You GOTTA love this entrance.
Something i didn't know: the voice actress of Penny... Michelle Stacy... was the same one that played the coffee girl in Airplane!... for some reason... she stopped acting after Airplane!
I loved this movie as a kid, and watched it very often. To this day, I expect my reaction to moonshine as what happens to Bernard, and when I was a kid, i looked around for mice like them! The Rescuers wasn't a famous Disney classic, but it still is a great watch!
Another tidbit: Evinrude is a real company and manufacturer of outboard motors for boats, typically on fishing or pontoon boats. The character was named for the company and the similar sounds they make.
When the mice were in Evinrude's boat and between the alligators, that was (I think) a reference to 'Father Goose' which had the characters in a small boat with two ships passing on either side. I THINK that also happened in WW2 to a PT boat or something but it's been so long I can't remember
Actually Jim Jordan, the VA of Orville the albatross, has only done him. Bianca however is voiced by the same lady who did Duchess in Aristocats (bit same character too).
And Luke the Swamp Critter *is* voiced by the same guy as Chief from The Fox and the Hound. Pat Buttram did a few voices in the "dark age" Disney films, he has quite a distinctive voice. 🙂
Interestingly, the Alligators being able to smell the mice is actually accurate. Crocodilians have very acute senses of smell and taste, with some even being able to detect medicine pills in their food, despite the pill being barely a tenth of the size of their meal. Intelligence wise they are at least as smart as dogs, and can remember people's voices after years of not hearing them, they also recognise names humans give them.
I don't know if it's been suggested to you, but I hope one day you'll give Bedknobs & Broomsticks a chance. It came out around the same time as Mary Poppins, but is a very underrated classic that deserves more notice.
The actress who voiced Bianca, was Eva Gabor, she was Hungarian-American and had a very unique voice, she also voiced Duchess in Aristocats!
Her sister Zsa Zsa Gabor is also a legendary actor!
@bidishah Oh yes! Also equally stunning. They have a third sister too, Magda Gabor, she was an actress too. They were very elegant. I believe they fully modeled Bianca's design after Eva.
They did indeed. Zsa Zsa (pronounced zha-zha) was in movies and Eva (pronounced ay-va) was in a few films and on Broadway, but she was best known as a TV star. (She was also a businesswoman, marketing wigs, clothing, and beauty products.) For six years she starred in the sitcom series "Green Acres" which was a HUGE hit it's first 4 years.
Eva was the youngest of the sisters and the first one to immigrate to America. The Gabor family were Jewish and with the help of Conrad Hilton (Zsa Zsa's husband, and yes, he's THAT Conrad Hilton, the great-grandfather of Paris Hilton) the family fled to America during the Nazi occupation.
Zsa Zsa had more movies under her belt than either of her sisters (more than 30) but Eva was arguably the bigger star. On the whole, her elder sisters were more famous for being famous; they were better known as socialites. (Magda did only one film and 3 TV episodes, one of which was on Eva's variety show.)
Eva reprises the role of Bianca for The Rescuers Down Under, as well.
@@Skye_Writer Wow! Such a neat history! Thank you for telling it! They were beautiful and very talented.
@@bidishah although Zsa Zsa and Eva didn’t get along very well…huh, how ironic is that, Eva voiced a mouse and Zsa Zsa voiced a cat!
One thing I always loved about this movie was how Bianca took Bernard’s phobia seriously. She didn’t tell him he was being silly, she helped him find solutions like jumping over the 13th step. Everyone else got frustrated with him.
She's overly brave and sweet, he's cautious but always reliable, they're so sweet together! XD
Hey that's really good insight! I never thought of that till now.
