Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

elicopperman The first half of the 80s was not a great time for Disney, as their films were barely financial hits and they were even threatening to close down their animation facility. It wouldn't be until the new generation of artists at the studio gave us their second film, The Great Mouse Detective, based on the Basil of Baker Street book series. While it was beaten out by An American Tail the same year, it did well with critics and earned enough money to save Disney from bankruptcy, so at least we would get Roger Rabbit, The Disney Renaissance and more down the road. But how does this film hold up?The main story centers in Victorian London, England, where a little mouse named Olivia Flaversham has her toymaker father abducted by a peglegged bat. Along with Major David Q. Dawson, she seeks the aid of Basil of Baker Street, basically Sherlock Holmes as a mouse. The case expands as Basil uncovers the crime's link to a plot against the British crown from the notorious Professor Ratigan. Pretty simple concept, yet the movie finds a way to make it fun, interesting, and even heartwarming at times. For one, the characters are absolutely delightful, whether it be the arrogant yet quick witted, intelligent and bold Basil, to the kind hearted albeit absent minded Dawson, to the innocent and cute Olivia, to even the villain Ratigan.Speaking of Ratigan, he is one of my favorite Disney villains, especially with Vincent Price lending his voice and mannerisms to the character. Ratigan is a villain who may seem cunning and cheery at first, but it's clear that he is hiding his inner demons, and it's not until the end when he finally lets it out. If there's one thing I adore about a villain, it's one who adores being evil and just embraces it all. Granted, his sidekick Fidget is kind of annoying and rather pathetic, but whenever Basil is around Ratigan, that's when his hatred for Basil shines through and it creates such a maniacal albeit witty presence that's always delightful to watch.The animation for this film was actually made in a year to reduce costs along with the aid of computers, and needless to say, it looks great. Not only does it feature the same lovable character designs one would expect from a Disney film, but the character animation is upbeat visual eye candy, the gritty backgrounds of London really fit the setting, the effects are fun to watch, and the usage of CGI (specifically the clock tower cogs) is barely even noticeable it's that well made. The music score and villain songs done by Henry Mancini, Ellen Fitzhugh and Larry Grossman are fun to listen to, deliciously sinister, fast and suspenseful when needed, and even subtly emotional when need be. Although one song written and perfumed by Melissa Manchester is.....well, let's just say it almost got this movie a PG rating....yeah.So overall, The Great Mouse Detective is not only a massive improvement over The Black Cauldron (which came out a year earlier mind you), but it's simply a delightful, upbeat and often suspenseful feature filled with lovable characters, high stakes, solid fast paced animation, hearty laughs, a chipper soundtrack, and overall, a fun adventure. It's a shame this movie isn't as talked about as other Disney films, because this is a movie worth checking out whether you're a fan of Disney, animation, or even the book series that this was based on. Fievel may have taken their glory, but who's to say this film can't be adored either?

Gavin Cresswell (gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297) In London, a toy maker named Flaversham gets captured by a bat with a one pegged leg named Fidget, while Olivia, the toy maker's daughter, searches for help. After meeting Dr. Dawson, they meet a detective known as Basil of Baker Street and after telling what happened, he deducts that the bat is working for his arch-nemesis, Professor Ratigan. The three set off to find some clues to find the nefarious criminal while Professor Ratigan is using the toy maker to rule all of London. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker who would later direct "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "Hercules", "Treasure Planet", and "The Princess and the Frog". Released in July 2, 1986.When I was a kid, I remember watching this on video at my aunt's house. It was really interesting considering this was made by Disney. A few years later, I looked at the reception and understood why everyone loved it and now I'm one of those people. Now I still like The Lion King (a childhood favorite of mine that I grew up with), and many other Disney films, but this film does fell a bit underrated.There are so many good things about this film that really made it worth it. The story is superb. The idea of making a mouse version of Sherlock Holmes is executed really well. What also works is that it has mystery, suspense, and some fun to go along with it. The script is very well-written. The humor is really good and doesn't jar with the overall dark tone of the film. There are also some smart moments including the rivalry between Basil and Professor Ratigan, the chemistry between Basil and Dr. Dawson, and the final battle at Big Ben, which things get really intense and scary at the same time. The music score from Henry Mancini is really good. It mixes whimsy and sinister perfectly, forming a cohesive adventure. Also, the songs including "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" and "Let Me Be Good To You" are really good. The melodies are perfect and the lyrics are fun.The best part about the film is the characters. Olivia Flaversham is adorable, Hiram Flaversham is really sympathetic after getting captured by Fidget, who also has some amusing moments as the funny, but also scary henchman and the other characters including the burlesque dancer at the bar Miss Kitty are enjoyable, but Basil and Professor Ratigan are the best characters in the entire film.Basil is a psychopathic detective with a heart of gold while Professor Ratigan is a funny, but at the same time terrifying. What makes them work is not only the voice actors Barrie Ingham and Vincent Price, but like I said before, their rivalry. Their ways of trying to outwit each other is worthwhile even in the final battle.If there's one thing I would point out that is while the animation is really good especially the visuals, there are some crude stuff in it that might me questionable, but that's my only nitpick.Overall, The Great Mouse Detective is not only underrated, but it does manage to be a really good version of Sherlock Holmes by taking the idea of the character and turning it into something fresh. Sure it got overshadowed by Don Bluth's An American Tail, but this along with that classic are really well-written animated mouse adventures. On it's 30th Anniversary, this receives a thumbs up from me and is really recommended to those who haven't seen it yet. :)

Anssi Vartiainen The Great Mouse Detective was a critical film for Disney Studios. The Black Cauldron has bombed spectacularly at the box offices, and the corporation was seriously considering closing down its entire animation department. Either The Great Mouse Detective proved that Disney could still produce some income through its films or the legacy of Disney films would have ended right there.Luckily, it did more than well and allowed the animation studio to stay open, which in turn led directly to the Disney Renaissance a few years later. Since then, it has become something of a forgotten Disney classic. It has its own fans, certainly, but most 90s kids tend to remember the Renaissance films over it, and for a good reason, given their quality. But this movie has a lot of good things going for it as well, and should be appreciated because of them.The greatest thing about the movie is no doubt its energy. It captures the mood of Sherlock Holmes's London perfectly and is overall a bouncing, fast-paced adventure to stop the evil Professor Ratigan - a rodent version of Moriarty, obviously. The film flows flawlessly and even the animation style has an excellent grasp of movement, fluidity and space.The characters are also a lot of fun, from quite honestly nutty Basil of Baker Street to Dr. Dawson to Hiram Flaversham, a genius toymaker utilized for his talents for nefarious purposes. Ratigan is also a great Disney villain, voiced by the great Vincent Price, who gives him a suave yet menacing purr.It's a great movie, all things considered. I wouldn't call one of the best Disney films, it's not quite there, but it's definitely one of the most important films in Disney's cinematic history. Absolutely worth a watch if you haven't seen it already.

kill-the-boxtrolls I have a feeling that I've watched this film at a very very early age, but I'm not quite sure since I was watching a lot of Disney films at the time (I think) and it had to be a very short scene of it... Basil looks kind of familiar.This very entertaining surprise shows a small mouse named Olivia that gets her father, Professor Ratigan kidnapped on her birthday and her father! Dawson finds her crying inside a shoe, lost. So he helps her.Now this is where the entertaining part starts, Olivia convinces Basil to help her search for her father. I thought I'd really like it but the ending when Basil almost dies and then Olivia cries was somewhat poor. But that's probably because I really loved Basil and I was shocked to see him falling like that! The film, while being quite forgettable is actually somewhat memorable!Olivia is a little too naive though. But the rest of the cast is pretty great! And the voice acting fitted them perfectly, yet you'll fall in love with them!I also fell in love with the cinematography, art, and animation! It's all top-notch!I don't like mysteries but this film managed to engage me! I think it's entertaining for all ages! You would like this is you like comedies.