Hey guys! Gerawallstar here and I am finally here to review the 26th Walt Disney animated film The Great Mouse Detective, which was released in 1986. When this film was released, it wasn’t a financial success at the box office. However, it did receive positive reviews and it did well enough at the box office to save Disney after being nearly bankrupt due to the dismal performance of the black cauldron. In my opinion, I loved this movie. It’s an amazing/underrated movie from Disney.
Story:
This film is about two mice named Basil and Dawson saving Olivia and Hiram Flaversham after being kidnapped by Ratigan. In my opinion, the story is fantastic. I loved the way the movie portrays Sherlock Holmes with showcasing mystery, clues and discoveries. I loved the scenes such as Dawson and Basil searching for clues in an abandoned toy store. I loved the bar scene where two mice were stripping. Its something you dont see in Disney today. The moments where Ratigan used his Cat to manipulate the mice was hilarious. The climax is Brilliant with its fast paced tone and awesome chase scene in the Big Ben sequence. The ending was great too. The story here is fantastic although there is one flaw with the story and that’s in the beginning. I’m not talking about the beginning in general. But what I am referring to is the moment where you see Fidget the Bat’s jumpscare. That was creepy. Alas, the story stands out and its well-written. I give this story nine stars.
Animation:
The animation may look cheap but the animation is still really really good. I loved the dark atmosphere the film offers in the visuals. The designs of all of the characters are done well. I loved the details and the designs of the toys and other objects. The colors are grim which matches the dark tone really well. The stand out moment in the animation however is the groundbreaking CGI of the Gears in the Big Ben Sequence. This is the early uses of the CAPS system, and its really innovative. The animation may not be ambitious as the black cauldron, but it is still amazing. I give the animation the stars.
Characters:
All of the characters stand out in this movie. The main character Basil is a amazing protagonist with being intelligent and egotistical but the difference is that hes very likeable and you want to root for him. Dawson is a great character with his naivete and curiosity about things. Olivia is a Brilliant child character. One of the Disneys bests child characters with her being cute and her childlike/naive characteristics being the strong elements of her. I like Hiram because he is a great dad to Olivia and hes a great inventor. Toby the Dog is cute. Fidget the bat is a hilarious sidekick to the villain and that is mainly because of the performance of the voice actor Candy Candido. The best character of the film is the villain Ratigan. He is an underrated Disney villain with him being like Basil as egotistical but more cunning in being evil and cruel. He is a competent villain that in my opinion puts him up there with the best villains such as Gaston, Ursula and Maleficent. I loved his performance by legendary actor Vincent Prince. Fun fact: out of all the roles and voices Price has done, he claimed that Ratigan was his favorite character to do. And you can see why because his performance in the movie is amazing that he should’ve gotten nominated for an Oscar. The characters are amazing. I give the characters nine stars.
Verdict:
The Great Mouse Detective is an amazing Disney movie with a wonderful story, groundbreaking animation and solid characters. This film is a complete 180 of the black cauldron which I find very disappointing. I recommend this film to those that love animals and action in a Disney movie. I give this film nine stars out of ten.
