The Great Mouse Detective

The Great Mouse Detective is an oft overlooked Disney classic.  Hailing from 1986, The film is based on the Basil of Baker Street book series by Eve Titus and is a reimagining of the story of Sherlock Homes with mice as the protagonists.  The title character, Basil (Barrie Inghamn), lives in the basement of the infamous Baker Street address and shares many similarities with the great detective that lives above him.

Our story begins with a sweet scene between Susanne Pollatschek in her one and only role as young Olivia Flaversham, and Olivia's toymaker father, Hiram.  Hiram is played by the great voice actor Alan Young who possibly is most recognized as the voice of Scrooge McDuck.  The touching moment quickly turns frightening as Hiram is violently kidnapped by a peg-legged bat - the delightfully neurotic Fidget (Candy Candido).  Leaving to seek the help of Basil in finding her father, Olivia ends up lost in London until she is found by Dr. Dawson (Val Bettin).  Together they locate the great mouse detective.  And thus begins a madcap adventure which leads them against flamboyant evil genius, Ratigan, voiced by the late great Vincent Price in his all time favorite villain role.

Despite being a G rated, animated Disney film starring mice, this is a surprisingly intelligent, witty, well executed piece of cinematography that is far more mature than most kid flicks today.  I was surprised to see the G rating - You would be hard pressed to get a G rating for a film that includes alcohol, smoking, violent death, and even overt sexuality.  Not to mention what would be labeled as "frightening imagery and scenes of peril."  Make no mistake, these knives are sharp and the tiny guns shoot real bullets.  This is also, for the most part, not a musical, making it stand even further apart from it's Disney kin.

Barrie Inghamn produces a performance of wild eccentric genius that would give Robert Downey Jr. a run for his money in his portrayal of the timeless hero.  The escape scene is pure genius and reminds me a bit of Action Man's talent of seeing all mathematical possibilities at once.  The real treat, however, is the final fight sequence, showcasing the first extended use of computer generated imagery - by which I mean a computer controlled a robotic hand to draw the sequence.  Despite the primitive start, it is executed beautifully and the animation still holds it's own against today's animated films.

If you haven't reached the point where you feel a G rated cartoon is beneath you - and I pray you never get to that point - this is an excellent throwback to a time before the shclock shoved to kids these days.

***** (5/5 stars)