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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
One of the most underrated Disney animated films must be The Great Mouse Detective. I remember conversing with one of my friends, an extreme Disney lover, and I mentioned that one of my favorite songs comes from The Great Mouse Detective. She looked at me with a strange look and said she had never seen the movie. I was taken aback because how couldn’t you have not seen this movie. It is excellent, with the legendary Vincent Price giving an iconic voice acting role. I told her it was not on the level of The Lion King or Aladdin, but it was a fun little movie. I am here to give some respect to this great film and one of my childhood’s happiest films. It is a shame that people never watched this film.
The Great Mouse Detective is based on the children’s book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone. The series and movie draw heavily from Sherlock Holmes and his iconic battle with Professor Moriarty. In this film, Basil is a mouse. This was one of the first films to really get the Disney Renaissance going, as it was a box office success with strong critics’ reviews. When Disney was underperforming in the animation department, this film helped jump-start it, and from there, Disney Animation became a monster industry.
What is this wonderful movie about? It starts off in 1897 in London. A cute young mouse named Olivia Flaversham is celebrating her birthday with her pops and renowned toymaker, Mr. Flaversham. There is a loud banging at the door when Olivia is about to receive her gift. Mr. Flaversham hides Olivia in a closet when a bat with a crippled wing and a peg leg bursts through the door and kidnaps Mr. Flaversham. Olivia, alone, ventures out to find the famous Great Mouse Detective named Basil of Baker Street but is lost along the way. Luckily, Olivia runs into David Q. Dawson, a retired army surgeon mouse who has just returned from Afghanistan. Together, they venture out to find Basil. When they reach Basil’s place at 221½ Baker Street, they are greeted by Mrs. Judson, Basil’s housekeeper. When Basil finally appears, he immediately dismisses them, thinking he has found a breakthrough in a case. When the evidence fails, Basil becomes depressed and starts playing the violin. Olivia mentions that her father was kidnapped by a bat. Basil perks up and realizes that Olivia saw Fidget, who is the minion of his archenemy, Professor Ratigan, a criminal genius, and Napoleon of Crime. Basil quickly takes the case, wondering what the fiendish Professor Ratigan is planning.
As stated earlier, the Basil stories are heavily influenced by Sherlock Holmes, and this is a story of Basil trying to stop Professor Ratigan. Basil is really full of himself, the same way Professor Ratigan is. What I like about the story is that it keeps it simple. You try to wonder why Ratigan kidnaps Olivia’s father. Why would you kidnap a toymaker? Basil, along with Dawson, go around and follow Fidget until they realize that the mad mouse wants what he always wanted………Power and riches. I mean, you could’ve probably guessed after Ratigan’s song. I liked the fact that the focus was on Fidget as he went to a toy shop to steal uniforms and parts. Also, Olivia’s father is a genius to build a fully functional robot. I like the plan Ratigan came up with to rule all the mouse world.
That brings me to the actual characters. Basil is a brilliant mouse, and everyone comes to figure out their mysteries. He is Sherlock Holmes with the outfit and his trusty pipe. What I like about this film is that it shows Basil’s flaws. He knows his stuff and can decipher anything, but that sometimes gets in the way of his reasoning. When he is captured by Ratigan, Ratigan’s boasting and laughter breaks the mouse. He actually goes into a depression until Dawson pulls him out of it. This is why Ratigan is such a great villain. He is far more intelligent than Basil, but he is such a narcissistic rat that he gets in his own way. His own intelligence makes his head and ego so big that he loses his cool when called a rat. I love the similarities and differences between the characters.
I want to give a shout-out to the two main voice actors. First, Barrie Ingham as Basil was excellent. He made Basil sound highly intelligent, full of himself but one with a heart. You can tell Basil really cares when he is called out on it. Ingham put a little English twang on Basil that is perfect. The one who stole the whole movie must be the iconic and legendary Vincent Price. Price brought out Professor Ratigan’s evil, narcissistic nature, and it was brilliant to watch and listen to. Something about Price’s voice drew you to Ratigan, as his tones just brought this character to life. I loved every minute of it.
This is one of the few Disney animated films that isn’t full of songs. The film only has two songs, and I absolutely love one of them. Both songs are sung by Vincent Price, which makes them even better. The first song is “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind.” This song is all about Ratigan and how great he is. It shows how narcissistic Ratigan is about himself, along with his motivations. It is one of the greatest theme songs for a character and shows that Disney was headed in the right direction. The second song is one of my favorite songs and will always be played when I’m bouncing out and playing at my funeral. This song is cheerful but one that is sad because you know it’s the end of a friendship or relationship. Great freakin song.
I will say it again, The Great Mouse Detective is one of the best and most underrated Disney animated films out there. Having the great Vincent Prince play Ratigan was brilliant, and he stole the show. The story is simple and fun to watch, and it is inspired by Sherlock Holmes. The two songs that are sung are great also. Watch this movie because you will not regret it.
BONUS CLIP!!!
