The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

I can't believe how little I see this among Disney-fans and in Disney-related shops. It is sad, because the two main characters Basil and Ratigan are among their most enjoyable. As much as I love The Great Mouse Detective I must confess that aside from the amazing Big Ben climax the animation is not among the studio's greatest accomplishments, but that is a minor detail. Speaking of the climax, it really is among Disney's greatest. The way the music builds up, the perfectly rendered CG in the bell tower and Ratigan's degeneration into his true self is just suspenseful. Ratigan is also among the most underrated and enjoyable Disney villains, period! Vincent price just engulfs himself in this evil- doer who loves every single second of it. His little running gag about not wanting to be called a rat is hilarious. He is great! Basil's giant ego is also enjoyable. He and Ratigan play off one another with perfection. They are the focus of the story and that is also what it should be. There is not too many side characters who steal screen time. The Great Mouse Detective certainly does deserve more attention. Watch it and enjoy some great voice acting and a great climax.

No doubt one of Disney's lesser works, but still a fun ride... With lots of cute critters engaging in a surprising amount of drinking and gunplay, not to mention Vincent Price as the nefarious Professor Ratigan (just don't call him a rat).Ever-so-slightly inspired by Sherlock Holmes, there's also a great climax on board Big Ben, an inventor voiced by the same dude who does Scrooge McDuck, and even an appearance from Basil's loyal assistant Dawson! (Not a typo).So, despite what the packaging would have you believe, NOT a classic, but is it worth watching?Elementary, my dear reader. 6/10

The Great Mouse Detective was a critical film for Disney Studios. The Black Cauldron has bombed spectacularly at the box offices, and the corporation was seriously considering closing down its entire animation department. Either The Great Mouse Detective proved that Disney could still produce some income through its films or the legacy of Disney films would have ended right there.Luckily, it did more than well and allowed the animation studio to stay open, which in turn led directly to the Disney Renaissance a few years later. Since then, it has become something of a forgotten Disney classic. It has its own fans, certainly, but most 90s kids tend to remember the Renaissance films over it, and for a good reason, given their quality. But this movie has a lot of good things going for it as well, and should be appreciated because of them.The greatest thing about the movie is no doubt its energy. It captures the mood of Sherlock Holmes's London perfectly and is overall a bouncing, fast-paced adventure to stop the evil Professor Ratigan - a rodent version of Moriarty, obviously. The film flows flawlessly and even the animation style has an excellent grasp of movement, fluidity and space.The characters are also a lot of fun, from quite honestly nutty Basil of Baker Street to Dr. Dawson to Hiram Flaversham, a genius toymaker utilized for his talents for nefarious purposes. Ratigan is also a great Disney villain, voiced by the great Vincent Price, who gives him a suave yet menacing purr.It's a great movie, all things considered. I wouldn't call one of the best Disney films, it's not quite there, but it's definitely one of the most important films in Disney's cinematic history. Absolutely worth a watch if you haven't seen it already.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) is one of the greatest Disney movies of all time and definitely their most underrated film in my opinion. The movie features the wonderful voice talents of Vincent Price as a great Disney villain, Professor Rattigan, basically the Moriarty character opposing the movie's "Sherlock" hero character, the titular The Great Mouse Detective, Basil of Baker Street (living under the floor of Sherlock Holmes).I don't want to give away the plot but the reason I love this movie so much is that there is a lot of great comedy in it, the hero and villain are both fantastic (and both have very entertaining cohorts), and the story is great.I love that this film is a little bit "darker" than most Disney films. Again, I don't want to give anything away, but the stakes in this movie are much higher and more "real" than most Disney films.The songs are even great and I still find myself humming a couple of them. The Rattigan song is amazing, and Vincent Price himself sings a wonderful "goodbye" song that plays on a record while he has Basil trapped.A truly great Disney movie that deserves much more praise!