The Great Mouse Detective 1986
The Great Mouse Detective came out during a period of turmoil at Disney, just before the start of the Disney Renaissance. Based on a book about a mouse detective named Basil of Baker Street, it is in fact Sherlock Holmes as a mouse. That’s not a bad thing since Sherlock Holmes has been delivering entertainment for a long time and it works as an animated feature as well. Overshadowed by Renaissance movies like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, this movie is still pretty good, with music by Henry Mancini and Melissa Manchester and inexplicably one of Vincent Price’s only animated voice roles as the villain, Professor Rattigan. It is a higher caliber movie than some of the earlier Disney movies of that era, but also a little cartoony at times and not as original, being based on the very well known Sherlock Holmes and with mostly minimal detective work, relying instead on action and chases. I still feel comfortable giving it a high B.
Written: 09 Feb 2020
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital