The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Continuing in the 1980s, we come to The Great Mouse Detective.

The Movie:

The Great Mouse Detective is the 26th movie in the Disney Animated Canon and the penultimate film of Disney's Dark Age.  Coming on the heels of the disastrous Black Cauldron, this is the movie that kept Disney animation in business, setting the stage for the beginning of the Disney Renaissance three years later.  It was met with positive reviews from critics and was a moderate financial success.

The Great Mouse Detective is based on the Basil of Baker Street books by Eve Titus, which in turn draw heavily on the lore of Sherlock Holmes.  This movie is set in Victorian London, where a mouse society lives within the human world.  When her toymaker father is kidnapped, young Olivia Flaversham sets out to find the famous Basil in the hopes that he can track her father down.  Olivia is found by Dr. Dawson, and the two of them make their way to Baker Street.  Basil is initially too distracted to help, as he is trying to find the villainous Professor Ratigan, but when Basil discovers that the two cases are related, he sets out with Dawson and Olivia to find Olivia's father.

This really is an underrated movie.  The Great Mouse Detective often gets lumped in with the other films of the 70s and 80s, but this one really does rise above them.  The story is fun and interesting, the pacing moves nicely, the characters are likable, and the voice acting is superb.  Vincent Price voices the villain Professor Ratigan, and he hams it up with wonderful flair.  Disney fans may also recognize the voice of Olivia's father Hiram - it's Alan Young, aka Scrooge McDuck.  The problem with watching this movie on the small screen is that is doesn't do the climax justice.  I remember seeing The Great Mouse Detective in theaters during its 1992 re-release, and the scenes inside the Elizabeth Tower clock are stunning.  (This is also one of Disney's earliest uses of CGI in its animated movies.)  The biggest downside of the movie is that the animation, while pretty good, doesn't quite have the polish that the Renaissance Era films do.

As to the music, I have two words.  Henry.  Mancini.  He is one of the great film composers of all time, and he can write some awesome music.  I mean, from the main title track, this score just draws you in.  It's a shame that this soundtrack isn't well-known.  Disney didn't even release an album of this movie!  Mancini also co-wrote (with Ellen Fitzhugh and Larry Grossman) two songs for this movie, both sung by Vincent Price as Ratigan.  Everyone always talks about "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind," which is helped by Price's over-the-top performance, but for my money "Goodbye So Soon" is even catchier.  The other song, "Let Me Be Good to You," was written and performed by Melissa Manchester, and this high-spirited burlesque number is also fun.

Let me conclude by saying that this movie really did plant the scenes for the Disney Renaissance.  It was the first film directed by the team of Ron Clements and John Musker, who would go on to do The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana.  The artist behind Ratigan was the legendary Glen Keane, who would later design Ariel, the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Tarzan.  There's some great work in this movie.

Presence in the Parks:

Sadly, as is the case with most the 80s movies, you probably won't find any references to The Great Mouse Detective at the parks, but they have been known to pop up occasionally.