I love how Medusa freaks out when she sees a mouse but when a muskrat in an apron shows up and starts hitting her with a miniature rolling pin, she just rolls with it LOL
I just don't get how someone who owns two giant crocs as pets can still be terrified of mice
@@darrylvarney9837idk in my experience rodents are slightly different than reptilian animals like a crocodile 😂🤷♀️
Of course Medusa would roll with it, it’s a rolling pin…
I thought about editing it but the word play just made me laugh harder lmao @@gabrielhagedorn5942
Anytime I hear rolling pin with any kind of seriousness I just can't @@gabrielhagedorn5942 😅😅
I love the voice acting in this movie. Eva Gabor is so iconic as Bianca in the movie. Bob Newhart is great as Bernard. I love the chemistry they have.
If you guys enjoyed the detective nature of this film, I think you would love "The Great Mouse Detective". Excellent over the top, intense villain voiced by Vincent Price himself, plus some wonderful tributes to Sherlock Holmes.
I agree, it's a beautiful movie with a TOP villain
That's one of the classics I have never seen.
Especially that Ratigan is Vincent’s favorite role in his career.
And this movie is an example of why the so-called “Dark Age of Disney” is so underrated! I think some reviewers care too much of the animation and forget that the stories are so unique! Especially after seeing Wish, I’m convinced we really are heading into an actual Dark Age.
The movies from that time have a real charm and comfort to them that I can't explain, but I do love
This was Disney's most profitable movie of the 1970s, by a long shot. As a studio they had been plugging away at the same formula for years without innovating, and so their movies' appeal began to get narrower and narrower -- to the point where parents would drop their kids off at the theater to see the latest Disney movie, while the adults went to see something else. (Ask me how I know.) This was not a recipe for box office success. I think The Rescuers did well because it was exciting enough for adults to stick around and watch, and for the first time in a while, it seemed like the creators truly cared about the project.
@@Johnny_Socko how’d you know? And you could be right. The story is mature and took itself seriously in how the person in needing of rescue was a kidnapped little girl, the lighting and animation used more darker colours, and the soundtrack was quite grounded compared to other Disney movies at the time.
In my opinion, the turnaround for better quality at Disney started here.
You didn't show it in the edit, but when Medusa makes her entrance, she picks up the phone and changes to a sweet customer service voice, "Madam Medusa's pawn shop boutique," with each syllable a staccato singsong climbing in pitch. As kids who saw The Rescuers at least ten times at the theater in its initial run, my sisters used to drive my parents nuts with endless repetition of that line anytime, anywhere, no reason needed. I always found them hysterical and very good at it.
I LOVE that! Core memory here too :)
I love this movie, it's noir mystery, it's personal, it's dramatic, it's funny, it's a classic, but the sequel is, idk how to explain it. It's bigger, it's badder, it's epic, it's beautiful, it's like night and day. They're both great movies, but they have completely different vibes. This movie is darker, but the story is simple. The sequel has dark moments, but is mostly a high adrenaline epic story that takes you on a wild ride.
When Disney was trying to focus on being only Disney and not on buying a dozen of brands in movie business. For me, Disney lost It’s original DNA. It’s a pleasure and a relief when we can see something like The Rescuers! ✌️
When this came out, home videos weren't really a thing and so I had the LP record of this film. It was literally the soundtrack to the whole film telling the whole story, but on a record. Not just the songs and background music. I listened to that thing so many times, I know every word and every noise in this film.
I had one of those, but for the episodes of He-Man where She-Ra was being introduced. I listened to that thing so many times!
Yes, one of my favourite childhood memories cuddled up on the floor with my siblings and cousins in our pillow fort listening to this LP. 😊
I _think_ I remember having one of the Incredible Hulk, way back when.
People who make lists of worst Disney villains always sleep on Madame Medusa. I think she’s almost up there with Mother Gothel for that “homely little thing” line alone. The rest of the stuff she did gets her the rest of the way up. Kidnaps a kid, leaves her with a sleazy criminal, puts her down a well, threatens to leave her in there if she doesn’t risk her life to bring back a diamond, then steals her most prized possession and tries to leave her with the criminal who most likely won’t bother to save her even if he saves himself, assuming he doesn’t do anything worse to her. She’s a complete monster, man.
