1 Too dark and depressing...
"The Great Mouse Detective" is never pointed out as one of Disney's finest achievements and it isn't a wonder why not. The film is very unineteresting and too depressing for anyone to want to pay much attention or for any one to want to sit through it.
The ridiculously titled, "The Great Mouse Detective" is the story of Basil of Baker Street on a mission to help little mouse Olivia "Flangerhanger" find her father who is been taken away by the evil rat Ratigan and his men, this individual is planning the most wicked scheme to take the Queen's place and rule mouse world in London. Although the story line is well thought-up, the story takes place in what feels like a moor-like London, foggy, dark and very depressing, however, elements of humor are added to take us slightly away from these settings once in a while.
The characters are great, the voices do a wonderful job at portraying their characters yet the movie still seems to be missing something, it feels as if The Great Mouse Detective were an episode in an animated series rather than a full-length movie, even if it has the length of one. Disney has done better mouse movies like Cinderella or The Rescuers and I recommend these two over The Great Mouse Detective.
2.4/5
2 Weak and sort of boring...
I'm sorry and I want to apologize to the fans of this film, but I find it rather dark and depressing and pretty much a below-average Disney film. The characters, however are good and nicely crafted, you can feel for the them, feel sad when they are sad and you can laugh at their jokes, the plot is good and well thought up. However, the movie seems to drag on and it is very dark, not like classic Disney formula. This film also seems like a rip-off of the 1977 classic The Rescuers, another film with talking mice off to rescue a cute orphan girl.
All in all, this is a pretty dark and depressing Disney film, perhaps a few minutes of sun and daytime would have worked once in a while. The film is rather enjoyable, but not something you would like to watch more than once.
3 The game is a-paw!
It's 1897 in foggy old London, and eminent - albeit diminutive - mouse detective Basil (he resides just below 221 Baker Street, the residence of a certain prestigious human detective) is hot on the case when a toy-maker named Hiram Flaversham (Alan Young) is kidnapped by Basil's archenemy, the vile Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price). Steeped in Victorian atmosphere, the mystery leads our hero from The Queen's palace to Big Ben and all points between. Voice cameos from Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, and Laurie Main as Dr. Watson are a treat. Based on the Basil of Baker Street series of novels by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone.
Staci Layne Wilson
Author of Staci's Guide to Animal Movies
4 The Great Mouse Detective
This is a fantastic movie and I recamend it for all.
The story takes place in London, 1897, when a toymaker and he daughter, Olivia, were in thier shop when someone tries to brake into the shop. Olivia's father hides her in a cuboard while he tries to stop the intruder. Olivia tries to watch what is going on, but a table was slamed aganced the door she was in and she was trapped inside. She manages to get out moments later, but when she opened the door, the shop was distroyed and her father was gone.
The Dr. David Q. Dawson come into play when he arives in London to find some rest. He is walking along the street when he hears soft crying. He looks into a boot that is lying in the street and finds a small mouse. She tells him that she is trying to find the famous Basil of Baker Street that she had cut out from a news paper artical and Dr. Dawson is willing to help her find Basil of Baker Street.
The two arrive of Basil's house and his maid tells them that he was out, but they were welcome to come in and wait. The two look around the room that was filled with interesting knickknacks when...
The story continues on. I really recomend this to everyone. I hope that this helped you!
5 Bonus Material is a Real Treat!
My son (4 1/2 years old) liked this movie well enough, and others have written about it--so I'm not going to revisit that. What I wanted to emphasize was that the bonus material on this DVD includes two classic Disney animated shorts: Donald Duck in "Donald's Crime" and Micky Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck in "Clock Cleaners." In Donald's Crime, Donald Duck robs his nephews piggy bank to take his girlfriend Daisy out for a night of dancing. His better-conscious brings him back to his senses and he earns the money washing dishes to repay his nephews. In Clock Cleaners the crew has several misadventures while cleaning a "Big-Ben" style clock. Wonderful animation.
