The Great Mouse Detective

Based on the late Eve Titus' children's book series Basil of Baker Street, Disney's 26th animated film finds Victorian London mouse detective Basil (whose residence is directly below that of Sherlock Holmes) hot on the trail of the evil Professor Ratigan (deliciously voiced by Vincent Price) and his peg-legged henchbat Fidget (voiced by the late Candy Candido), who've kidnapped young mouse Olivia's toymaker father as part of a dastardly plot to overthrow the Queen of Mousedom. Made in 1986, during the relatively fallow period before 1989's The Little Mermaid ushered in the second great age of Disney animation, The Great Mouse Detective is rather uninspired, plot-wise, but nevertheless offers its own charms, including a notably dark sense of humor (when dirty rat Ratigan is displeased with someone, he rings a dainty dinner bell to summon a huge feline to snack on the offender); the sultry dance number "Let Me Be Good to You" (performed by Melissa Manchester), sung in the Rat Trap Saloon, where rodents smoke, drink, and generally raise hell; Henry Mancini's score (his first for an animated feature); and the exciting climactic chase scene inside Big Ben--Disney's first use of computer-animated graphics in a feature-length animated film. Boasting a solid widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the disc's extras include an eight-minute "making of," a pair of classic Disney cartoons ("Clock Cleaners" and "Donald's Crime"), an art gallery, and the sing-along song "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind." Recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Apr. 27, 2010—Walt Disney, 74 min., G, $19.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1986's The Great Mouse Detective features a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette (8 min.), the new “So You Think You Can Sleuth” game, “The Worlds Greatest Criminal Mind” sing-along song, a brief “Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray is Suite!” tutorial (even though there is currently no Blu-ray version of this film available), and a short “Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies On the Go” tutorial on the Disney File digital copy (even though there is no digital copy included with the film). Bottom line: if you own the earlier DVD release, skip this one as it adds little new.][Blu-ray Review—Oct. 23, 2012—Walt Disney, 74 min., G, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1986's The Great Mouse Detective sports a great transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Extras are nearly identical to the previous DVD release, including a “making-of” featurette (8 min.), the new “So You Think You Can Sleuth” game, “The World's Greatest Criminal Mind” sing-along song, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for this Disney charmer.]