Plus, her bad driver behaviour reminds me a lot of Cruella De Vil, if that wasn't already obvious enough like that for some reason...
Yeah. Madame Medusa in this film is a criminally, pun intended underrated Disney villain who is actually much more realistic than most.
That’s what makes her so vile and scary.
@@798jeremy Apparently they were considering making Cruella the villain of the movie (does that car seem familiar?) before casting someone original. Makes sense if there's some remnants in there.
Medusa WAS the most scary villain to me by far. The scene were she removes her fake eyelashes was the creepiest and most disgusting thing I had ever seen as a kid and her German voice actress is scarier then the original. -I think I saw the movie ony ones or twice but we listened to the audio tape all the time.
This is one of my mom's favorite Disney movies because she likes Bernard and Bianca, but for me, if they weren't there, it would probably be the saddest cause of what poor Penny goes through.
Fun Fact: I the original VHS cut, there was a still from from a p**nographic film in the window of the scene where they're flying over the city. It was of course removed from future releases.
I've always loved this one. Medusa is such an underrated villain. I love how she is drawn, she is so dynamic, I mean I hate her, but she just stands out from my childhood memory so much!
What i like about this p** pic in the window is that it's only a very specific version of the film which has it. It has never been officialy revealed who did it, but the more or less "plausible" culprit was one of the female animators who got laid off and decided to have a bit of..fun.
@@blitz3391 The weird thing is that the movie had already been released on VHS early on and only after the re-release of the video in the mid 90s was where people started finding that.
16:57
It was one of the windows in this descending sequence.
VHS in the 80s/90s allowed people to pause movies and analyze them frame by frame in a way that animators from previous eras never expected to be available to the general public.
17: 04-"can you emagine being in the city when a albatross flying over you."
Me: yeah happens all the time in coastal citys....what you should of said is: can you emagine....being the 1st person to discover the nude girl in the window 🪟 around 17:57 in your video.
5:52 - Miss Bianca was voiced by the late Eva Gabor, who was a Hungarian-American actress (she also voiced Duchess in "The Aristocats"). They made Bianca the mouse Hungarian in the movies because of this casting.
In my opinion, the sequel "Rescuers Down Under" is one of the very few examples where a Disney sequel is better than the original.
So true
True but I definitely have questions that we unanswered in that great sequel and it bothers me 😢😭
I think they are equally excellent
I have to agree although I appreciate the older animation style and how different they were from both movies.
Rescuers Down Under is more grand in scale and its first fifteen minutes is incredible, but I think the original tugged at the heartstrings more and succeeded in making us invest in the characters more. It's almost apples/oranges, or what you're in the mood for on any given day
EDIT: First 15 minutes are epic not first 5 lol
This is by far the most charming and wholesome Disney movie in the Animated Canon. Plus, this is my mom's favorite Disney movie. She loves Miss Bianca and her personality.
If you watch closely, one of the animators named Milt Kahl has a very particular way of animating character movement and has since gone down in history for the "head swaggle" when characters speak. Its seen in The Sword in the Stone as well as this movie, (and others of the era) and its apparently very difficult to do!
There's one point in the movie where Medusa is doing the head swaggle while *looking in the mirror*. It's one of the most epic flexes in the history of hand-drawn animation.
If I recall correctly, Milt animated Bagheera and Shere Khan in the Jungle Book.
Bagheera does the swaggle, and Baloo does it back.
It feels like an animator flexing contest.
Legend has it that Khal based Medusa’s mannerisms on his wife, whom he had recently divorced at that time. I also think this was his last movie before retirement.
@@StoneMasonComix Yep, and he retired before they animated the climactic fight sequence, which is why Medusa isn't as well animated in those scenes.
I think this was the movie where Don Bluth got promoted to be the animation director. He found it weird they hadn't finished coloring the eyes on the mice, and took it upon himself with his buddy Gary Goldman, to show to the ones deciding, that coloring in the eyes would be fast, effortless and mainly inexpensive. Nevertheless, they were ignored 😅.
