Common Sense Media Review
A rare sequel that improves on the original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Rescuers Down Under
What's the Story?
THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER reprises the dynamic duo of Eva Gabor and Bob Newhart as intrepid mice Miss Bianca and Bernard and places them in the terrific natural landscape of the Australian Outback. When young Cody is kidnapped by a poacher, Bianca and Bernard hop aboard Wilbur the Albatross (voiced by John Candy) and fly off to rescue the boy. In Australia, they team up with an Aussie mouse named Jake to save Cody and stop evil poacher McLeach from selling endangered animals.
Is It Any Good?
It's a rare sequel that improves on the original, but this movie does exactly that, this time without any of those lame songs. Disney makes the brave choice of using a decidedly un-cute bird of prey as the focus of its wildlife preservation story -- Marahute is a majestic and wonderfully realistic character.
While Cody is impossibly cute and brave, it is really the animals' stories that will interest most youngsters, from the budding romance between Miss Bianca and Bernard to Wilbur's silly antics in a hospital run by mice. And not only are these stories entertaining, they also convey a strong environmental message. The only questionable aspect of The Rescuers Down Under is its failure to give anyone but Jake an Australian accent -- what was Disney thinking? That only Americans live Down Under? Nonetheless, this is a wonderful-looking cartoon that is bound to please.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Rescuers Down Under compares to the original. Which do you prefer, and why?
How does the movie show teamwork? How does it promote courage? Why are these important /character-strengths-and-life-skills/character-strengths-and-life-skills?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 15, 1990
- On DVD or streaming : August 1, 2000
- Cast : Bob Newhart , Eva Gabor , John Candy
- Director : Hendel Butoy
- Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Adventures , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Run time : 116 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : all audiences
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate