Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

MartinHafer "The Great Mouse Detective" was a very important Disney film for two important reasons. First, the studio was in horrible shape in the 1980s and it needed a hit badly...and the film was a considerable improvement in quality of some of the previous films (such as "The Black Cauldron"). Second, it was the first full-length Disney cartoon to have any computer animation and was way ahead of its time.As for the film itself, this is an enjoyable film and should please everyone. However, it's also a bit slight--easier to forget and not one that is what I would consider a must-see. The animation is about that of the Disney TV shows of the time (such as "Duck Tales" and "Gummi Bears") and the characters decent but derivative. Let's face it-- it's essentially Sherlock Holmes in mouse form. Also, the sexy singing mouse scene was unnecessary and a little bit gross (as is Ratigan's sidekick). On the plus size, Vince Price is terrific and the Olivia character quite cute. Worth seeing, of course, but not quite on par with their great films of the next two decades.

aileencorcoran I'd heard many great things about "Basil, The Great Mouse Detective." Having never seen it, I looked for it on YouTube and sure enough, I found it. What I got was an entertaining, charming little movie, so quintessentially British, on that fine bridge between the Dark Era of Disney and the Renaissance."Great Mouse Detective" is based on a series of children's books by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone, which are heavily inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes". Basil, the titular character, lives in Sherlock's house, for Basil is a mouse. The story starts out with a little mouse named Olivia (Susanne Pollatschek), whose father, renowned toymaker Mr Flaversham (Alan Young), is kidnapped by the evil henchman of Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price). Ratigan is planning to force Mr Flaversham into building a robot replica of the Mouse Queen (the Queen of England in mouse form), so he can fool the people into thinking he is the new ruler of the land. The real Mouse Queen, it is assumed, will be dealt with accordingly. Olivia, desperate to find her father, goes to the great Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham), a charming, cocky little detective who is Ratigan's arch nemesis. Along with his accidental assistant, Dr Dawson (Val Bettin), Basil risks his whiskers in trying to save both Mr Flaversham, and the rodent population of London.The animation is flowing, the characters very expressive and likable. The protagonist is clever, vindictive and scatterbrained, but with a soft spot. One of the film's best scenes is where Basil believes he has been bested by Ratigan, and you can see how torn he is. It's a very relatable moment, and rather poignant. There is a Bassett Hound named Toby who acts like a regular dog, and is very funny and cute. The real treat however, is Ratigan. It was one of Price's dreams to be in a Disney film, and he is relishing every minute; Ratigan is easily the best character. He is so funny, so twisted, so smarmy. He loves being evil and knows his evilness has no bounds. His expressions are priceless, and it's no surprise he was animated by Glen Keane, who went on to animate the Beast and Marahute, the Golden Eagle from "Rescuers Down Under". The interactions between Ratigan and Basil are very good, and Basil is a very enjoyable character, but it's Ratigan who really steals the show.The best scene is the riveting climax inside Big Ben, where traditional animation and CGI are married perfectly to create an electrifying finale. "GMD" may not be as Great as Mousedom's greatest detective, but it's charming, good looking, and a lot of fun.

frankhurley-88998 The movie begins in London, England in 1897, where a little (mouse) girl and her single, toymaker father are celebrating her birthday, when suddenly, the father is captured by a grotesque, peg-legged creature, leaving the girl crying in the streets. Luckily, she is noticed by Dawson, a mouse who happens to have s with Basil of Baker Street, a brilliant (mouse) detective who is at first not interested in the toymaker's capture, until it is linked to his arch-enemy, Ratigan!There are a few aspects of this film that REALLY stand out: Vincent Price as Ratigan, and Henry Mancini's score. To start the score is simply fantastic. Up there with freaking Star Wars fantastic. Next up, Good ol' Vincent Price, the original VP. His performance as the villain in this film is absolutely brilliant. It is unfortunately rare that a celebrity voice actor really becomes a character in the film, rather than just projecting his personality onto the character. And that is exactly what Vincent Price does here. But despite this, my favorite character is Basil. Why? Because he's a littoral psychopath! He displays all the symptoms. This doesn't make him unlikable, but it leaves lots of room for a satisfactory character arch. Overall, it is a shame this film isn't better known.

ikrani Forget The Lion King, forget Frozen, forget Wreck-It Ralph (well, maybe not FORGET it), THIS is the greatest movie Disney's ever animated.The story is a pretty fun ride from start to finish, the movie taking full advantage of its animated medium to give us scenes in a toy shop with the mice riding on and making use of the toys to chase the villain, and a long ongoing shot in a clocktower that perfectly blends 3D computer animation with 2D hand-drawn animation.At first glance, one might mistakenly assume this is nothing more than a Sherlock Holmes story told with mice. Except it's not. The two main leads may be based on their human counterparts, but they do have their own characters.Basil is this egotistical but still very likable jerk-hero on a quest to match wits once again with his arch-nemesis, Professor Padriac Ratigan II. Basil has the same style as Sherlock Holmes, but the animation medium allows him to be a lot more cooky and funny than Holmes ever could be. He's really the best Disney hero. There have been a fair amount of handsome action heroes or Disney Princesses waiting to find true love. There is only ONE Basil of Baker Street, and his reputation remains untarnished by a lack of forced direct-to-video sequels.But by far the best thing this movie has going for it is Vincent Price as Professor Ratigan. Holy sh*t, this is the best villain that Disney has had. He's this egotistical, conniving, mustache-twirling villain that completely blows James Moriarty out of the water as far as enjoyability goes. He loves how much of a sick, twisted fiend he is so much that it's impossible not to enjoy it along with him.And, to date, he is the only Disney villain who actually gave our competent, highly intelligent hero a run for his money without leading to his own downfall. Yeah, really think about that. Maleficent played opposite to a guy with a sword and was taken down because she was too evil to just finish him off. Ursula's plan was to manipulate her way to the Trident but forgot to for Prince Eric entering the equation and got stabbed for her efforts. Ratigan lost because even though he calculated every move Basil would make down to the time the Great Mouse Detective would arrive at his secret lair, coupled with the fact that he'd been beating Basil to the punch for years, Basil was able to match him and eventually best him. THAT is what a good villain does: he/she challenges and compliments the hero without compromising themselves as characters.With all that said, this movie isn't flawless. There is one scene that drags a bit where they have a tacked-on music number at a bar, but it doesn't last very long and it's pretty funny to watch after the shock of it wears off. But, despite that, I still call this the best Disney movie to date. It's message of intelligence and wit still holds up, its characters timeless and still very entertaining, its hero great, its villain great, and its villain song one of Disney's best. And THAT is why it's my favorite Disney animated movie.