I enjoy watching The Rescuers. It’s one of those Disney films that I like coming back to occasionally. It’s charming, entertaining, and has a good cast of characters, which I like a lot, especially Penny. Such a wholesome film imo.
Rescuers Down Under was better. John Candy as Wilbur the bird and George C Scott as the villain were great casting
@@nsasupporter7557 You're entitled to your opinion but here's why I prefer the first movie.
Down Under suffers from all the characters doing their own thing in the middle and not building up to anything. You've got scenes of Bernard, Bianca and Jake riding on various animals through the outback, which are fine but repetitive, scenes of Cody and the captured animals trying to escape, which are fine but go nowhere, and scenes of Wilbur being tortured at the hospital which are...just kind of nasty.
I prefer how in The Rescuers, there's more of a mystery. We follow Bernard and Bianca as they find out who Penny is, where she is and why she was kidnapped. Then they develop a relationship with her, and we see them devise an escape plan and implement it.
@@theadaptationstationmaster yeah, those are good points. I don’t know what it is about the sequel, I guess the animation is better plus the voice acting… the sequel had John Candy as Wilbur and George C Scott as the villain
@@nsasupporter7557 I understand where you come from to be fair. The sequel was actually the first of the Rescuers film I saw, before its predecessor, and I did like it more in my childhood. But over time, I’ve come to appreciate both films on equal ground.
@@SpacialRend7 same 🙂
I saw the Rescuers Down Under first and have always liked it better… it was the exact same thing about An American Tail, I liked the sequel “Fievel Goes West” better. I don’t know that I liked either of those sequels better than their predecessors but it’s cool that you do 😀👍
I’m in the same boat as you are James I only remember watching _The Rescuers Down Under_ (which enjoyed it more than the 1st film) but not the first _Rescuers_ as my only memory of the film was having a picture book of the film from Disney's Wonderful World of Reading and that was my familiarity of the movie. But this along with _Fantasia_ and _Pinocchio_ (until I got the 2009 platinum edition and watched it) were the only Disney Animated films I didn’t watched as a kid until I got Disney+.
Also, Don Bluth recalls there was a friendly rivalry going on between Marc Davis, who'd animated Cruella De Vil, and Milt Kahl who was animating Medusa, with Kahl constantly claiming _"Just wait, MY villainess is going to be nastier than yours!”_ It got so intense animators started taking bets on who was going to win. And speaking of Cruella, originally she was going the be the main antagonist of the film until they went with Madame Medusa. Finally, most of Madame Medusa’s characteristics and mannerisms were the inspiration for Ursula in _The Little Mermaid_
Looking forward to your reaction to _The Rescuers Down Under_ next week.🦘
Yes, same with me! 🙂
I only knew of Rescuers Down Under as a kid and I didn’t know about the Rescuers until I was older.
I though the second one was better anyway
You can also notice Medusa's car is still Cruella's car here 😁!
i couldn't tell you the amount of times i forced my dad to watch this with me when i was a kid, this movie will always have a special place in my heart
This movie and The Great Mouse Detective!
The animator for Medusa, Milt Kahl, based her off of his at the time wife. About a year later, they were divorced. But for real, Medusa is so fluid in her motion and characteristization that it's beautiful.
Orville is voiced by Jim Jordans (thanks for the correction). Albatros are notorious for having problems taking off and landing because of how big they are.
They DO have the biggest wingspan of any bird today, so taking off with that much wing makes sense to be difficult; Poor birds, lol
Actually Orville was voiced by Jim Jordan, a comedian going back as far as the 30s (although in this era, Don Knotts was starring a few Disney films including GUS and HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO).
Jordan sadly died RIGHT as casting was being done for THE RESCUERS DOWNUNDER (just a few months before they started recording in 1988). Instead of recasting, Roy Disney actually requested the character be written out of the script and it was changed to his brother Wilbur (played by the late great John Candy),
The production of THE RESCUERS was really where Don Bluth started getting frustrated with Disney over the avoidable animation flaws (which, for him, was more due to producers dragging their feet than any actual budget issues). While he was starting to get animation directing jobs, Bluth had finally had enough by the late 70s and started off on his own with other animators also having issues with Disney.
Penny is voiced by the girl from Airplane who prefers her coffee black.
@@van8ryan thank you for letting me know about Jordan. I feel dumb for not doing my research.
@aliyahpulido953 I've seen an albotros try to take off, it really was wild to see them try to take off. The crazy thing is though, because they have such large wings, they can be airborne for a long time with little need to stop and rest.
This is one of those rare occasions where the first film is good, but the 2nd one is GREAT.
Yeah, most original movies are better than their sequels
That’s what I have in mind.
I love this movie! Scared me as a kid but the Rescue Aid Society anthem runs rent free in my head lol
In my head as well 😂
Man they don't make them like this anymore: impressively detailed artwork, simple plot contrasting complex characters, amusingly animated, side characters that actually contribute without being obnoxious, unapologetically dark writing, and still being able to tell they were having fun making it.
Fun fact: Cruella De Vil was originally supposed to be the villain of this film. This plan was scrapped, but Medusa's car is still Cruella's car.
I headcanon that Medusa is a distant relative of the DeVille family. She's got the temperament, the fashion sense, the aggressive driving...
Also fun fact, the albatross in Rescuers Down Under is named Wilbur; both albatrosses are named after the Wright brothers who invented the first motor airplane!
Cruella was actually meant to be the antagonist in this until they created Medusa instead.
Cruella was intended to be the villain in this movie originally.
@@bonniestar4707 oh my god, really?! That's so cool!
@@sagesaria yeah. And Penny was supposed to be the little girl in Oliver and company but Disney created Jenny instead
@5:52 hears one of the most famous hungarians and doubts their accent. Eva Gabor was definitely born and raised in Budapest.
I wonder if they might be confused because she also voiced Duchess in the Aristocats. I love Eva Gabor.
Pennys story just brings me to tears every time. Even as a kid I wanted to adopt her, because she deserves a family and love! It’s heartbreaking how she talks about a family choosing another kid over her because she thinks the girl was prettier.
I just love the style and feel of this movie and the music is just adding to all of it
I used to watch this movie ALL the time as a kid. The only neat little fact I know about it is about the dragonfly. Evinrude acts as the motor of the boat in the movie, but in real life Ole Evinrude was the name of the guy that was an American entrepreneur, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application. Evinrude Outboard Motors was the name of the company that started in 1907 and they shut down in 2020. Obviously Orville is named after the Wright Brothers. The sequel, The Rescuers Down Under is good too!
The landing and take off of Orville the Albatros is just perfect and an amazing representation of the real bird
I used to own The Rescuers on VHS. My little sister and I loved the movie and introduced it to our neighborhood friends and they loved the movie as well
I'm so happy you're watching this one. it's one of my favorites!
Eva Gabor, Ms. Bianca's VA, was born in Hungary. So that is a real Hungarian accent.
Dudes! I saw this as a boy, and I enjoyed it so much, my mother took me back to the theater to watch it all day one Saturday, over and over. Summer of 1977 was gold for me.
yes, that is in fact a Hungarian accent, provided by the late, lovely Eva Gabor (of the famous Gabor family)
This is definitely one of my absolute FAVORITE Disney movies of all time ❤❤❤ I love the intrigue, the darkness of the theme, and all the heart it has. Great reaction! Glad you liked it! 😊
the voice actress for miss Bianca is also the voice for duchess from the Aristocats
Love this one…the sequel is even better! Can’t wait to watch your reaction to Rescuers Down Under!
