Disney Month III- The Great Mouse Detective

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Starring: Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, Val Bettin
Directed by: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener, and John Musker


Plot Summary: When mouse toymaker Hiram Flaversham is kidnapped by a mysterious bat, his young daughter Olivia seeks out the help of Basil of Baker Street, the Great Mouse Detective. Accompanied by Olivia and his new associate Dr. David Q. Dawson, Basil discovers that the kidnapping has been performed by his arch nemesis Professor Ratigan. After Ratigan kidnaps Olivia, it is up to Basil and Dawson to rescue the girl, her father, and figure out Ratigan's plan so they can put a stop to it.


When I think of my favorite Disney movies from my childhood, The Great Mouse Detective always seems to find its way in the discussion. Why? It's not regarded as one of the most successful or groundbreaking movies that Disney has ever produced, so why did it speak to me so much? I think it boils down to the premise. I enjoy mysteries and detective stories like Sherlock Holmes, which The Great Mouse Detective draws a serious amount of inspiration from, so I think that's what really did it for me when I was a kid. As an adult watching it, I actually find a bit more appreciation towards the voice cast and main characters, to the point that I would question whether or not The Great Mouse Detective is a forgotten classic just short of the Disney Renaissance.

The main character is Basil of Baker Street, voiced by Barrie Ingham. Basil is a fun and eccentric character to follow, as well as being a brilliant detective and thinker. He prefers to do things on his own, so he's very annoyed when he has to rely on others to solve the film's mystery. He's also down on his luck when we meet him in the movie, so we want him to succeed even more. Just like Sherlock Holmes, it's always entertaining to see Basil come to a conclusion and explain his thought process and analysis. Also, Basil isn't a drug addict like Holmes, so we get all of Holmes's positive traits in the form of a great mouse detective (get it?) in Basil.

Everyone loves a good villain, and The Great Mouse Detective has a great one in the form of Professor Ratigan, voiced by Vincent Price. Ratigan is one of those wonderfully over the top villains, drawing inspiration from classic James Bond and Sherlock Holmes villains. Everything from his song, to his traps, to his henchman boost a reputation that is both hilarious and intimidating to watch. I give a lot of the credit to Price, one of the best character actors of his generation, for giving Ratigan his deliciously menacing voice and mannerisms.

I have a handful of side characters that I really enjoy in the film. Dr. David Q. Dawson, voiced by Val Bettin, is your typical Watson-type character. He's the sidekick that is constantly amazed by how brilliant the main detective is. Ratigan's bat henchman (henchbat?) Fidget is voiced by Candy Candido. He's a lot of fun thanks to his voice and slapstick humor. Frank Welker voices Basil's dog Toby and Ratigan's cat Felicia. Olivia Flaversham is voiced by Susanne Pollatschek and her father Hiram is voiced by Alan Young (who you probably know as the voice of Scrooge McDuck). All of these characters a ton of fun to watch as they interact with Basil and Ratigan. They aren't why you're watching the film, but they make the experience that much more enjoyable.

As a fan of mysteries, I get a kick out of the amount of references there are to detective and spy movies. The spy movie stuff is in the traps that Ratigan has for Basil and Dawson, looking like something out of a classic James Bond movie. The story and characters are definitely derived from Sherlock Holmes stories, right down to Basil living underneath the house of Sherlock Holmes. We even see a scene where a silhouette of Holmes having a conversation with Watson and he is voiced by a recording of Basil Rathbone from back in the '60s. I really enjoy little touches like that, making this film a small part of the universe that belongs to the world's greatest fictitious detective.

So again, is The Great Mouse Detective a forgotten Disney classic? It has a wonderful musical number, memorable characters, and a mysterious plot, so I would say that it most certainly is. At a time when Disney was about to enter their Renaissance, I think this film could've done better financially and could've held its own with the rest of the Disney films from the era. It has a unique and engaging premise of a detective mystery presented with the Disney formula and in a cute, marketable manner that would've been appealing to families. Still, it was enough of a success to give Disney the confidence needed to go forward with The Little Mermaid, thus creating the Disney Renaissance, so the film definitely deserves a lot more credit than it's been given since its release.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you enjoy mysteries and detective films, then The Great Mouse Detective is a film worth checking out for the entire family. It's got great characters, highlighted by a truly memorable villain performance, and is a Disney film that certainly deserves a boost in popularity.

The Great Mouse Detective and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures