The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

 

Somehow, it feels as though this one often gets overlooked in the grand library of Disney. True, it does not have the status of an absolute classic the way 'Snow White' or 'The Lion King' does, but 'The Great Mouse Detective' is more than great in its own right and you will be thoroughly entertained for the journey.

It also has one of the best Disney villains ever. You will not change my mind on this stance. Never. 

As you can easily surmise from the title, this is a spin on Sherlock Holmes. Things kick off when mr Flaversham is kidnapped by a peg-legged bat called Fidget. Flaversham is a toy maker who specializes in clockwork contraptions. His daughter Olivia saw the whole thing and is now desperately looking for the famous Basil of Baker Street. As luck would have it, she comes across doctor Dawson, recently returned from Afghanistan where he served in the army. He agrees to help Olivia find Basil and soon enough, they find themselves helping Basil along the way as he tries to puzzle together all the pieces concerning the disappearance. 

It transpires that Basil's nemesis, professor Ratigan, is behind all this. Heck, Ratigan is behind most of the crimes in the London mouse society and is in many (if not all) ways the exact opposite of Basil. Both mice are highly intelligent, crafty and are constantly trying to one-up one another. The main difference is that Ratigan is pure evil, whereas Basil is flawed (because arrogant) but has a good heart and decency. 

Ratigan has a pretty insane plot involving the Queen and to pull it off, he needed the help of Flaversham. It all ends up with a showdown on top of Big Ben in what is probably one of the coolest animated sequences Disney has ever pulled off. And they have pulled off some pretty spectacular stuff through the years. 

It's a premisse that is simple enough, so this one has to thrive on the characters. Fortunately, as the writing is excellent, this works. The voice acting is spot on as well, I might add. Val Bettin as the mild-mannered dr Dawson is our endearing lead into this world, as is the character of dr Watson in the books. Barrie Ingham has that manic energy that works so well for the driven Basil and whenever he goes a little too fast (like Sherlock Holmes), Dawson pulls him back a notch to assure everyone that we're still following. It's never like that tedious exposition dump films all too often drop into our laps; here it is done with more subtlety and nuance. 

But if you have to see this film for one reason, you have to see it for professor Ratigan. Not just his design is great, but he is brought to life by the incomparable Vincent Price, who you can tell is having a complete blast with it. That recognizable, mild-mannered voice works wonders as Ratigan is absolutely sinister, yet mostly typically British aristocracy. He has no qualms feeding his henchmen to his pet cat whenever they insult him by calling him a rat (which he is, by the way). It is only during the final showdown that he shakes off his veneer of civilization and returns to his feral ways. It is really cool, albeit slightly scary for the youngest among us. 

If you haven't seen this one yet, but have a soft spot for Disney, then by all means: give it a chance. It is far better than one would imagine and it deserves more love. If only to enjoy the great legend that is Vincent Price.