“The Great Mouse Detective” (1986)

The Great Mouse Detective 

Also known as: Basil the Great Mouse Detective; The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective

Brief Description:

Basil of Baker Street undertakes to help a young mouse find and save her father from the criminal mastermind Professor Ratigan.

(from Wikipedia)

Date: 1986

Genre: American animated mystery adventure film

Running time: 1 hour 14 minutes

Cast: 

Vincent Price: Ratigan

Barrie Ingham: Basil/Bartholomew

Val Bettin: Dr. Dawson/thug guard

Susanne Pollatschek: Olivia

Candy Candido: Fidget/reprobate in the pub

Diana Chesney: Mrs. Judson

Eve Brenner: Mouse Queen

Alan Young: Mr. Flaversham

Basil Rathbone: Sherlock Holmes

Laurie Main: Dr. Watson

Wayne Allwine, Tony Anselmo, Walker Edmiston: Ratigan's thug guards

Melissa Manchester: Miss Mouse

Director: John Musker, Ron Clements, Dave Michener, & Burny Mattinson

Production company: Walt Disney Feature Animation

Based on: The Basil of Baker Street Series by Eve Titus & Paul Galdone

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Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

I love the classic Sherlock Holmes London vibes of this film! It's so deliciously creepy and gloomy. There's still a Disney atmosphere with the couple of party/musical scenes, but overall it feels pretty mysterious.

Characters: 5/5

Ratigan is so over-the-top and not very Moriarty at all, but he's fun to hate. Basil is perfect—he's so Sherlocky, right down to his eccentricity and little running commentary. Olivia is adorable; Dawson, while way stupider than the real Watson, is stereotypically film Watson and a great sidekick. Fidget is awful but also fun to hate; and Miss Mouse fascinates me (someone needs to write her story, and also, I confuse her terribly with Red from Tom & Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes). 

Plot: 4/5

It's extremely fast-paced, with sweet, sad, funny, and anxious moments. Some of my siblings found it too much, others enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed it, no matter how often I watch it! So much of the story parodies Sherlock Holmes stories, and the Big Ben fight is iconic.

Content: 3/5 (medium)

In a kids' film, I'm not the biggest fan of the musical scene in the beginning where the thugs are drunk and champagne flows, but I suspect most kids wouldn't know what's up and it is accurate. However, there's a scene further in the film where Miss Mouse sings, which is much more adult. It takes place in a tavern, and she dances (can-can?) with a couple other girls while singing a song about "let your baby be good to you," dresses in a garter and bodysuit. All the guys are obsessed, naturally; meanwhile, someone tries to drug Basil & Dawson's beer. This scene can be skipped, though you miss a bit of the storyline. 

Violence: 3/5 (medium) 

Some physical violence, including Ratigan feeding one of his mice to his cat. 

Overall: 4.5/5

I love it, and it's honestly a real comfort film for me. It's funny, sweet, mysterious, and Londony—what's not to love?!