Why is the Rescuers Down Under (1990) an underrated film?

So, we're going to look at things a little differently tonight, rather than review the film "The Rescuers Down Under" because honestly, I don't feel I can add anything that hasn't already been said... we're going to look at why it's underrated movie.

I have 2 theories...

But first, I feel the need to point out...I don't like movies about talking animals. Live action or animation. Not even as a kid. So, some of these theories might be a little biased. (I do like TRDU, for whatever that's worth..but it's the exception, not the rule)

1) The first film, simply titled "The Rescuers" came out in 1977. 36 years ago, let's put it in perspective, "The Rescuers" came out the same year, Star Wars: a New Hope came out. But aside from probably being overshadowed by Star Wars (I'm just assuming, I wasn't even thought about in 1977). The original film, isn't very good. At least compared to things Disney had put out prior...(this is just before "The Golden Age of Disney" which started with The Little Mermaid, which came out in 1989). At by "it's not very good" I simply mean, it's forgettable, have I seen it? Yeah. Do I remember anything about it? Other than Eva Gabor as Miss Bianca (and I only remember her, because even as a kid growing up in the late 90s early 2000s, I loved Green Acres)....no, not really.

The Rescuers Down Under came out 1990, 13 years after the original film. With the first film being pretty forgettable, 13 years was too long to wait for a sequel, because by then, people had moved on...bigger and better things, if you forgot you saw the first film in a franchise...are you gonna see the sequel? Probably not. Besides that...the people who saw the original film, were probably fairly grown up the time 1990 came around, mu uncle was born in 1977, and so at 13 in 1990 I don't think this would have been up his alley because "animation is kids stuff", whether that's true or not...is up for debate, but it's a fair correlation.

2) I started thinking...do I remember a single film that came out in 2001? I'm sure I saw some, multiple ones, can I name a specific title? No. Why? Everything was overshadowed by September 11th, (and it should have been).

I wasn't born until 1992, so I don't know what 1990 was like in itself, although I doubt a whole ton changed in just 2 years...

There were just three major points that I found: In no particular order:
1) Hubble Telescope launced into space
2)Lech Walesa Becomes First President of Poland
3) Nelson Mandela Freed.
*You do have the gulf war, but that didn't technically begin until 1991, even though it was hostile in 1990

I'm sure there were other major things, but hey...I only did one google search.Yeah, they're important...but not on the level that 9/11 was.

I think it all goes back to, the fact the sequel to a forgettable movie was made 13 years later, and it's animated. Which meant, unless adults were taking their kids, they were probably going to skip the film. Probably for Dancers with Wolves (which one best picture that year).

But hey, it's just speculation.