6 great premise, some inappropriate material
Based on the book "Basil of Baker Street" about a mouse and his sidekick and modeled closely on Sherlock Holmes, I thought this would be a natural for a family that loves the Holmes ouevre AND Disney films. This is old-school animation with some impressive scenes, particularly the chase inside the workings of Big Ben, and the story of the kidnapped mouse toymaker is compelling, but maybe I'm turning into a wet blanket in my middle age, finding parts of the film to be fairly objectionable: namely, disturbing images during a battle in a toy shop, a bad guy who feeds incompetent underlings to a cat, and -- I'm not kidding -- a bar singer whipping off part of her outfit as the patrons ogle and try to grab her! Does that really need to be in a Disney film?
Voice work by Vincent Price (and a voice cameo by Basil Rathbone) are great. DVD extras include two cartoons (1937, 1945) featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, a making-of featurette (8 minutes), and a sing-along song.
The film can be heard in English, French or Spanish, and English subtitles are available.
7 More Holmesian than you might imagine
Among the selections of movies in the excellent Sherlock Holmes reference book `Sherlock Holmes on Screen: The Complete Film and TV History' by Alan Barnes is this 1986 Disney concoction that is equal part musical, comedy, thriller, suspense and children's movie. In fact, as Barnes points out, this feature has many more Holmesian elements than many live action movies that happen to have the character Sherlock Holmes among its cast list.
Indeed this clever animated movie owes a great deal to its literary roots and is based on Eve Titus' book `Basil of Baker Street.'
Living underneath the apartment of the famous Sherlock Holmes at 221 Baker Street is a mouse named Basil. Shaped primarily on the Rathbone interpretation of the character, Basil is the most famous detective in all of mousedom and is determined to track down his evil nemesis Prof. Ratigan (wonderfully played with obvious relish by Vincent Price).
Basil's chance comes when he is approached by the daughter of a kidnapped toymaker named Flaversham. Initially uninspired and uninterested in the girls search for her abducted father Basil becomes decidedly more interested when she reveals that one of those responsible is a bat with a peg leg.
The bat is a known as a henchman for Ratigan and soon Basil races off into another adventure to chase down the evil genius.
The animation in the movie is top notch, the songs lively and the humor - well funny, but where this movie falters a little is in pace. I would say it is just a little too long and slower paced than I expected. It's a very satisfying movie certainly, and a `must-own' for Sherlock Holmes fans (Basil Rathbone's voice is even heard in one scene), but there are moments where it seems to drag and other moments where you wish the characters would stop singing and just get on with developing the plot.
Great fun for the kids and people who are still a kid at heart/
8 Smart, Fun, and just plain excellent!
My first memory of this movie was when my Dad rented it from the video store for us kids. I don't remember my mother watching it with us, but I do know as a child it fascinated me, and my Dad actually got into it, too. My sister and I were looking to expand our DVD collection of good movies without all the garbage that most "adult" movies have. We thought of this one and found it at Wal-Mart. After watching it again, I can say it was just as thrilling! The voice talent, Vincent Price included (since I am a big Batman fan and enjoyed his rendition of egghead), carried well through the movie without sounding the least bit fakey. The take on a mouse detective named Basil of Baker Street living inside the home of the real Sherlock Holmes is one of the smartest movie ideas ever. The plot never slows. The movie progresses at a good clip and keeps you interested. The humor and climax are totally original. Nothing completely predictable and nothing borrowed here. Adults will love this just as much as kids. It's one of those movies that's simply good all the way through.
KITKA
9 One of the better Disney films of the 1980s.
Full of adventure and mystery, in this film, Disney takes a slightly more sophisticated turn and the outcome is really enjoyable. The film has really nice animation especially the scene atop Big Ben. The voice talent is great, especially the dastardly Vincent Price. The villain is good, and very malicious and powerful. The DVD is really good as well. The movie is in a new letterbox treatment- very nice. I highly reccomend this film for anyone who loves the Disney film genre.
10 I Liked It!
I Watched the the movie The Great Mouse Detective when it was being shown in movie theaters and it was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it and I definitely have to recommend this movie!
11 Under rated Disney Classic
How the Great Mouse Detective has not found a wider audience is beyond me. Perhaps it's because adults see the cover of animated mouses and assume it's just for kids, but looks can be decieving. I have screened this movie for several of my adult friends (without kids) with many of them running out and buying a copy for themselves after realizing what a truely enjoyable classic it is.
Although the Little Mermaid has been given the credit for Disney Animation's rise to greatness throughout the 1990's it really began with this teriffic classic. The Great Mouse Detective marks the first effort of Don Musker and Ron Clemants (The directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin). Although it has two catchy showtunes it plays more like a detective adventure story than the later musical classics of Disney animation. What sets this film apart is that it is character driven. Each character in the film has quirks and traits that play into the film's plot. The Great Mouse Detective is wildly imaginative and orginal. This film also has perhaps the most thrilling endings in Disney animation too.
So in parting I beg you adults out there without kids to give this little animated tale a chance, I guarentee you will not be disappointed.
12 Sherlock Holmes - meet Basil of Baker Street
This version of a Sherlock Holmes pastiche written by Eve Titus called "Basil of Baker Street" could not be better.
When a toymaker is kidnapped, his daughter must call upon the services of the greatest detective of the mice. Basil quickly deduces that his arch-enemy, Ratigan (A rat that wants to be a mouse? Who can understand that?) is at it again.
This great Sherlock Holmes type story lends itself well to the Disney animation technique. Basil is enough like Holmes so that anyone who has read or seen even one Holmes story will recognize him. His partner, Dr. Dawson, is so much like Dr Watson that it's almost funny. Ratigan, in the role of Moriarty, makes a great enemy for Basil. Basil gets help while rescuing the toymaker in time for Christmas from his daughter and a cast of mice that have banded together in the London underground. Could this be the start of the "Rodent Rescue Aid Society" as seen in Rescuers and Rescuers Down Under? It's never said outright, but it easily could have been.
Look carefully - there's a quick scene where we see the =real= Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. A cute bit that just added to the charm of this relatively undiscovered Disney classic.
A good way to start children on an appreciation of mysteries. Worth looking at for adding to a library of children's movies, and well worth adding to a collection of Disney classics.
13 A Real Disney Winner for the Whole Family!
What a clever, fun little movie this is! I enjoy it just as much as my 3-year-old son, and we love to watch it together, over and over. My favorite aspects are that it's an interesting story (a classic "mystery") with intelligent characters & clever dialog. There are no gratuitous sidekick characters, no meaningless song & dance numbers.... everything fits together perfectly in this movie. I initially wondered if my son would lose interest in the wordy, British-accented main character Basil, but nothing about the movie was over his head. Even the villians (including a delightfully mean rat, voiced by Vincent Price) didn't overwhelm him. Overall, "The Great Mouse Detective" is thoroughly enjoyable for everyone!
14 Overall Enjoyable Experience
I wouldn't consider this a Disney classic in anyway, but I did enjoy watching it quite a bit. The cartoon has a lot going for it. The good guys are likable. Basil and Dr. Dawson are an enjoyable duo to watch, and their dog Toby is extremely lovable (perhaps the cutest Disney character of all time). Another thing going for it is that it is relatively smart making a parady of Sherlock Holmes. Finally, it is extremely well paced with an element of mystery added to it to keep the audience interested and the story moving forward smoothly. However, it is lacking in many aspects that keeps it from earning a five star and the title of a Disney Classic. First of all, the bad guys are disgusting. Ratigan and his cat are extremely disturbing, even for cartoons (I hate rats and fat cats). Secondly, it doesn't have any memorable musical scores. Nothing like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. Thirdly, the plot is somewhat silly. It involves Ratigan trying to make a robot copy of the Queen. Finally, it is lacking scope and importance. The whole movie occurs in the mouse world and there is no interaction with humans like in the Rescuers.
15 A Magical Classic!
This is my 2nd favorite Disney film! It has all the suspense and adventure of any other film, with a few funny twists! Vincent Price and others are part of the great voicing, and the music is detectiveish. When little Olivia Flaversham's dad (a toy maker) is kidnapped, a kind doctor named Dawson helps her find Basil of Baker Street. Basil suspects it has something to do with the clever and extremely wicked thief Ratagan (Vincent Price) and go on the most suspensful and non-boring adventure ever produced from Disney!A spectacular movie!!
16 A must for any Sherlock Holmes Fan
This animated feature is indispensable to any who considers himself a Sherlock Holmes fan. There are so many details that you will love, going from Basil Rathbone's cameo to Toby the dog. (The dog is actually depicted in Conan Doyles's "The Sign of Four", and the description fits perfectly.)
I think this is a great movie, in my case I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and I think this is the best way my four year old son and my two year daughter can get to know the "Great Detective".
17 Sort of Scary
I watched this movie when I was about five, and the first part (were the dad is kidnapped by a freaky peg leg bat) scared me to death. Now, over 7 years later, I still don't like watching this movie because it scared me so mutch. It does have an interesting plot, though.
18 13 years and I remember the songs by heart!
What a wonderful childhood memory this movie brings! My older brother rented the tape for me when I was six years old, and I watched it so many times that I, even now, remember the songs by heart! "Dearest friends, dear gentlemen, listen to my song...Life down here's been hard for you, life has made you strong. Let me lift the mood, with my attitude....." My favorite song! I remember laughing so hard when Dr. Dawson tottered up to the stage to dance along! :-) Such a wonderful and well made movie!
19 2.5 stars rounded up to 3
We rank this 27 out of the 41 animated Disney movies that we own. We give it 3 stars because it was a nice average movie, that the kids just didn't pick to watch very often. The younger kids didn't care for Ratigan character. A mean witch is one thing, but the rat was to much for my youngest.
20 The great Mouse Detective.
Since I have The Great Mouse Detective on all formats, VHS, Lazer and DVD you have got to know that this is a GREAT Disney Movie. Its witty and well animated.Folowers of Sherlock Holmes will find this spoof of Conan Doyle great fun. I recomend this to children of all ages.
21 Ratigan is the best villain ever!
I love this movie but I love the villain even more. Ratigan is the perfect villain for a movie. he is sinister, humourous and very evil. The battle between Ratigan and Basil at the end was truly amazing and heart-pounding. I also love the henchman Fidget. If your into villains get this movie.
22 A GREAT Disney film not to be missed!
The year is 1897 in London. Young mouse Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatschek) lives happily with her father Hiram Flaversham (Alan Young) who is a toymaker. But when her father is kidnapped, Olivia intends to get him back. Aided by Doctor David Q. Dawson (Van Bettin), they go to find the renowned, legendary detective, Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham). At first Basil is reluctant to help her but when he discovers that his evil arch-nemesis, Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price) is behind Flaversham's kidnapping, Basil decides to investigate. As they follow clues and use 'elementary thinking', the mice try to outwit the evil Ratigan if they are to save all of mousedom!
An incredibly charming movie, Disney gives us a fun and entertaining film for all ages. When I was very young, I was an avid watcher of ALL Disney animation films. But I remember that besides "Robin Hood", "Lion King", and "Aladdin", "The Great Mouse Detective" was my most favorite! I used to watch over and over. Unfortunately, over the years I strayed away from watching the old Disney classics until just the other day when I was rearranging my videos. I came across "The Great Mouse Detective" and I remembering how much I loved it, decided to watch it. And my, it's amazing how well I remembered it! I was able to say all the lines and sing all the songs while still totally enjoying myself!
My point in saying all of this is that the old Disney classics are... well... classics gems! Nothing objectionable for parents to be aware of for their kids, just some romping good fun. "The Great Mouse Detective" has it all; mystery, humor, a great setting (London), action, and suspense. And I can't forget to mention about the colorful characters, each and everyone incredibly likable. My favorite characters are Basil (of course, he's the hero!) and Fidget (Candy Candido, who has done the voices of characters in Disney movies "Sleeping Beauty", "Peter Pan", and "Robin Hood"). And I must mention that Vincent Price doing the voice of Professor Ratigan is a must see. I have always been a fan of his, listening to some of the old radio shows (example, "The Saint"), seeing some of movies, even watching him guest star on the old tv show "The Man from UNCLE". Just watching this movie for the chance to hear Vincent Price is worth it all.
And the music is also well-done by Henry Mancini and there are some fun songs:
"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" (Vincent Price) - A rousingly funny song, I love the part where Ratigan begins strumming his harp!
"Let Me Be Good To You" (Melissa Manchester) - When this chorus mouse starts off this song, you're at first not sure what's going on. But after a while, I'm sure you too will begin kicking your feet up to the beat!
"Goodbye So Soon" (Vincent Price) - Great song, can't help but sing along each time though at this point in the movie, things are looking dire for Basil and his friends.
I can certainly recommend this movie for both kids and adults. Enjoy! Here are a few interesting trivia I found:
*~*Shortly before his death, he said that one of his most favorite roles was the voice of Professor Ratigan in the Disney feature "The Great Mouse Detective", especially since two original songs had been written for him.
