View source for The Great Mouse Detective

{{short description|1986 animated mystery film}}
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{{Infobox film
| name           = The Great Mouse Detective
| image          = Mousedetectposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = {{Plainlist|
*[[John Musker]]
*[[Ron Clements]]
*Dave Michener
*[[Burny Mattinson]]
}}
| story         = {{Plainlist|
*Pete Young
*[[Vance Gerry]]
*Steve Hulett
*Ron Clements
*John Musker
*Bruce M. Morris
*[[Matthew O'Callaghan]]
*Burny Mattinson
*Dave Michener
*[[Mel Shaw|Melvin Shaw]]
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Basil of Baker Street]]''|[[Eve Titus]]|[[Paul Galdone]]}}
| producer       = Burny Mattinson
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
<!-- In order of how it was presented onscreen -->
*[[Vincent Price]]
*[[Barrie Ingham]]
*[[Val Bettin]]
*Susanne Pollatschek
*[[Candy Candido]]
*[[Diana Chesney]]
*[[Eve Brenner]]
*[[Alan Young]]
}}
| editing        =  {{Plainlist|
* Roy M. Brewer Jr.
* James Melton
}}
| music          = [[Henry Mancini]]
| production_companies = [[Walt Disney Feature Animation]]
| distributor    = [[Buena Vista Distribution]]{{efn|name=Disney|Distributed by [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]] through the [[Walt Disney Pictures]] banner.}}
| released       = {{Film date|1986|07|02}}
| runtime        = 74 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $14 million<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective.htm|title=The Great Mouse Detective|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>
| gross          = $50 million<ref name="gross" />
}}

'''''The Great Mouse Detective''''' (released as '''''Basil the Great Mouse Detective''''' in some countries and '''''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective''''' during its 1992 re-release) is a 1986 American [[animation|animated]] [[mystery film|mystery]] [[adventure film]] produced by [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]] and released by [[Walt Disney Pictures]]. Based on the children's book series ''[[Basil of Baker Street]]'' by [[Eve Titus]] and [[Paul Galdone]], the film is written and directed by [[John Musker]], Dave Michener, [[Ron Clements]], and [[Burny Mattinson]]. Featuring the voices of [[Vincent Price]], [[Barrie Ingham]], [[Val Bettin]], Susanne Pollatschek, [[Candy Candido]], [[Diana Chesney]], [[Eve Brenner]], and [[Alan Young]], the plot follows the titular mouse detective, Basil of Baker Street, who undertakes to help a young mouse find and save her father from the criminal mastermind Professor Ratigan.

''The Great Mouse Detective'' draws heavily on the tradition of [[Sherlock Holmes]] with a heroic mouse who consciously emulates the detective. Titus named the main character after actor [[Basil Rathbone]], who is best remembered for [[Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes#Film|playing Holmes in film]] (and whose voice, sampled from a 1966 reading of "[[The Red-Headed League]]"<ref name="usatoday" /> was the voice of Holmes in this film, 19 years after his death). Sherlock Holmes also mentions "Basil" as one of his aliases in the [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] story "[[The Adventure of Black Peter]]".

''The Great Mouse Detective'' was released to theaters on July 2, 1986, to positive reviews from critics and financial success, in sharp contrast to the box office underperformance of Disney's previous animated feature film, ''[[The Black Cauldron (film)|The Black Cauldron]]'' (1985). The film's timely success has been credited with keeping [[Walt Disney Animation]] going after the previous film's failure by renewing upper management's confidence in the department, thus setting the stage for the [[Disney Renaissance]] when feature animated films would become the corporation's most lucrative and prestigious product.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Garrett |first1=VIictor |title=How The Great Mouse Detective Saved Disney Feature Animation |url=https://movieweb.com/how-the-great-mouse-detective-saved-disney/ |website=MovieWeb |date=26 December 2022 |access-date=7 January 2023}}</ref>

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words only. Current word count is 598 words. Please check the word count before making any additions. Please discuss any major changes on the talk page. -->
In 1897 London, a young mouse Olivia Flaversham celebrates her birthday with her single <!---The film never explains whether Olivia's mother is dead or simply gone----> father, [[wikt:toymaker|toymaker]] Mr. Flaversham. A bat with a crippled wing and a [[peg leg]] arrives unexpectedly, kidnapping Flaversham. Olivia leaves to find Basil of Baker Street, the famous Great Mouse Detective. David Q. Dawson, a retired army surgeon mouse returning from [[Afghanistan]], meets Olivia and escorts her to Basil's residence. 

After meeting the detective, Olivia mentions the bat abducting her father. Basil realizes Olivia saw Fidget, the assistant of Professor Ratigan; an elusive criminal mastermind. It is revealed that Ratigan kidnapped Flaversham to force him to create a [[clockwork]] [[robot]] replica of the Queen of the Mice, usurping her place as "Supreme Ruler of all Mousedom". Flaversham initially refuses to participate in the scheme, but capitulates when Ratigan threatens to harm Olivia.

