Everyone knows the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Whether you were introduced to him in the recent 2009 film, the CBS Series, his book series, or even an awesome episode of Star Trek (I'm not joking there either), chances are, you've at least heard the name, and know that he's regarded as one of the best, if not the absolute best detective in mystery fiction. My first take on the great detective however came in the form of a Disney cartoon, and when I first watched it, I didn't know the name Sherlock Holmes. Some of you may be able to share the same experience. "The Great Mouse Detective" is a very charming take on Sherlock Holmes, and probably one of the most underrated films of the Disney animated movies. There are many things in this movie that make me smile, and just so many things that are done right in this film. From the charming adaptions of the Sherlock and Watson roles, to the mystery, to the villain. It's all done splendidly.
The film takes place in London, 1897, where we follow the case of a disappearing father. Though originally just shown to be a classic case of a parent gone missing, the film pulls a classic "it's not as simple as you think" card on the viewer and goes into a case that involves the fate of the entire Kingdom...or "Mousedom" and the Queen herself. One can look at this and say that it's been done a hundred times before, and that it's probably been done better, but with the fast-paced yet very followable storytelling, and nonstop thrill ride, it is a mystery movie that is very much fun to witness. Several points attribute to this. The film knows how to show a scene in which quiet is needed. The film knows how to pull a surprise that no one expects. And the film knew how to cast.
The only character that I thought was a bit out of place was the voice of the eight-year-old mouse of the film, Oliia. She is voiced by Susanne Pollatschek, and I do believe she was a child voice actor. As such, some of her lines I feel were out of place at times. They were still believable, and her character was easy to relate to, but you can't help but wonder if maybe she spoke a little too loud into the microphone during some takes or whatnot. Barrie Ingham does a great job at voicing Basil, really bringing the life out of the character. His emotions, to despair, to joy, to sheer annoyance are so well done. And the stuttering personality of Dr. Dawson is portrayed wonderfully by Val Bettin. But let's be honest here...the real star of the voice acting goes to none other than the late great Vincent Price, who you can tell had a lot of fun voicing the film's antagonist, Professor Ratigan.
Ratigan deserves a paragraph all on his own. He is easily one of the best villains I've ever seen out of Disney. I don't know if that's because of Vincent's phenomenal voice acting in the character, or whatnot, but he's such a unique villain. He even made the number 3 spot on my all time favorite Disney Villains list (behind Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" and Claude Frollo from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"). He's always fun when on screen, which is something you can't say about villains a lot of the time. A lot of Disney movies will portray their villains as devious evil masterminds, who would make your skin crawl. And though the film does a good job of describing Ratigan as such, on screen, he's always so suave, unafraid to crack a joke, be a gentleman, and then in the blink of an eye, he can transform into a terrifying intimidating character that makes you wanna jump out of your skin. Vincent Price himself said that playing Ratigan was probably his most favorite role he ever did in his career. And it really does shine in this. With not one, but two songs in which he sings, and just amazing tones in his dialogue, it's probably one of the most memorable voice performances in a Disney movie.
Another thing that really keeps this movie rolling is the music. Now I will say that some of the musical numbers in this film, I feel didn't need to be included, such as a number that is done in a low-life pub, in which a drugged Dr. Dawson accidentally starts off a drunken brawl, but the score in this movie is energetic, and easily fits the film's pacing. That opening theme after we see the disappearance of Olivia's father, is beyond catchy, and can easily get stuck in your head. The theme is played in various styles in the movie, quiet in the quiet scenes, and fast during a wonderfully done, even if a little over the top chase scene.
The final thing I wanna point out about this film is the climax. This climax I highly believe is probably the absolute best climax scene that a Disney movie has ever done. I will not spoil too much of it, but even if this movie wasn't as fun to watch, this climax would have made it alone worth watching. It starts immediately after Ratigan's vessel crashes in to the face of the famous Elizabeth Tower, home of the famous Big Ben clock tower. You are transported to the inside mechanics and gears of of the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world, and a conflict between Basil and Ratigan begins, which is wonderfully paced, and very thrilling to watch. Each blow that is struck sounds like it hurts, it sounds real, and the visualization of the gears and the clock tower just really sets this climax at a higher level than any other climax I've ever seen in a Disney movie. It is 5 minutes that make up for ANY shortcomings this film has to offer, and there really aren't that many that I can find. And it leads to an ending that can pull at the heartstrings just a bit.
"The Great Mouse Detective" is a very fun film for both children and adults, and a great way to perhaps get introduced to the Sherlock stories. I'm not the biggest follower of the great detective himself, but I cannot deny that the writing of his mysteries is very much always a treat to watch, read, or whatnot. This film is no different. Is it maybe a bit simpler, with some plot elements we've seen before? Yeah, but none of that detracts from the quality of this film's writing, and performance. There is life in this film, beyond the animation drawings and voice talents. Life that in many other disney movies, just isn't there. It's a true gem to have come out before the Disney giants that we're all familiar with today. And many people who worked on this would go on to help make those great movies we all know from Disney.
All of this put together makes this film near legendary in my own personal opinion. A masterpiece. An underrated masterpiece. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this film, and it's not hard to find. That is why, I am awarding this film, the highest rating I can give, a full on four stars out of four. Again, there may be some shortcomings in this film but nothing so bad that it would detract the quality of some clever mystery writing, that is easy to follow for all ages, and memorable characters that are brought to life in more ways than one. Coming from a time when Disney movies were coming out of an era that was not that strong, that really does hammer the point for me. While many films of the disney era before this or even slightly after this were forgettable, this first step was a great step in the right direction to giving us some of the many films we know and love by Disney today. And it still holds up today. A jolly good show indeed.
Feel free to request a movie for me to watch and write my thoughts about. Leave a comment expressing your own thoughts on the film here, and as always, thanks for reading.
Final Verdict: 4/4
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