The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution.

Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor respectively star as Bernard and Bianca, two mice who are members of the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world.

Both must free 6 year old orphan Penny (voiced by Michelle Stacy) from two treasure hunters (played by Geraldine Page and Joe Flynn), who intend to use her to help them obtain a giant diamond.

In an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, Louisiana, a 6 year old orphan named Penny drops a message in a bottle, containing a plea for help, into the river.

The Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization inside the United Nations, finds the bottle when it washes up in New York City.

He tells them about a woman named Madame Medusa who once tried to lure Penny into her car, prompting the mice to investigate her pawn shop for clues.

At the pawn shop, Bianca and Bernard discover that Medusa and her partner, Mr. Snoops, are searching for the world's largest diamond, the Devil's Eye.

The mice learn that Medusa and Snoops are currently at the Devil's Bayou with Penny, whom they have kidnapped and placed under the guard of two trained crocodiles, Brutus and Nero.

There, they learn that Medusa plans to force Penny to enter a small blowhole that leads down into a blocked-off pirates' cave where the Devil's Eye is located.

The local animals arrive at the riverboat and aid Bernard and Bianca in trapping Brutus and Nero, then set off Mr. Snoops's fireworks to create more chaos.

Back in New York City, the Rescue Aid Society watch a news report of how Penny found the Devil's Eye, which has been given to the Smithsonian Institution while it is implied that Medusa and Mr. Snoops have been arrested.

[10] A month later, Ken Anderson began depicting Cruella de Vil, the villainess from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), as the main antagonist of the film.

"[13] The new villain was named Madame Medusa, and her appearance was based on Kahl's then-wife, Phyllis Bounds (who was the niece of Lillian Disney), whom he divorced in 1978.

Their leader, a singing bullfrog, voiced by Phil Harris, was cut from the film,[23] as were lines characterizing muskrat Ellie Mae as their outspoken boss.

[24] For Bernard and Bianca's transportation, a pigeon was proposed (specifically one that would be catapulted, repurposing an unused gag from Robin Hood),[25] until Johnston remembered a True-Life Adventures film featuring albatrosses and their clumsy take-offs and landings, leading him suggest that ungainly bird instead.

[26] A scene of the mice preparing for their adventure, with Bianca choosing outfits and Bernard testing James Bond-like gadgets, was cut for pacing.

[33] Desiring more contemporary songs for the film, Reitherman called Connors and Robbins into his office and shown them storyboards of Bernard and Bianca flying on Orville.

[34] Near the end of the film's production, Reitherman asked artist Mel Shaw to illustrate pastel sketches to accompany the music.

[52] It was re-released on VHS as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection on January 5, 1999, but due to a scandal was recalled three days later and reissued on March 23, 1999.

[53][54] On January 8, 1999, three days after the film's second release on home video, The Walt Disney Company announced a recall of about 3.4 million copies of the videotapes because there was a blurry image of a topless woman in the background of a scene.

"[62] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote the film "is one of the most rousing and appealing animated features ever made by the Disney studio.

The last production for several members of the original feature animation unit assembled by Walt Disney in the late '30s, the film is both a triumphant swan song and gladdening act of regeneration.

"[63] Dave Kehr of The Chicago Reader praised the film as "a beautifully crafted and wonderfully expressive cartoon feature," calling it "genuinely funny and touching.

In addition, it has a more adventurous approach to color and background stylization than previous Disney efforts have displayed, with a delicate pastel palette used to wide-ranging effect.

"[65] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the film "doesn't belong in the same category as the great Disney cartoon features (Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, Fantasia) but it's a reminder of a kind of slickly cheerful, animated entertainment that has become all but extinct.

They also praised the voice acting of the characters, and stated that the film is "a delight for children as well as adults who appreciate good animation and brisk storytelling.

The website's consensus states: "Featuring superlative animation, off-kilter characters, and affectionate voice work by Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor, The Rescuers represents a bright spot in Disney's post-golden age.

[75] Bernard and Bianca made appearances as meet-and-greet characters at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in the years following the original film's release.

In 2022, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Monsters At Work and Wish alumni Tom Caulfield revealed that he alongside The Ghost and Molly McGee creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth pitched a crossover series featuring The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective at Disney Television Animation.

The series would have featured the descendant of Basil working at a modern version of The Rescue Aid Society more akin to The Kingsman or Mission: Impossible lead by Bianca.