The similarities between those films aside, I think The Great Mouse Detective is a very interesting film in its own right. Certainly not that original, as it borrows both from that earlier film and of course the Sherlock Holmes canon. But though it’s clear when they made this Disney was still looking for an identity, you can definitely see the horizon of the Disney Renaissance.
Like The Rescuers, this film is set in a miniature world of mice beneath our own, only in this case it’s during Victorian times. When her inventor father is kidnapped by a vicious bat, a little girl called Olivia Flaversham seeks out Basil of Baker Street, the Great Mouse Detective who lives beneath Sherlock Holmes’ house. Clearly emanating Holmes, Basil takes on her case and with the help of the sympathetic Dr. Dawson deduces it’s part of a grand plan by his nemesis Professor Ratigan to seize the British throne -or the mouse British throne; a plan which he must do all in his power to thwart.
Early on in this film you can’t help but question why Disney didn’t just do Sherlock Holmes. They’d already adapted Robin Hood into a film starring animals, why not do the same here? Basil, Dawson, and Ratigan are so clearly Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty so why not just portray them as such? I don’t think the film would be a particularly bad adaptation, especially given how many there have been, if they had just done it as a Sherlock Holmes film. But as the film goes along you understand a little why they didn’t. It does offer the filmmakers the chance to have fun with a world, and the characters and story a little creative liberty. Because really, there’s never been a Holmes quite like Basil, who by the way is named as a really nice tribute to Basil Rathbone, the best actor ever to play the part (and who does so here, as a recording of Rathbone provides the voice of Holmes for his one line). While he’s still the incredibly cunning, rationalizing, and intuitive sleuth we all know, his social skills have been given quite an upgrade. In every version from the original stories to various films and Sherlock, Holmes is portrayed as fairly socially awkward in addition to being a master detective, which makes him respectable but not all that likable. Even Robert Downey Jr. tones down his charm when playing the character in the Guy Ritchie films. Basil however is charming and witty, and really a slick guy -something of a slightly smarter, Victorian Indiana Jones or James Bond, and really it sets him apart from Sherlock Holmes himself. He’s obviously someone who wants to be Holmes but isn’t quite Holmes, which I wish the film focussed on more. Basil lives literally in the shadow of this great detective and the film could have used his obsession with Holmes and desire to be like him as an important story point. Or at least made a comment about it. But it doesn’t, which feels like a wasted opportunity. Barrie Ingham is quite good in the role with Val Bettin as his Dr. Dawson, who’s not nearly as unique, drawing mostly on the popular characterization of Watson at the time, as a good-hearted but somewhat bumbling sidekick. As far as child characters in Disney go, Olivia’s not bad. She doesn’t do a whole lot and often needs saving, but she isn’t nearly as annoying as she could have been and is actually quite cute and believable at times. Her Scottish accent also helps her stand out. And her father is voiced as anyone who watches this film will guess, by Disney’s resident curmudgeonly Scot, Alan Young.
One of the best parts of the film though is Vincent Price as Ratigan. This has got to be maybe Disney’s best over-the-top villain. He’s campy, ludicrous, menacing at some times while at others incredibly not. It’s like a Tim Curry performance it’s so clear he’s having fun in his delivery. The combination of Price’s high-pitched hammy voice with this great design that seems ripped straight from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde makes for a hilarious and memorable villain. Every moment he’s on-screen is really great. Oh and he has a henchman called Fidgit who’s a bat and slightly more entertaining than the goblin from The Black Cauldron.
Ratigan may be a criminal genius (according to Basil, I’m not sure if I quite believe it), but his plan and by extension much of the movie is actually pretty dumb. Story-wise the evil plot to take over -in this case- England, is old and tired and out of a Holmes story I expect something a little more intelligent. That being said, The Great Mouse Detective really isn’t a Holmes story, which I think also sets it apart from the general Sherlock Holmes adaptations. It’s very action-oriented with situations and stunts even the recent Holmes movies and series wouldn’t really do. And it has some very bizarre story elements: like elaborate death traps, inventors building robot Queen Victorias, dirigible chases across the London sky, an intense climax that Batman and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would steal (though in fairness, this film stole it from The Castle of Cagliostro), and not forgetting Ratigan’s general campiness; all of which are pretty stupid. But... it reminds me a lot of those old Disney Afternoon shows. I’m not just saying this because Scrooge McDuck is in the movie, but the extraneous story elements feel very similar to the likes of DuckTales or Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers. This wasn’t that long before those shows first aired and captured both a sense of adventure and silliness that’s pretty endearing. And I definitely see it in this film. Even the animation which is a sight more appealing than The Black Cauldron, is in that similar vein. There are dopey moments and insane moments but the film’s just having fun with them. It takes itself seriously a few times which is fine, the climax though extreme for a story about a Sherlock Holmes wannabe is really great and the CG animation looks wonderful. There are some really cartoony moments like when Basil prepares for a photo to snap as he’s finishing a rescue and the cat Felicia unknowingly dropping into a dog pen. They’re really corny and really dumb but somehow they work.
...MOST of the time. Not everything that’s odd works. As I said, Disney was still trying to find an identity at this time and so like their last couple films they go for a couple darker and more mature moments in The Great Mouse Detective. And they are a few scenes that don’t fit in with the light-hearted family-friendly fare. Like the scene where Ratigan disposes of one of his minions by feeding him to his cat Felicia. The build-up, the scale of the cat, and the horror on the other mice’s faces is really grim. Which is fine, but this isn’t An American Tail where mice are put in peril almost every few minutes. It’s made even more strange by the immediate return to a whimsical song -the first Disney villain song in fact, “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” (it as well as “Goodbye So Soon” are unfortunately underrated Disney songs). It’s such a shift in tone that it’s kind of shocking. Oh yeah, and how about that scene at the pub? You’re watching this cute Disney mystery when suddenly it turns into a Ralph Bakshi movie! As if the imagery of bum alcoholics wasn’t enough, there’s a sequence and an historically anachronistic song called “Let Me Be Good to You” where a showgirl mouse sings seductively as the clientèle leer and cheer at her (it occurs to me this movie is one of the first to appeal to furries). It’s pretty overtly sexual for a Disney movie, and I’d be open to that kind of theme if it fit with the tone of the rest of the film. It’s as if the people at Disney saw the success of Don Bluth and his darker, risqué animated films, and were looking to replicate it. An American Tail which was also about mice, was released the very same year -and earned more than The Great Mouse Detective after all. But Disney’s still not really comfortable with exploring something that almost by definition is not Disney, and inserting scenes like this that draw attention to that, are more than a little awkward.
The Great Mouse Detective is still a decent film though. But you have to be open to the kind of tone it’s going for. If you don’t, I can see how you’d find it too ridiculous and derivative. However the animation’s good, there are some okay characters, including a very likable take on a classic figure, a relentlessly entertaining villain, and a cartoon adventure quality that’s fun and cute. And there are even some Easter eggs, like a couple Disney cameos and Basil donning a very Rathbone-esque moustache. I also have to admit I’m a bit of a sucker for the Victorian period (check out my Penny Dreadful reviews!). Many authors who are literary heroes of mine lived during that time, it’s my favourite historical era. So check this film out, it may not be for everyone, but it’s interesting enough to deserve at least one watch.
Next Week: Oliver & Company (1988)
Comments
Post a Comment