A Disney Fan, then and now

Before I ever moved to Florida or knew the joy of walking around Disneyland or Disneyworld, I was a child in New Jersey who loved television and movies. My favorite movies at that time (and maybe still today) were created by the Disney team. I have always been a Disney fan and probably always will be. Disney is a story lover, and so am I. The Disney team has brought to the screen the beauty of stories, art, and music for over half a century. I am forever grateful for all the Disney magic I have had the fortune of enjoying.

Today I re-watched one of the animated films from the Disney catalog: "The Rescuers". I haven't watched this movie in a very long time. I remember the Disney movies I saw when I was a child, and they all made a deep impression on my mind. Films like "Bambi", "The Jungle Book", "The Rescuers", and "The Aristocats" had cast a spell on my young mind. I was enchanted. I still am. I sat and watched "The Rescuers" again. Some people don't go back to a movie they've already seen. They think they should watch something they haven't seen. They ask me why I'd rather eat lasagna again instead of trying a dish I've never had. I tell them - I already know lasagna is delicious. Why should I waste my time on a gamble? Before I get too off track, let me just finish this thought with my opinion about Disney movies: The oldies are classics. They were perfection then, and they still are.

"The Rescuers" is a Disney animated full-length film that was released in 1977. I was only 6 years old that year. It is the story of an orphan girl named Penny. We learn right away that Penny is sad because she did not get adopted on the last adoption day. "They chose the red-headed girl over me. She was prettier than me." she tells Rufus the cat. For any lonely girl or woman who has ever been beaten by the competition, we automatically connect to Penny and relate to her emotional crisis. She wants to run away from Morningside Orphanage because she has lost hope that she will ever be able to beat the competition there. She is lured into the clutches of Madame Medusa, a character that was probably Disney's best sketch of "insanity" depicted in an animated movie. Her "madness" is much like Tolkien's character Gollum and his obsession with the "precious". For Gollum it was the "one ring" - for Medusa it's the "Devil's Eye" - a monstrous-sized diamond stuck in a skull in a deep cave. What is the underlying mystery and psychology of this masterpiece? How women get hypnotised by the lure of wealth and marriage? This theme has been covered in countless stories and films. Yet women still "fall" for it. Remember when Penny said "They chose the red-head..." --- What color was Medusa's hair? (Red) Is Medusa all evil? She appears to be by her mannerisms, but she was made that way. Who raised the red-head?

This movie hasn't been shared with a lot of youngsters today. In fact as I was pulling it up to view, I noticed a warning that came up with it. "Tobacco usage displayed." As a cigarette smoker, I laughed. The warning that didn't come up was "Alcohol usage displayed" and believe me there's a lot more moonshine drinking going on in the film than there is smoking. It's all displayed with gentle humor and done very well, but I find the warning labels that come up to be a hypocrisy of the rating board. Why have we, the public or Disney fans, allowed ourselves to be maniupulated into believing that one legal intoxicant (alcohol) is more permittable than another legal intoxicant (tobacco). I don't like the manipulation or the hypocrisy of it, not one bit.

I'll stop my rant on that subject and move on to the real reason I'm bringing up this film. It deserves to be praised. It deserves attention. Just like Penny. The musical score applied by Artie Butler is so touching it brought me to tears several times. My favorite song "Someone's Waiting for You" sung by Shelby Flint is the most forgotten and underrated song that Disney has ever shared, and it's too good to be forgotten. Bring up that diamond. It should not be hidden in that cave. The other songs "The Journey" and "Rescue Aid Society" are absolutely charming and just perfection in my most honest opinion.

The animation is Disney brilliance as all of the other films put out by Disney most of the time. Back then when artists put love into art the way a proud chef puts love into his or her cuisine. Where have those artists of such beautiful times gone? Bring them back. Dig up those diamonds from the hidden cave.

The voice credits also deserve to be praised and learned from. Bob Newhart as Bernard and Eva Gabor as Bianca, simply genius. Geraldine Page's pitch as Medusa is flawless. Joe Flynn as Snoops was perfect. All the other characters: Ellie Mae, Luke, Orville, and Rufus --- they all brought the magic to the magic. They touch you and they don't need three hours to do it. They can touch your heart forever in less than a minute. My favorite character is Evinrude who James MacDonald is credited for. Yet Evinrude has no lines in the movie. It's all sound and animation. He is such a great hero in the film. Maybe he was deep in my psyche and that is why I've always loved dragonflies.

Please, if you have never seen this movie, I implore you to rent it. Share it with your children or your grandchildren. It's a precious story and brought to you by an amazing team of talent. I truly can't imagine how anyone could say anything bad about the story or the music. I love this movie, then and now.