In 1958, children’s author, Eve Titus published a novel called, “Basil of Baker Street.” Set in the Victorian era, story follows the titular character who’s a mouse is assigned to find missing mouse twins. Basil’s sidekick, David Q. Dawson accompanies him. As they search for the twins, the pair learn the kidnapper is Basil’s archenemy, Professor Padraic Ratigan. Anyway, Basil of Baker Street spawned a book series. Basically, Sherlock Holmes with mice. Three Decades Later, Disney produced an animated film adaptation loosely based on the series.
Released in 1986, (same year David Cronenberg’s The Fly came out) “The Great Mouse Detective” earned good reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it was a solid box office hit. The film’s success helped Disney produced “Oliver and Company and the one that launched the “Disney Renaissance,” “The Little Mermaid.” Personally, the latter doesn’t hold up. If you wanna know why I dislike The Little Mermaid, read my review on it. Anyway, I have two reasons why I wanna review The Great Mouse Detective.
- Toy Story 5 will be released in June 19, 2026.
- Millie Bobby Brown will reprise her role as Enola Holmes in a third installment streaming in July 1, 2026 exclusively on Netflix.
This review contains no SPOILERS. I’m giving you newcomers a chance to see this gem.
Solved & Unsolved Aspects
Solved: Vincent Price & Barrie Ingham both did a good job for their respective voiceover performances.
Ron Clements & John Musker both did a decent job as co-directors in their directorial debuts. They later worked on “Aladdin,” “Hercules,” “Treasure Planet,” “The Princess and the Frog” & “Moana.” The Little Mermaid sucks.
Animation still holds up for a movie from 1986.
Funny Moments in between. Fidget the Bat stole the film.
Fun Facts
- The final battle set in the Big Ben climax predates “Shanghai Knights.” Still waiting on a third “Shanghai Noon“ sequel with Jackie Chan & Owen Wilson.
- Vincent Price stated he always wanted to be in a Disney movie. He got his wish.
- Basil’s named after Basil Rathbone. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the past.
- Both The Great Mouse Detective & “An American Tail” both came out in 1986. They have a theme involving a mouse as the main protagonist.
Random Thoughts
- I confess. I never read the books in 1st-6th Grade. I only read “The Lord of the Rings” & “Harry Potter.”
- Fidget the Bat reminds me of Stripe from “Gremlins.” Fidget ain’t that scary. I thought he was adorable.
- One reviewer, BloggedByEric claimed The Great Mouse Detective felt way too short. He contradicted himself. Why? Because he likes “Dumbo.” It was 64 minutes long. The former was 77 minutes long. He unintentionally embarrassed himself. Same guy who wrote a college essay for “Cinderella” praised The Little Mermaid by giving it a 9/10. Yikes! If I were BloggedByEric’s college professor, I would’ve given him an F and say “fool of a took” like Gandalf in “The Lord of the Rings.” “Throw yourself next time and rid us of your stupidity.”
- Anyway, if I were in film school, I would most definitely write an essay about why Marvel movies are pure cinema. I don’t consider Dumbo and Cinderella as top-tier movies.
Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther series) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Pacing didn’t feel like a slow burn at all. I was hooked right from the get-go.
Basil’s chemistry with Dawson & Olivia serves as the main highlight. I was afraid the latter was gonna be an annoying brat like Penny from “The Rescuers.” Thank goodness she didn’t act like a brat.
The Clock Tower scene was inspired by “Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro.” Which is Hayao Miyazaki’s first animated film.
Early use of CGI blended in traditional animation still holds up pretty well. Still better than Henry Cavill’s digitally removed mustache in Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut of “Justice League.”
Basil Ratbone has a voiceover cameo as Sherlock Holmes.
Unsolved: Although not a musical, only three songs are used. Kinda feels outta left field. I’m willing to accept The LEGO Batman Movie’s musical moment “Who’s the (Bat) Man.” Because it was played for laughs. The Great Mouse Detective however was random like that one dumb musical scene from “Tank Girl.”
A bad guy bar features a burlesque performance. It has not connection to the plot whatsoever. Jessica Alba as a stripper in “Sin City” played an important part. Ugh! She’s a terrible actress.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BRILLIANT!
The Great Mouse Detective still holds up. From my point of view, it’s one of the only two good animated Disney movies along with Oliver and Company. If you’re into detective movies, check this one out.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 