I cannot believe I’m only just now hearing it after all these years but Miss Bianca and Duchess from the Aristocats are both voiced by Eva Gabor, who was born in Hungary 🩷
Fun fact about this film. It was originally going to be a sequel to 101 Dalmatians, and the villain was going to be Cruella DeVille once again, having moved on from furs and now into reptile skins and out to get rich once again after having fallen on hard times after the incident with the puppies. They decided against this in the end, because they worried that children would not get the reference, as it wasn't until the 80's that they started to do sequels. But that is the main reason why Medusa is such a reckless driver, as it was storyboarded to be Cruella and she was famous for her car.
I loved this movie growing up I loved all the hand drawn aspects without a hint of CGI! I also loved the thought of little mice running around saving the day
Penny has the cutest voice ever! I always loved how even though she needed rescuing, she didn’t just sit back and wait.
oh fun!! i love this one, and the great mouse detective!
Good reacting to this Disney movie, hopefully after this you guys react to the Great Mouse Detective, one of the most underrated Disney movies made.
i was just commenting this lol i love that movie so much! it's a huge comfort movie of mine but no one seems to know what i'm talking about when i bring it up lmao
The rescuers and great mouse detective are two of my favorites ever. I commented about exactly those movies on their fox and the hound video.
The word “underrated” is dead. Because people use it every 2 seconds on RUclips… the word doesn’t even have a definition anymore
@@besupaaaRescuers Down Under was better than Rescuers in my opinion
@@nsasupporter7557 I think the validity of the word "underrated" as a descriptive term is highly underrated.
I watched this movie a million times as a kid, and I just today learned that the albatross's name is Orville - all this time I thought he was saying, "just call me 'horrible', little lady", like him being modest about being called 'wonderful' lol.
Also, fun fact, albatrosses are very clunky flyers in real life, I guess cause they're so heavy. Look up albatrosses landing, if you have some spare time, it's very funny to watch.
Medusa’s voice was provided by the late Oscar winner actress Geraldine Page. And Miss Bianca was performed by hungarian (USA based) actress Eva Gabor and Bernard by the great Bob Newhart.
I really love this film full of laughs, sorrow and action. I remember watching again as an adult and I was at the edge of my seat. Please react to the Great Mouse Detective another underrated mouse rescue film. 🐭
Dude, since everything is “underrated,” why does that word even exist?
The Rescuers was most definitely one of my favorites growing up as a kid! Great animation for its time, and loads of fun! :)
The rescuers down under was my favorite for ages. I would watch it tomorrow, but I'll wait for your reaction.
John Candy as Wilbur the bird was great casting lol
George C Scott was great as the villain too… RIP to both of them
You guys reacting to some of the classic cartoons is GREAT! I grew up watching The Aristocats and The Rescuers. Brings back great memories.
Another childhood favorite! It often scared me, yet I kept coming back to it. The cave would always give me nightmares, but man it was hard to keep me away for long because I always loved the animals and swampy environment. Never got tired of the baddies getting their comeuppance! And the songs in this, so heartfelt and brings tears to my eyes to this day.
What I love about this movie the most is that it holds a religious value, but isn't shoved down your throat. Penny prayed to be rescued, to be returned home, and despite her captors and circumstances telling her there was no hope she DID get an answer. Sure, it wasn't the rescue she thought it'd be, but one could argue it is like this for many hopes we have in life. In the end, her prayer was answered and she was rescued!
What makes the old Disney work in part was the fact that the voice actors are actual voice actors.
That is so important and people still don't really get it! It's a completely different skill.
Add to your watch list: The Rescuers Down Under and The Secret of NIMH. Masterpieces
I read that they were considering reusing Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. In the end, they made Medusa an original character, but I sure see signs of Cruella in her. Not least her driving.
Love these Disney reactions. I hope to see you guys do Pinocchio. It’s my favorite older Disney movie.
I loved this one as a kid. Great to see someone react to it.
27:59 Okay, anyone else want to punch Medusa in the face?
30:24 Set off fireworks in the bedroom?! Wow, Penny. You’re pretty ruthless, aren’t you?
