Great Mouse Detective

Perhaps one of the most underrated films in the Disney canon, Great Mouse Detective is one of the highlights during the darker age the 1970's and 1980's period. Despite being a highlight, so many people seem to forget about it or don't always give it credit it deserves.

A lot of things in this film are generally "Good," nothing more, nothing less. The animation is good, we get a good villain song, good characters who work well together and so forth. Being based around Sherlock Holmes,   we get a rather fun story as Basil sets out to save young Olivia's father from the evil Ratigan.

The characters in this film are a slightly mixed bunch. Olivia is quite adorable at times, and unlike a lot of children in films, doesn't feel like she's being "The Load." Basil is a lot of fun, though does start off with a slightly arrogant feeling, though this is ok since it gives him room to grow through the story. Dr. Dawson provides a good balance to Basil, and I would be tempted to liken him to being the straight man of the duo when compared to Basil's personality. Of course a film isn't complete without it's villains and we get a rather great villain in the form of Ratigan, who is voiced by Vincent Price no less, and his henchman Fidget. Ratigan is a lot of fun as a villain, and his transformation at the end of the film into a much more crazed state is certainly a highlight. Fidget is one of those rare sidekicks to the villain who is actually pretty competent. He manages to kidnap people successfully, has a couple 'scary' scenes, and manages to obtain all the tools Ratigan needs in order to further his scheme.

This film has two final things I really wanted to point out. One of course is almost an obligation, this being how Great Mouse Detective featured use of computer technology during the Big Ben climax. So yes, this is well done and merges rather well with the hand drawn animation. Obligation aside, one thing that I rarely see pointed out is how dark and gloomy the entire film is. From start to finish we never actually see the sun, or daylight at all. Everything takes place at night, and the entire atmosphere is rather gloomy, even with a bit of fog. I actually found this to be a perk to the film since use of daylight might ruin the tone of things.

Always worth a watch, Great Mouse Detective can be quite fun, especially to hear Vincent Price having a blast as the evil Ratigan.

3 1/2 /5