*~*Basil of Baker Street and Dr. David Q. Dawson are named after Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, who played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson together in several films. Also, in the film, we actually see the shadow of the 'real' Sherlock Holmes, and the voice is actually done by Basil Rathbone.
*~*The clock tower scene is the first major use of computer animation (the clock's gears) in a feature-length animated film.
*~*Impressed with Alan Young's performance of a near-authentic Scottish accent for the voice of Hiram Flaversham, studio brass cast him as the voice of the Scottish-accented Scrooge McDuck in a series of Disney film and television projects. He became the official voice of the tightwad duck.
*~*During the recording of Vincent Price's lines, animators sketched his exaggerated Shakespearean gestures and worked them into the animated poses for Ratigan.
23 Best Disney movie
Such a great film! The music and the characters are great. The climatic ending always chokes me up. Easiliy my favorite Disney film.
24 This should be the 1st in a series.
My 2 1/2 year old daughter found my video copy of this movie and loved it, so we had to buy the DVD. My daughter likes the different animals, the action and "booing" Ratigan. I could watch it just for the Big Ben sequence. You can not be disappointed by this movie.
25 I am so happy!
All I wanted for my birthday was this DVD and it came out right in time. it is a fun movie with great characters. I like that it is not a fairy tale even though I like those too.
Gotta love it!
26 Exceptional Movie, Somewhat Disappointing DVD
I'd like to start off by saying that this movie is probably one of my all time favorite movies. I didn't even stop to think about it when I saw it for sale, I bought it straight away. I would recommend this movie to anybody; The story is entertaining and sound, the acting is superb and the animation is top-notch (even for a movie that is nearing 20 years old).
Having said all that, I'm going to focus on the things I think could have been improved. To start with, the first thing you see: The cover art. To be honest I feel the cover art is quite disappointing. It somehow managed to miss the feeling of the movie entirely.
Secondly, the Menu system. Compared to the menus used in movies such as Shrek, Atlantis, and Harry Potter (to name a small few) this menu is about as interesting as grass growing. It features a series of still images with minor animation applied, such as Basil's pupils moving, or his ears (for some odd reason) growing and shrinking.
Finally, I personally didn't find the special features to be very impressive at all. I can appreciate the lack of available material to include here, so it is a forgivable fault. However, when every other DVD I own has well over 5 hours of content and this one has maybe one hour beyond that which is in the movie I am a little disappointed.
So, I guess my statement to other readers is "Buy This DVD!". My statement to Disney is "Pay a little more attention to the extra things please!".
27 Vincent Price - What A Motivating Meany he Can Be!
THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE is one of the Disney animated films that is underrated and not scene or talked about it a lot. The animation and settings are superb. The music is brilliant and the characters very real - for being animated that is.
First off, Mr. Henry Mancini (Pink Panther and the Elephant Walk fame) is the films composer of note. The main theme for Basil (Our Great Mouse Detective) and the subsequent enhancements made by the `dangerous' moments in the play make this score a fantastically orchestrated one.
The story is a little unique in that Basil and his sidekick Dawson (hence Holmes and Watson like) are searching for the abducted father of our little heroin (age 8) Olivia. The plans get complicated as the bad guy; Professor Ratigan tried to take over the mouse world with one evil plan against the mouse queen. Not only is the day saved, but I think the kids will learn a lot about respect, being brave, being honest and what friendship is all about. Nice moral play in this film. You even get inside the famous Big Ben itself.
Now the supreme evil character is voiced by the one and only Vincent Price. Need I say more?
The DVD extras on this one very good as well and surprisingly entertaining. To keep in the clock themes, there are two `time' related shorts that are pretty funny and the behind the scenes documentary are very good as well. There is even a sing-a-long for the kids. This is a delightful edition to the Disney and animated collection of any family. 8-20-02
28 A True Classic
About a week ago, I was searching through my videos and I stumbled upon this delightful movie. At first, I was critical about watching what I had seen when I was 5, but then when I pushed the video in, my mind changed.
Not only is the animation very high quality, but the music that goes along with it is top notch as well. I even memorized the lyrics to the songs! And that, coming from me, a teenager who loves rock, is a great compliment. The music is just right for this one.
