I am not sure if I noticed when The Great Mouse Detective was first released in 1986.  I know I didn't see the movie in the theater, though I did get the movie on VHS at some point.  A new DVD version of the movie was recently released and I decided to add it to my DVD collection.

In the late 1800's in London, Olivia Flaversham is wither her father Hiram in his toy shop one evening when a bat with a peg leg breaks in and takes Hiram.  Olivia is found by Dr. David Dawson after she gets lost trying to find Basil of Baker Street, a detective she believes can help find her father.  Dawson helps Olivia find Basil.  At first he isn't interested, but that quickly changes after he hears part of Olivia's story.  With that information, he is able to connect it to his enemy, Professor Ratigan.  Basil starts his investigation with the assistance of Dawson.

The Great Mouse Detective is based on the Basil of Baker Street series of books by Eve Titus.  I've never read any of the book, so I don't know how close the movie is to the book series.  From the research I've done, it seems like the book series are a version of Sherlock Holmes for children.  In the books, the mouse community where Basil lives is in the basement of Sherlock Holmes's house at 221B Baker Street.  For the movie, Basil still lives in the basement of Sherlock's home and it seems like the mouse community is spread around London instead of being confined to that area.

I think the story for The Great Mouse Detective is interesting and makes for an entertaining movie overall.  I love the idea of Basil being a mouse version of Sherlock Holmes and think that added a lot of the interest to the story.  The first few minutes introduce Olivia and her father and show Hiram is taken by the peg leg bat.  Dr. Dawson is the next to turn up, followed by Mrs. Judson, Basil, and finally Ratigan.  Things progress at a decent pace for the most part, though one or two scenes are slightly slower.  Those few scenes don't slow things down so much that things become boring.  There are a few funny moments throughout the movie that help to keep the mood lighter.

I think there is a decent amount of mystery to what is going on in The Great Mouse Detective.  When Hiram is taken, it isn't clear who did or it or why.  Those things slowly come out over the course of the movie.  The mystery is interesting even though it isn't that complex.  It may be more difficult for children to figure everything out.  There aren't as many mystery movies made for children, and I do think this one is done well.  A bit of suspense does turn up in a few scenes, as does some violence.  Nothing too extreme happens, though one or two things might be upsetting for younger children.  Some of what happens is predictable even though there are a few minor surprises.

The Great Mouse Detective is created with traditional hand drawn animation.  Some images from a scene later in the movie were created with computer graphics.  The animation is done well and I think it has held up well.  It doesn't have the same look as some other Disney animated movies, but I still think the animation is good.  The backgrounds look more static overall, though they are still colorful during certain scenes.  Several outdoor scenes include fog, so that does make things look a bit muted and murky which actually works for the movie.  The way the different locations around London do help to build the atmosphere and even give a bit of a spooky feel to a few scenes.  The movie only has a few songs which are entertaining.  The score, composed by Henry Mancini, works really well for the movie and what is going on.

Hiram is a talented toy maker, which ties into why he is targeted by Ratigan.  Hiram isn't in a lot of the movie, so he isn't that developed.  It is made clear how much he loves his daughter.  When I first heard him talk, I thought he sounded like Scrooge McDuck.  That makes sense since Alan Young also does the voice for Scrooge.  Olivia does her best to find her father even though she is only a child.  She is easily distracted at times, which does put her into danger at times.  She is a cute character and Susanne Pollatschek does fine with the voice.  

Dr. Dawson has just returned to London when he discovers Olivia and decides to help her.  He does his best in the dangerous situations he ends up in.  Val Bettin does a good job with the voice of the character.  Mrs. Judson is Basil's landlady.  She is only in a few short scenes, but she seems kind.  Basil is well known in the mouse community as a detective.  He is willing to go to some rather extreme lengths at times while on a case.  He plays the violin, does various experiements, and his very intelligent.  He can get distracted once he gets focused on something.  Barrie Ingham does really well with the voice of the character.  

Ratigan is a criminal who has committed all kinds of crimes.  He is a rat, but he gets very, very angry if anyone dares to call him a rat, going so far as to feed one of his flunkies to his pet cat Felicia.  Ratigan is very devious and willing to do anything to achieve his goals, making him a great villain.  Vincent Price does a wonderful job with the voice of the character.  Fidget is the peg leg bat who does some of Ratigan's dirty work.  He doesn't say a lot, but his voice is unique sounding.

Main Voice Cast
    
Val Bettin - Dr. Dawson
Barrie Ingham - Basil of Baker Street
Susanne Pollatschek - Olivia
Vincent Price - Ratigan
Alan Young - Hiram

Directed by Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Bade Michener and John Musker

DVD Information

I picked up The Great Mouse Detective recently after the new Mystery in the Mist edition was released.  I know there has been at least one other DVD release.  I have seen the other release in stores, though I have no idea what extras were part of that DVD release.  The new version has a few extras that are interesting.  The Making of The Great Mouse Detective shares information about the making of the movie, like how computer graphics were mixed with traditional hand drawn animation.  The extra is entertaining and worth watching.  There is a little game and a sing along for one of the songs from the movie.  There is also something about the benefits of Blu-ray and some trailers for other movies.

It seems like The Great Mouse Detective has been overlooked by many people, even fans of Disney animated movies.  The movie is really good and deserves more appreciation than it has gotten.  I really enjoyed the movie and am glad I picked up the DVD.

This review is part of CaptainD's Good Movies EpiGuide 3 Write Off.

Animated Movie Reviews
101 Dalmatians ~ Aladdin ~ Alice in Wonderland ~ The Ant Bully ~ Antz ~ The Aristocats ~ Barnyard ~ Batman: Mask of the Phantasm ~ Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero ~ Beauty and the Beast ~ Bee Movie ~ Bolt ~ Brother Bear ~ A Bug's Life ~ Cars ~ Chicken Little ~ Chicken Run ~ Cloudy WIth a Chance of Meatballs ~ Coraline ~ Disney's A Christmas Carol ~ Doctor Strange ~ The Emperor's New Groove ~ Finding Nemo ~ A Flintstone's Christmas Carol ~ Flushed Away ~ Garfield: Holiday Celebrations ~ Happily N'Ever After ~ Happy Feet ~ Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron ~ Hellboy Animated - Sword of Storms ~ Home on the Range ~ Hoodwinked ~ Horton Hears a Who ~ How to Train Your Dragon ~ Ice Age ~ Ice Age: The Meltdown ~ Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ~ Igor ~ The Incredibles ~ Invincible Iron Man ~ Jetsons: The Movie ~ Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius ~ Kung Fu Panda ~ Lilo & Stitch ~ The Little Mermaid ~ Looney Tunes: Back in Action ~ Madagascar ~ Meet the Robinsons ~ Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas ~ Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas ~ Monster House ~ Monsters, Inc. ~ Monsters vs. Aliens ~ Mulan ~ The Nightmare Before Christmas ~ Open Season ~ Over the Hedge ~ The Polar Express ~ Ratatouille ~ Robots ~ Shark Tale ~ Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors ~ Shrek ~ Shrek 2 ~ Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas ~ Sleeping Beauty ~ The Three Musketeers ~ Tim Burton's Corpse Bride ~ TMNT ~ Toy Story ~ Toy Story 2 ~ Treasure Planet ~ Ultimate Avengers ~ Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther ~ Up ~ Valiant ~ Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ~ Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death ~ Wallace & Gromit - Three Amazing Adventures ~ WALL-E ~ The Wild ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD