This sequel to The Rescuers is superior in many respects. The animation, for instance, is leaps and bounds ahead, particularly concerning the use of light. The cheaper animation of the 1977 film had the invisible fourth wall and didn't really pay much attention to lighting, but The Rescuers Down Under has startling, dramatic depths, bright lights, and ominous shadows.

The villain is conniving and evil, as usual, but he's got two very interesting sidekicks: Joanna, a wicked yet funny lizard (watch for a great scene involving eggs), and a monster truck that's every bit as alive and terrible as the Mack truck from Spielberg's Duel (1971). If only the loose ends had been tied up a little better. What happened to all the caged animals we meet mid-way through the picture?