Rufus (The Rescuers)
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Rufus is a secondary character from Disney's 1977 classic animated film, The Rescuers.
Rufus is a cat and his home is at Morningside Orphanage, where little Penny used to live. Although his appearance in the film is rather small, Rufus represented all that the story was about.
The old cat was asleep the night the rescuers, Bernard and Miss Bianca came into Morningside Orphanage. They were here to find Penny or clues as to where she might be, not knowning that their chattering squaks had awakened the owners' pet cat, Rufus. The two mice are startled by Rufus' surprised greeting, naturally, they feared their lives were in danger, them being two little mice face to face with a large cat.
Still, Rufus immediately explains that he does not wish to harm them. He politely and indirectly asks them to leave, for his job will be at a risk if his owners find his letting mice run around the place. Bernard and Miss Bianca explain that they are only here on a visit, that they wish to find out if he knows a little girl named "Penny", to which Rufus answers in the affirmative, and if he'd tell them what he knows about her.
Rufus tells his tale to the two mice, a very sad tale. He explains how one evening he entered the little orphans' dormitory and he found Penny all alone on her bed, with no other company but her beloved teddy bear, Teddy. Rufus saw that the little girl looked heartbroken and he asked her what was the matter. Penny hesitated to respond, but Rufus comforted her and let her know he was her friend. Penny then tells Rufus that it had been adoption day and that a man and a woman had come and looked at her, but had chosen instead another little red-haired girl. Penny believes she wasn't wanted because she wasn't pretty and that the other girl had been prettier. To this, Rufus answers that he knows for sure that one day soon, a mother and a father will come to the orphanage seeking to take her home and that she must have faith. The cat tells the little girl about the star of faith shining above in the sky, the first evening star and that she should always look for this star whenever she finds herself lacking faith.
[edit] Significance
As stated above, Rufus' appearance in the film is rather short, but he symbolizes all that the movie is about. The Rescuers is a story about faith and Rufus is who brings up this moral with his poem, "Faith is a Bluebird". Although Rufus only appears near the beginning of the movie, his symbolism appears throughout the film; At one point, Penny is told by Madame Medusa that she is homely, and that no one will ever want to adopt her, it is then Penny miserably walks up to the balcony, in the boat where she is being held prisoner and after a few tears, the Star of Faith appears and lights up her world. Even the story's two heroes, Bernard and Miss Bianca find themselves losing faith at one point in the story, for they believe that they are too small to be able to rescue the little girl and they might have to give up.
In one scene, Rufus recites a little poem entitled, "Faith is a Bluebird":
- Faith, is a bluebird
- We see from afar
- It's for real and as sure
- As the first evening star
- You can't touch it, or buy it
- Or wrap it up tight
- But it's there just the same
- Making things turn out right
