The Great Mouse Detective

Voices of: Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek, Candy Candido, Eve Brenner, Alan Young, Frank Welker (uncredited)
Directed by: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, David Michener
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy
1986

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Basil, the great mouse detective, investigates a mousenapping that involves his arch-nemesis, Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price)

Review:

Tim: The Great Mouse Detective is a solid Disney effort, but will never be close to the top tier Disney films. This is the 26th animated Disney film and while enjoyable, it's never more than good. Still, I had a fun time watching the movie and it's a worthwhile effort. Disney has done better, yes, but they've done worse, too.

I like the idea of Disney putting their own spin on Sherlock Holmes. It makes sense for them to anthropomorphize mice for the story. I was a bit surprised at how closely this film followed the well-trod Sherlock Holmes path. The movie features talking animals, but it otherwise feels very much in the line of what you'd expect from this kind of story. The mouse detective is named Basil (after Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson is Dawson, but otherwise, it's all the same. While this movie doesn't score any points for originality, it's fun for adults to see this Disney movie hit all the expected beats, and it introduces Sherlock Holmes in a subtle way for younger viewers. This approach works, but it's also extremely limiting. I'm not sure this approach could create a truly great movie. It feels like an imitation, a simple adaptation. The movie won't get accolades for anything unique. Fortunately, the movie executes its story well enough for me to consider this a good movie. I think that was about the ceiling for this film.

This movie does feel a bit more grown-up than many Disney films. My seven year-old really enjoyed it, but my four year-old daughter was a bit intimidated by some of the more frightening scenes. In hindsight, I probably should have waited a bit longer before watching it with them. The movie takes place entirely at night (the first Disney animated movie to do so, and not a fact I ever expected to learn) and it's definitely a darker, more menacing film. There's a cabaret scene where a mouse sings "Let Me Be Good to You," which is definitely too risque for a G-rated children's film. There's a few frightening characters that pop up repeatedly, and a number of quite creepy sequences. This is a kids' movie, yes, but parents should use caution. I don't think this ultimately impacts the quality of the movie, it's just an interesting decision the filmmakers chose.

The musical numbers are mostly forgettable. There's some nice action during "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind", but no one is going to be singing these songs. That's not a huge detractor for the film, but it seemed odd to include several musical numbers when the quality was clearly below the standard for Disney.

The movie does feature a fairly incredible climactic scene, atop Big Ben in London. This scene is intense, thrilling (intimidating for younger viewers), and a powerful, action-packed finale. The movie doesn't pull many punches with this climax and it's a memorable way to conclude the film. It was a lot for my kids, but it gets your blood pumping, which I appreciated.

The characters themselves are solid, but it's not surprising that sequels weren't forthcoming. Basil is definitely Sherlock Holmes, and he's gruff and not especially friendly. My kids didn't really connect with him, as you'd might expect. Dawson was good, serving in the more nurturing role you'd expect from a copy of Dr. Watson. Olivia is a strong character and we early on bond with her character and quickly grow to feel protective of her. She's really the driver of all emotion in this film. Professor Ratigan is an absolute standout. He's definitely an underrated Disney villain. It helps that Vincent Price does exceptional voice work bringing this villainous character to life. I read that Price was ecstatic about getting to voice a Disney character and I believe it, because he brings his absolute best to the character. He really was a highlight of this film.

Disney movies have always had various levels of quality, as you would expect. Most of the 1980s weren't that great for the studio (The Little Mermaid ended the decade as one of the all-time classics), but The Great Mouse Detective should definitely be viewed as a win. It's never more than a good movie in any aspect, but it's entertaining and it was a success upon release. It's a bit on the mature side, but an entertaining movie that I enjoyed watching and my kids both liked, too. That's a win for Disney.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Black Cauldron, The Fox and the Hound, The Rescuers