The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Directed by Ron Clements, Dave Michener, Burny Mattinson & John Musker. Starring (voices) Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, Val Bettin, Susane Pollatschek, Alan Young, Candy Candido, Diana Chesney, Eve Brenner. [G]

Very entertaining Disney adventure based on the children’s books, “Basil of Baker Street” (written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone), which was, of course, inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. After her toymaker father is kidnapped, a little mouse named Olivia turns to the great rodent sleuth, Basil of Baker Street, to solve the case. Following the trail of clues, Basil makes a startling discovery: the kidnapping was planned by none other than his nemesis, the criminal mastermind, Professor Ratigan. It’s ultimately a pretty flimsy scheme Ratigan is hatching, and there’s not much depth to the character relationships or their emotions, but it’s smart family entertainment—beautifully animated and directed, with the personalities of Basil and Ratigan popping off the screen (thanks in part to a delicious voice performance from Vincent Price as the dastardly foe), and there’s never a dull moment. Introductory scenes with Basil meeting Dr. Dawson, a clever Rube Goldberg machine-style trap, and a thrilling finale on either side of Big Ben’s clock face rank among the best moments. Re-released (for no apparent reason) in the early-90s as The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective. Voice samples of Basil Rathbone are used for Sherlock Holmes’ “cameo”.

80/100