While we Sherlockians will suddenly see that the movie is based on Holmes's adventure in "The Final Problem", the younger viewers will be able to enjoy the movie without needing any knowledge of this. This combination makes it fun for the kids, and gives the older viewers hints and suggestions as to the film's real story.
All in all, it comes down to this: If you love Sherlock Holmes with all your heart and want your kids to be interested, or if you like stories that mirror others, then buy this. If not, then the supreme animation and music should be enough to make this an ideal purchase anyway.
29 A great Disney DVD to own
The Great Mouse Detective has a great storyline and good flow, even though it's one of the lesser known Disney animated movies.
The DVD has plenty of bonus material that makes it a worthwhile upgrade from the VHS. The sound and picture quality are good as well.
30 A great Disney DVD to own
The Great Mouse Detective has a great storyline and good flow, even though it's one of the lesser known Disney animated movies.
The DVD has plenty of bonus material that makes it a worthwhile upgrade from the VHS. The sound and picture quality are good as well.
31 Ten years later I still love this movie.
I got this movie for my 9th birthday in 1991 and I absolutely adored it. I watched this Disney movie so much at one point that I was ACTUALLY able to remember almost every line off this movie. That expresses how much I really loved. Now scroll ahead to now ten years later. At the age of 19 my opinion of this movie has not changed at all. I still absolutely love it to pieces.
This 1986 masterpiece from Disney is a story about a tough mouse detective called Basil who alongside with his sidekick battles the evil rat named Professor Ratigan(Great name too) who sends his henchman bat Fidget who ends up kidnapping Olivias Flamershams father and ultimately Olivia herself and it's up to Basil, his sidekick Dawson and a family pet dog by the name of Toby to rescue her and her father and stop Ratigan and his malevolent crime schemes before he takes over all of Englands mousedon(Mouse equivilent of kingdom).
To me The Great Mouse Detective contains incredible depth and wonderful charachters and it doesn't suffer from excessive cheesiness like some of Disneys more popular films such as Pocahontas.
In fact it's the more obscure movies like this and Robin Hood that I tend to enjoy more than lets say, The Little Mermaid(I like that movie too. Don't get be wrong) or Aladdin( I love that one too as well as it's two sequels). I say get this wonderful Disney video. It's bound to be an entertaining movie for all ages. I will still enjoy this movie if I live to be 120.
32 Great movie for all ages!
I'm 13 years old now and I remember watching this when I was a little girl. It has been my favorite ever since. This is one of the few Disney movies I actually liked. This movie is great. The first animated movie with CGI (computer generated images)
33 Disney's The Great Mouse Detective
I HIGHLY recomend watching Disney's 26th animated movie The Great Mouse Detective! Finally released on DVD, this is my fvorite Disney movie! It is a funny, entertaining, suspenceful movie about Basil of Baker Street, the Great Mouse Detective. In the movie, a popular toymaker is kidnapped from his toyshop by a peg-legged bat. The toymaker's daughter, Olivia Flavisham, sets out to fid the famous detective Basil. On the way she she meets Dr. Dawson. Dawson helpes her on her way to the find the detective. When they find the detective at 122 1/2 Baker Street, Basil is reluctant to help her find her father. Then basil realizes that the kidnapper is under the employey of his enemy, the infamous Professeur Ratigan. Although they dont know it yet, all of mousedom is endangered! With the help of Toby the dog they set off on their exiting adventure which climaxes in the inner clockworks of Big Ben towering over the streets of London. Will Basil be able to save mousedom? With the voices of Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Suzanne Polloatschk, Val Bettin, Alan Young, Candy Candido, and with music by Heneri Mancini. The Great Mouse Detective is also the first animated movie to use computer animation (used in the clock scene). I HIGHLY RECOMEND THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE!!!!
34 A true diamond in the rough
I have absolutely NO idea why Disney insists on letting this treasure wither away in its vaults. The only thing I can come up with is that they consider it to be less marketable to kids, as there is not a really strong female character (although little Olivia Flaversham is really quite adorable). Because of this, not a lot of merchandise can be milked out of it. The film in and of itself is by far one of Disney's greatest, especially given the type of fare they have resorted to in recent years (The Emperor's New Groove? Monsters, Inc? Come on!). It is animated in the classic Disney style, and the story is highly original even though the actual concept was taken from a series of children's books by the late Eve Titus. This movie has been neglected for far too long. I'm glad Disney has had the good taste to finally release it on DVD along with all of their other "classic" films. Now if only they would plan a sequel.
35 ONE OF THE BEST DISNEY MOVIES!
THIS MOVIE IS REALLY GREAT! I loved watching it when I was a kid. It brings back so many great memories for me! I still think "Beauty And the Beast" is the BEST DISNEY MOVIE EVER! This is still a great movie as well, do not get me wrong! One of the Classics! :)
36 Another of the post-disney best
I owned this movie and forggoten that I owned it until this week when I found htis in the box for Beauty and the Beast. On Sunday, I didn't get to see the special edition that is now playing on imax and other big screens, because it was sold out. So I went home, and found this tape. And decided to watch it. This is a great movie.
37 Extraordinary! The Greatest Mouse Movie Ever!
This is one of my favorite Disney movies! Dawson, the narrator, later becomes the friend of the famous detective Basil of Baker Street. Basil's archenemy Professor Ratigan mousennapes a toymaker named Flaversham. The toymaker's daughter Olivia then truns to Basil for help. The chase for Ratigan ends up at a heart-pounding battle to the top of Big Ben. I still love to watch this movie. With the superb voice talents of Vincent Price (Ratigan), it is a charming movie. It will also delight those who like Sherlock Holmes and Watson.
38 One of the best Disney films.
This movie is one of the best Disney films in my opinion. It's also one of the most under-appreciated films. It's Sherlock Holmes meets Disney...it combines the great mysteries Sherlock Holmes deals with and Disney's friendly, mice characters.
39 My favorite Disney movie ever!
I absolutely love this film. There is no boring part at all, and the caharacters and songs are all very good, and Basil and Olivia and Dr. Dawson all work very hard to find Olivia's father. How cute!
40 It stinks
All of the spooky characters of the original Sherlock Holmes, but none of the charm. Dont get this movie for little ones!!!!
41 A definite treat for the Baker Street Irregulars.
The Great Mouse Detective is an excellent film, particularly for fans of Sherlock Holmes. It's a delight to watch how the most famous resident of Baker Street transfers into an animated mouse and still maintain the brilliance and eccentricity of his character. Though Basil of Baker Street is, indeed, a character in himself (from Eve Titus's books), he is a mirror image of the detective who lives upstairs--and toned down for children. Any Sherlockian (or Holmesian) will clearly note that Basil, unlike Sherlock, has no weakness for cocaine injections. Of course he doesn't, it's a Disney film. :)
I was first introduced to the world of Holmes with this film when I was a child, and the Basil of Baker Street books were at the top of my list for a long time. It's an excellent way to introduce children to Sherlock Holmes while still keeping it "pure" for the young'uns. It's a shame that The Great Mouse Detective is so underappreciated and unknown--It's an obscure Disney film that deserves more recognition than it receives. Children may not enjoy it as much as the adults--particularly Holmes fans--do, because it doesn't have the wacky characters and showy production numbers that the modern Disney films have (and if you ask me, it's only going downhill from there).
I recommend this film to the Baker Street Irregulars who want to get in touch with their inner child. :)
42 GMD is more than Great! ^_^
When I first saw GMD when I was young I adored it! I thought that Basil was a marvalous character, and the mouse trap scene in the end, with Vincent Price singing was one of the best scenes I had ever seen in an animated movie. Well, now that I'm older I like it even more!! The songs are very nice, and very good. There's just the right amount of them too. Vincent Price's velvety voice is just too funny in his songs, and Melissa Manchester's song in the pub is one of my favorites! The animation is also very nice! I love the way Basil's tail is always on the go, and just the very nice way all the characters moved. Yet, it still--even with the computer animation-- maintained a very charming appearance! As a tribute to Eve Titus and Sherlock Holmes it is also very nice. It is very close in story style to Eve Titus' books... Yet is true to the Canon, in that Basil is no longer living in Holmes' shadow, but is rather his oun mouse. ^_^ All of the characters are well drawn and lovable in their oun way. Infact, the only thing that I didn't like about it was that they showed a bit more of what was going on out side of Dawson's knowlege, primarily to spot light Vincent Price. And this wouldn't even be a bad thing, except there are very few Holmes stories, and absolutly NO Basil stories that are not told by the Detective's faithful Boswell, Dawson/Watson. All in all, however, it's a very fun movie that I suggest for children from 1 to 100, or older! ^_^
43 Booooooooring...
am I the only one that found this movie boring and pointless? the characters weren't even likable. no wonder it's underrated. 3 things that make Disney so great are all missing here. 1) Fun & likable characters. None here. Even the villian (though played brilliantly by Price) is mundane and lacks charisma. 2) music. didn't care too much about the music in the film. no catchy tunes or sing-along songs. and last but not least 3) good story. this was hokey and predictable and was not clever or witty at all. I almost fell asleep I was so bored. I couldn't wait for the end. great mouse detective is not so great.
44 Great, great great.
Okay, I have the black diamond release of this movie, which I got for 2 reasons, first of all it was made the year was born (1986) and second, because it was Disney. This movie was actually a test, which Disney hid very well. The clock scene, which is computer animated (primitivly) was a test along with another movie for the ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast. But besides that, it is a funny cute movie indead! I highly recomend it! It is a take off of the book "Basil of Baker Street" and "Sherlock Holmes". Funny, touching...wonderful. Not the absolute best I've ever seen from Disney, but certinly up there...somewhat. Enjoy it, no matter what the age!
45 Wonderful!
This movie is magnificent! I do agree with a another review that it is under-appreciated. The story-line is very nice. It's a lot like the "Basil of Baker Street" books but not in the sence that reading the books is like watching the movie. To sum it up, "The Great Mouse Detective" has become my favorite animated movie.
46 Underrated Disney gem deserves a second look
I try to be impartial and unbiased when I write these reviews, but I can't help but go on record to declare THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE as one of my personal favourite animated films from Disney. The fact that very few people have seen it or don't appreciate it disappoints me.
The film may be short on musical numbers, but for this kind of movie, that's probably a good thing. This film is rich in story and character development, as Basil and Dr. Dawson search through the mouse holes and alleyways of London to rescue a little girl's father from the evil Professor Ratigan. The hard and tough Basil is initially reluctant to have the girl Olivia accompany him, but her sweetness and innocence grows on him over time, and begins to appreciate her. There's a lot of heart as well as adventure and suspense going for this movie. Now if only more people will take notice of it, then that would truly be great!
THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE is only available on video at the moment. Let's hope Disney will release it to DVD in time for the film's 15th anniversary next year.
47 Great introduction to mysteries
This movie is great for kids and adults of all ages. It's a fun movie--it may even interest the younger viewers in the "Basil of Baker Street" books and the older ones in the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels. The characters are very likeable, especially Basil, Dawson, Olivia and Toby. There may be some scary scenes for young kids, but overall it is very entertaining.
48 Regretfully too scary to recommend
My 3-yr old loves watching this video at Grandma's house -- understandable given the appeal of some of the characters -- Basil, Olivia, etc. However, the bat and the rat -- the two main "bad guys" are way too scary-looking and sounding for my taste. Also, I think the theme of Olivia's father being taken away from her and then Olivia herself being kidnapped are too frightening for little ones. My son is the type who may not express his fears verbally but clearly gets fixated on the scary characters and is wrestling with their meaning inside. In turn, I simply don't recommend it for impressionable little ones.
49 I love it! I love it! I love it!
The story and characters are marvelous. I fell in love with Basil at first sight! I'm so sorry I missed out on it at the theaters---the scene inside Big Ben, with that marvelous computer animation, is never to be forgotten!
50 One of the Best!!
I have been collecting Disney videos for ten years, but sadly missed out getting a copy of this video at the time of it's first release,I have always ranked this movie with The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio(my personal favorites) and recomend it to anyone who loves Disney
51 It is a great disney movie
I loved this movie, like all disneys it is a classic. If you haven't seen this movie you don't know what you are missing
52 Coolest movie
I think that Disney should re-release it into theaters........And I think it's the best movie ever!!! It's the ONLY movie that I ever watch, because I love Vincent Price!!!!!!!!!!!! And you can guess why my e-mail has 'rat' in it... Vincent Price + Ratigan + Rat=??? HAHAH FUNNY
