Disney Plus review: ‘Great Mouse Detective’ clues us in on problem-solving, Sherlock
“The Great Mouse Detective” manages to mix literature, science and science fiction in a late 1800s setting. This Disney animated film, released in 1986, is a take-off on Sherlock Holmes and told from the perspective of the mouse population.
Basil, the title character, has unlikely powers of deduction that kick in when needed most, although he’s not very personable or, for that matter, interestingly drawn. The entertainment factor kicks in mightily with caped rat-like villain Ratigan, comically voiced by legendary actor Vincent Price. Ratigan’s ploys also are creative and involve technology that creates an impostor that could spoil the mouse queen’s jubilee.
Thanks to the showcasing of problem-solving, scientific reasoning. tinkering and regaling by Ratigan, I was more entertained and intrigued than I expected to be by “The Great Mouse Detective.” It fits right in with today’s STEM emphasis in education, and it’s the latest in our Disney Plus review series of Disney’s animated films.
The basics: The toymaker father of young Olivia is dramatically kidnapped by a peg-legged bat. She tries to locate Basil of Baker Street, famed great mouse detective, for help and in the process meets Dr. Dawson, who takes an interest in her case. Turns out that Basil’s enemy Ratigan is behind the bat-caper. Adventures ensue for this trio, including face-to-face battles with Ratigan, who plots to rule over all mousedom.
The legacy: John Musker and Ron Clements, the film’s directors, went on to helm “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” for Disney. It’s Henry Mancini’s first score for an animated feature (unless you count the opening-credit sequence for “The Pink Panther.”)
The flashback: On a shelf is a distinctive-looking Dumbo toy.
Adult art of animation appreciation: A computer-driven action sequence put me in the mind of a "Mission: Impossible” climax but with mice, animation and cogs. Group scenes from overhead gave me a June Taylor Dancers vibe. (Kids, ask your nana.)
Parental guidance / kid stuff: There are repeated moments of peril, particularly if you’re a mouse, because of the giant cat lurking about. One drunken mouse is apparently eaten by the big kitty off screen. And things get slightly racy during a cabaret act in a bar called the Rat Trap.
What brought me back to reality: “A heavy tax shall be levied against all against all parasites and sponges … such as the elderly, the infirmed and especially little children,” says newly (and briefly) empowered Ratigan.
Burning question: Was the elaborate trap lifted from a script from the “Batman” TV series?
Meanwhile, back in Orlando: The movie was based on a children’s book called “Basil of Baker Street” by Eve Titus, whose sister lived in Orlando. In Sentinel columns by Ed Hayes, he mentions her disappointment of the name change, but she rebounds after seeing the film. During a preview, “there were about 500 kids in the audience, and they laughed and applauded in all the rights places,” Titus told Hayes.
The theme park angles: Slim — possibly none — although I found an internet claim that Basil and Ratigan characters were in Magic Kingdom’s Easter parade, but to this day I haven’t gotten over live dogs walking in that parade, along with “Rocky Top” being played.
Up next: “Oliver & Company” (1988).
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theme park news? Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast.
———
©2020 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)
Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
