That's right! This 1986 Disney film was the best in over forty years--beating out such legends as "Lady & The Tramp," "Cinderella," "Peter Pan" and "Sleeping Beauty." Not since 1941's "Dumbo" was there a Disney flick of this sophistication and heart. In the 60s, the studio hit a snag where it seemed like they stopped trying to produce quality films for the whole family. To make matters worse, they were very sporadic in years of releases. This underrated 1986 masterstroke was the first film in such a long time that was beautifully drawn, expertly written, fully developed, thrilling, joyful and had brains!
In the mouse-equivalent to Sherlock Holmes, a girl's toymaker father is kidnapped by the evil Ratigan's (Vincent Price) sidekick: a deranged bat, Fidget. She enlists the help of Basil of Baker Street. Right away, the movie is a thriller even adults will be fully invested in. And Basil? Talk about a fun character!
When the girl describes what happened, Basil knows right away that it is some conspiracy by Ratigan. For the rest of the film, Basil, the girl, and Basil's friend, Dawson, must seek Ratigan's whereabouts before it's too late. In this time, so many smart moves come about that do not pander to kids. This movie knows they are smart.
Ratigan kidnapped the toymaker so that he could create a life-size robotic queen to let him assume the throne. Even Ratigan's conspiracy is original!
When Basil's entourage finally do encounter Basil and his henchmen, it is amazing. The double-climax keep building and building to near-death situations that, ironically, are not as scary as you might think. By keeping the highest point of interest building and grow without overdoing it, the more positive emotions from the audience will go.
The problem with so many cartoons and family pictures is that the creators talk down to the audience. They pander to the kids, thinking they are much dumber that they actually are. "The Great Mouse Detective" may be targeted towards children closer to ten, but anybody as little as age one can see this and have a good time with it. This missing wide-target is great, but how they were able to come up with something so smart is beyond me.
Why don't people remember this? I get that it was released during Disney's dark ages, but this was a gem in those darkened times. Plus, this is a mystery! How many big Disney films since this have been mysteries? Now it all seems to be just action, romance, music, comedy and tearjerkers. Bring back another great genre!
In 1986, another big mouse movie was released (non-Disney) named "An American Tail." That's not a bad film, but THIS is the mouse film to see.
4/4
In the mouse-equivalent to Sherlock Holmes, a girl's toymaker father is kidnapped by the evil Ratigan's (Vincent Price) sidekick: a deranged bat, Fidget. She enlists the help of Basil of Baker Street. Right away, the movie is a thriller even adults will be fully invested in. And Basil? Talk about a fun character!
When the girl describes what happened, Basil knows right away that it is some conspiracy by Ratigan. For the rest of the film, Basil, the girl, and Basil's friend, Dawson, must seek Ratigan's whereabouts before it's too late. In this time, so many smart moves come about that do not pander to kids. This movie knows they are smart.
Ratigan kidnapped the toymaker so that he could create a life-size robotic queen to let him assume the throne. Even Ratigan's conspiracy is original!
When Basil's entourage finally do encounter Basil and his henchmen, it is amazing. The double-climax keep building and building to near-death situations that, ironically, are not as scary as you might think. By keeping the highest point of interest building and grow without overdoing it, the more positive emotions from the audience will go.
The problem with so many cartoons and family pictures is that the creators talk down to the audience. They pander to the kids, thinking they are much dumber that they actually are. "The Great Mouse Detective" may be targeted towards children closer to ten, but anybody as little as age one can see this and have a good time with it. This missing wide-target is great, but how they were able to come up with something so smart is beyond me.
Why don't people remember this? I get that it was released during Disney's dark ages, but this was a gem in those darkened times. Plus, this is a mystery! How many big Disney films since this have been mysteries? Now it all seems to be just action, romance, music, comedy and tearjerkers. Bring back another great genre!
In 1986, another big mouse movie was released (non-Disney) named "An American Tail." That's not a bad film, but THIS is the mouse film to see.
4/4