Such a charming movie! I feel like the charm of the old Disney movies no longer exists in the newer ones!
Also...
13:21 that's totally me packing a suitcase!!
The Rescuers is hugely emotional and I still tear up watching it- it just has this melancholy vibe.
You guys are always such a joy for me and my kitties to watch. I’m so glad you reacted to “The Rescuers” and this video was a blast to watch! It would be so fun to see you both react to “The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh.” It’s an older Disney classic and actually came out the same year as this film and it was the first Winnie The Pooh movie.
R.I.P. John Mitchell Lounsbery (co-director, died of a heart attack during production).
A detail i just noticed is that The Tortoise that helps the main characters, had a Civil-war cap on, cause Tortoises live for a long time, so he would’ve been there when it happened.
Devils Bayou is probably most likely a reference to Black Bayou in northern Louisiana. If I remember reading right.
I was hoping you would eventually watch this one.
I'm trying to get myself into a Christmas Spirit now that Thanksgiving is over. And been watching several of your Christmas reactions... Christmas is going to be rough this year, but your reactions have been helping keep my mind off things a little and I am looking forward to what Christmas reactions your going to do this year.
Notice that they gave Penny's likeness to Christopher Robin in the 2011 Winnie the Pooh movie, for those who've seen it.
It's such a sweet movie, and instills a want to be a detective or private eye. And how many viewers still know the anthem by heart ✋and proud of it. 😊 I know I've seen down under so many times but it hasn't stuck with me like the OG.
I'll never forget those times when I used to watch both Mulan and The Rescuers on VHS in the same year (1999).
Fantastic reaction ❤ I absolutely love this film. It's one of those 70's Disney films that kind of fell under the radar. Disney wasn't pumping out princess films, they were using photocopying (xeroxing) a lot and so people weren't that interested but I think The Rescuers is top tier and deserves to be up there with the Disney greats.
The animation is fantastic, the story makes you laugh and cry, it's totally chaotic, the side characters are hilarious and you fall in love with the main characters and hate the "baddies" and the music is super evocative and nostalgic. You can't ask for anything more.❤
The "other dog" you're thinking of was voiced by Pat Buttram. Orville is voiced by Jim Jordan, who starred with his wife in the The Fibber McGee and Molly Show.
I think Medusa is probably the most evil Disney villain. She kidnaps a 5 year old child for manual labor.
I think Claude Frollo takes that title, but Medusa isn't far behind.
I love that you are checking out these old Disney classics. I have always loved The Rescuers.
Had the read along book & cassette tape as a child. When the villain basically tells the little girl Diamond or drown…!!! That’s one of the darkest moments in Disney. Surprised they have made a live action version of these. It’s a very sweet idea actually that little mice go around the world saving children. 🥹
(At 14:20) Bayou… I don't know, maybe in New Orleans
In the original version of this movie when they're flying through the city there are two frames where someone snuck in an image of a topless woman. Earlier this year they finally figured out that an artist named Annie Guenther put it in. They still haven't figured out who the centerfold was even though people went through every issue of Playboy and Penthouse prior to 1977 to find the image.
I'm sure they studied each of those issues carefully to try to make the identification.
Don Bluth was the animation director of this film and from a visual standpoint, he's definitely all over this. And while the animation is during that lower budget, scratchy era, the movement and characterization is all excellent. I especially like Mit Kahl's animation on Mme. Medusa, including her facial expressions showing off her accent.
The sequel, speaking of, has awesome animation. I like it better than the first film and I look forward to your reaction to it.
This movie actually makes me think of the movies An American Tail and The Land Before Time.
This is one of my absolute favorites of mine from my childhood. I am aging myself here, but I watched the HELL out of the VHS !
So Evinrude does share the name with an outboard motor engine company that's based out of (or was, not 100% on it) Wisconson! He mimics that style of motor!
This one's a personal classic for me! Watched this so many times growing up.
