AC22: Random Movie Review - Basil The Great Mouse Detective

Yes even Disney wanted a piece of Sherlock Holmes. But this being Disney, they decided to do their own version with mice and at least one rat. Not many people know about this classic film, but some aspects of it inspired much of the Disney Renaissance films (particularly the 3D elements during its climax. So it looks like we are in for a good time here if British things and anything to do with detectives have anything to say about it. So let's get to it:

Set during what is apparently supposed to be the summer of 1897, a young mouse called Olivia (voiced by Susanne Pollatschek) is having a birthday celebration with her toymaker father called Hiram (voiced by Alan Young). But when a crippled bat enters the house and kidnaps Hiram, Olivia sets out to find the great mouse detective Basil (voiced by Barrie Ingham) but gets lost until Dr. David Q. Dawson (voiced by Val Bettin) finds her and they both go to Baker Street to find Basil. There Basil learns that the crippled bat is an accomplice of his arch nemesis Professor Ratigan (voiced by Vincent Price) and sets out to finally be rid of him before Hiram's fate is sealed.

Perhaps a bit dark for Disney audiences, but its nevertheless a good film. It manages to do its own take on Sherlock Holmes and in a way, it stands out as an original take on him. Its fun, shows us a glimpse at what the Disney Renaissance may look like and is good for those who aren't too keen on the more mature British detectives. 9/10