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Orville is a supporting character from Disney's 1977 film The Rescuers. He is also the brother of Wilbur from the sequel.

Background[]

Personality[]

Orville takes his job and flying with pride. Compared to his brother Wilbur, he is a bit more serious, but can also be funny as well as a bit clumsy.

Appearances[]

The Rescuers[]

Orville makes his first appearance in The Rescuers. He is one of the pilots and flights (#13) of the Albatross Air Service (his brother, Wilbur, is also #13). He helps fly Bernard and Miss Bianca to Devil's Bayou in order to rescue Penny. When they get close to the area, they get surrounded by Mr. Snoops' flares and fireworks, one which burns Orville's tail. Bernard and Miss Bianca float safely down with an umbrella and Orville make an emergency landing in the swamp, then comfortably douses his tail in the water. He then states he will not stay in "this creepy place any longer" and tells the swamp folks to "clear the runway!" and tries to take off of Luke and Ellie Mae's dock. Unfortunately, it turns out that Orville's takeoffs are only successful when starting from a high height. Instead of taking to the air, he falls off the low dock, splashing into the bayou where he starts running across the water, trying to pick up speed. Suddenly, Medusa's Swampmobile appears barreling towards him and he turns around in horror and starts running for his life in the other direction. Unfortunately, he can't outrun Medusa (who doesn't seem to know or care that he's there) and is sucked into the Swampmobile's jet intake. After a wild trip through the engine, he is blown out the exhaust and ends up flying away back to New York, burnt, and coughing.

At the end of the movie, he flies Bernard and Miss Bianca again and accompanied by Evinrude the dragonfly. It was a snowy January 13 and the blizzard pushes his takeoff backward, causing him to "take off" the other side of the building's roof. He regains control of himself with Evenrude's help and flies well again out towards the horizon.

The Rescuers Down Under[]

In the sequel, Bernard and Bianca arrive at the Albatross Air Service to ask Orville to fly them to Australia, only to see a sign reading "Under New Management; See Wilbur", showing that Orville no longer runs the Albatross Air Service, which is now run by his brother Wilbur. When the two mice introduce themselves to Wilbur, he replies that Orville often told him about them.

House of Mouse[]

Orville also appears in several episodes of House of Mouse, in which he is shown sitting on the same table with Bernard and Bianca after a cartoon.

Once Upon a Studio[]

Orville, along with Bernard and Bianca appear, popping out from their frame with him crashing after being told by Thumper to wake up for the group photo.

Disney Parks[]

Orville appeared as a walk-around character, starting around the time of the film's release. This version also appeared in Mickey's Fun Songs Campout at Walt Disney World. He hasn't been seen since the late 1990's/the early 2000s.

At Disneyland, he hosted a pre-show film called "All Because Man Wanted to Fly" in the former World Premiere Circle-Vision attraction in the 1980s.

Gallery[]

Wiki
The Disney Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Orville (The Rescuers).

Trivia[]

  • Orville is named after one of the Wright brothers who invented the first airplanes, Orville Wright. His brother Wilbur was named after the other brother.
  • Orville uses the Goofy holler twice in the film. The first is when he is sucked into Medusa's swampmobile, the second is when he "takes off" the other side of the building's roof at the end of the film.
  • This was Jim Jordan's first public performance since the death of his wife and comedy partner, Marian, who played Molly to Jordan's McGee on the radio program "Fibber McGee & Molly".
  • The death of Orville's voice, Jim Jordan, in 1988, is one of the reasons why Orville is replaced by Wilbur in the second film.
  • Phil Harris, Donald O'Connor, Gordon Jump, Elvis Presley, Burt Reynolds, Jack Haley, Robert Keeshan, Milton Berle and Don Rickles were all considered to voice Orville.
  • Although Orville and Wilbur look alike (since they're brothers), one can tell the difference between the looks of the two albatross brothers by the scarf color; Orville's scarf is lavender-colored, while Wilbur's scarf is aqua-colored. Additionally, Orville wears a pilot's helmet while Wilbur wears a baseball cap.
  • Although it is implied in the sequel that Bernard and Bianca used Orville's services for years, Wilbur seems to be the superior flyer, as, unlike Orville, he is able to take off from a level surface and has relatively fewer flight mishaps than Orville (although landings are a struggle for both of them).
  • Originally, Orville was going to be a pigeon, but then animator Ollie Johnston recalled a True-Life Adventures film about albatrosses and how their takeoffs and landings were often clumsy.


v - e - d
The rescuers logo
Media
The Rescuers (Soundtrack/Video) • The Rescuers Down Under (Soundtrack/Video) • House of MouseThe Lost Chords: The Rescuers
Disney Parks
Parades: Disney's Party Express
Minnie's Tiara of Dreams

Fireworks: Wondrous Journeys

Characters
The Rescuers: BernardMiss BiancaChairmouseRufusPennyMadame MedusaMr. SnoopsOrvilleBrutus and NeroEllie MaeLukeEvinrudeSwamp Folk

The Rescuers Down Under: JakeCodyCody's MotherFalooMarahutePercival C. McLeachJoannaSparkyWilburDr. MouseFrankKrebbsRedBaitmouseCrocodiles
Deleted characters:LouisCruella De Vil

Objects
Penny's Teddy BearDevil's EyeMcLeach's Bushwacker
Locations
New OrleansDevil's BayouNew York CityMorningside OrphanageMedusa's Pawn ShopThe Cave of Devil's BayouAustraliaAbandoned Opal MineRescue Aid SocietyColorado
Songs
The JourneyRescue Aid SocietyTomorrow Is Another DaySomeone's Waiting for YouFor Penny's a Jolly Good Fellow
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