This is one of the most _beautiful_ Disney films ever, from the story subject to the music, but particularly the unique animation style.
You should watch The Great Mouse Detective - It's such an underrated and forgotten Disney classic.
Fun Fact: Originally, the villainess wasn't Madame Medusa but Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians!
Ooooo I grew up with this and its sequel!! I recall being a little kid crawling in the floor to push the VHS in the VCR so I could sit in front of the giant tv with my stuffed toys. I have a deep love of these older movies.
Check this out right here: in earlier production, Madame Medusa was originally going to be none other than Cruella de Vil. And Jenny from the later film Oliver & Company was originally going to be Penny from this film. Obviously, neither of those things happened, but isn't it fun to imagine? Three bronze age Disney films which *almost* shared a single continuity.
Oh this is super fun thanks for the reaction!
Eva Gabor, who voices Miss Bianca, is indeed from a Hungarian background. She became famous for starring in a sitcom called Green Acres (1965-1971) alongside Eddie Albert, who appears in Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). She is also the voice of Duchess in The Aristocats (1970).
0:10 - As a VERY little kid, I knew The Rescuers only from short clips from Disney compilation specials like Disney's Halloween Treat. I saw The Rescuers Down Under when it premiered in theaters long before I saw the original in full.
5:51 - Miss Bianca is played by the ever talented Eva Gabor of the legendary Gabor Sisters. She's probably most well know for the sitcom Green Acres and for this role, but you'll remember her more recently from The Aristocats, in which she played Duchess, and yes, she and her sisters were from Hungary.
8:13 - Listen carefully as the audio fades and you hear Bernard talking about "walking through the dark and bumping into something." So yeah, Bernard DID wake him up.
13:51 - She got it used from Cruella De Vil.
16:58 - Didja see it?
20:09 - Well, that can only be 'shine, boy!
24:11 - You GOTTA love this entrance.
Something i didn't know: the voice actress of Penny... Michelle Stacy... was the same one that played the coffee girl in Airplane!... for some reason... she stopped acting after Airplane!
I loved this movie as a kid, and watched it very often. To this day, I expect my reaction to moonshine as what happens to Bernard, and when I was a kid, i looked around for mice like them! The Rescuers wasn't a famous Disney classic, but it still is a great watch!
It was famous in the 90s (at least in Europe).
Miss Bianca also voiced Duchess in The AristoCats 💜
I LOVE The Rescuers ❤❤❤ wore out my VHS tapes as a kid watching these so many times. My first pets were two mice that I named Bianca and Bernard 😂
Another tidbit: Evinrude is a real company and manufacturer of outboard motors for boats, typically on fishing or pontoon boats. The character was named for the company and the similar sounds they make.
When the mice were in Evinrude's boat and between the alligators, that was (I think) a reference to 'Father Goose' which had the characters in a small boat with two ships passing on either side. I THINK that also happened in WW2 to a PT boat or something but it's been so long I can't remember
Actually Jim Jordan, the VA of Orville the albatross, has only done him. Bianca however is voiced by the same lady who did Duchess in Aristocats (bit same character too).
And Luke the Swamp Critter *is* voiced by the same guy as Chief from The Fox and the Hound. Pat Buttram did a few voices in the "dark age" Disney films, he has quite a distinctive voice. 🙂
I loved this movie growing up! Great reaction
I like the classic's they have a special place in my heart.
this was going to be another Cruila devil story but they changed their minds
Interestingly, the Alligators being able to smell the mice is actually accurate. Crocodilians have very acute senses of smell and taste, with some even being able to detect medicine pills in their food, despite the pill being barely a tenth of the size of their meal. Intelligence wise they are at least as smart as dogs, and can remember people's voices after years of not hearing them, they also recognise names humans give them.
I don't know if it's been suggested to you, but I hope one day you'll give Bedknobs & Broomsticks a chance.
It came out around the same time as Mary Poppins, but is a very underrated classic that deserves more notice.