During their conversation, Fidget appears in Basil's window, then suddenly disappears. Basil, Dawson and Olivia take Toby, [[Sherlock Holmes]]' pet [[Basset Hound]], to trail Fidget's scent. They trace him to a human-sized toyshop. Dawson finds Fidget's checklist, discovering that he has been stealing clockwork mechanisms and toy soldiers' uniforms. The bat ambushes and snatches Olivia away, before Basil and Dawson can stop him. 

Back at Baker street, Basil does chemical tests to the checklist, discovering it came from the "Rat Trap", a tavern near the junction of the sewer and the [[Thames]]. Basil and Dawson disguise themselves as sailors, and head to the tavern. There they spot Fidget, following him to Ratigan's headquarters, only to be ambushed by Ratigan and his henchmen. Ratigan has the pair tied to a spring-loaded mousetrap connected to a [[Rube Goldberg machine]] of various killing devices. Ratigan then sets out for [[Buckingham Palace]], where his henchmen hijack the royal guards roles and kidnap the Mouse Queen. Inspired by a remark Dawson made, Basil deduces the trap's weakness, freeing himself, Dawson and Olivia.

At Buckingham Palace, Ratigan orders Flaversham to operate the toy Queen, while the latter is taken to be fed to Felicia, Ratigan's pet cat. The toy Queen declares Ratigan the ruler of all Mousedom, and he announces his dictatorial plans for his new "subjects". After the trio save Flaversham and the real Queen, they restrain Fidget including the henchmen, as Toby chases Felicia away. Basil seizes control of the toy, making it denounce Ratigan as a fraud, breaking itself into pieces. Realizing Ratigan's [[treason]], the enraged crowd attacks, but Ratigan escapes on his [[dirigible]] with Fidget, holding Olivia hostage.

Basil, Dawson, and Flaversham create an airship from a matchbox, balloons, and a [[Union Jack]] flag, to pursue an escaping Ratigan. After Ratigan tosses Fidget overboard, Basil jumps onto the dirigible to confront Ratigan, causing it to crash straight into [[Elizabeth Tower|Big Ben]]'s clockface. Inside the clocktower, Basil restrains Ratigan, rescues Olivia, and safely delivers her to Flaversham. Ratigan breaks free and attacks Basil, just before the [[striking clock|clock strikes 10:00]], causing Ratigan to fall to his death. He attempts to take Basil with him, but the detective grabs a part of Ratigan's dirigible and saves himself.

Back at home, the group recounts their adventures. The Flavershams bid a fond farewell and leave to catch their train. Dawson reluctantly resolves to leave as well, before a new client arrives. Basil accepts her case, introducing Dawson  as his investigative partner, prompting Dawson to remain and assist Basil.

==Voice cast==
<!-- Cast list as shown in the same order as the opening titles.-->
* [[Vincent Price]] as Professor Ratigan, a villainous rat who hates being reminded as one, and Basil's long-established arch-enemy.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 7, 1986|title=VINCENT PRICE'S VILLAINY HAS LOGICAL SECRET|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/08/07/vincent-prices-villainy-has-logical-secret/|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=October 22, 2021|title= In Their Own Words: Glen Keane and Vincent Price on Ratigan|url= https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-their-own-words-glen-keane-and-vincent-price-on-ratigan/#:~:text=He%20himself%20is%20a%20giant,is%20important%20for%20a%20villain.|work=Cartoon Research|access-date=April 15, 2025}}</ref>
* [[Barrie Ingham]] as Basil, a brilliant mouse detective from London's Baker Street.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cahall|first=Lois|date=December 13, 2013|title=The life force of Barrie Ingham|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/lifestyle/2013/12/14/the-life-force-barrie-ingham/7576272007/|work=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|access-date=August 18, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606024248/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/lifestyle/2013/12/14/the-life-force-barrie-ingham/7576272007/|archive-date=June 6, 2023}}</ref>
** Ingham also voices Bartholomew, a drunken mouse lackey of Ratigan.
* [[Val Bettin]] as David Q. Dawson, previously of the Queen's [[66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot|66th Regiment]] in [[Afghanistan]]. He eventually becomes Basil's associate, friend, and personal biographer. Dawson also serves as the film's narrator.
** Bettin also voices a thug guard of Ratigan.
* Susanne Pollatschek as Olivia Flaversham, a young Scottish mouse who seeks Basil's help in finding her father.
* [[Candy Candido]] as Fidget, Ratigan's bumbling [[bat]] right-hand henchman who cannot fly because of a crippled wing.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 21, 1999|title=DISNEY VOICE, FAIR NOTABLE DIES * CANDY CANDIDO, 85, WAS A 30-YEAR FEATURE ON THE ALLENTOWN MIDWAY|url=https://www.mcall.com/1999/05/21/disney-voice-fair-notable-dies-candy-candido-85-was-a-30-year-feature-on-the-allentown-midway/|work=[[The Morning Call]]|access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref>
** Candido also voices a reprobate in the pub.
* [[Diana Chesney]] as Mrs. Judson, Basil's mouse housekeeper who is often exasperated by his antics.
* [[Eve Brenner]] as the Mouse Queen, whom Ratigan attempts to depose.
* [[Alan Young]] as Mr. Flaversham, Olivia's affectionate Scottish father who owns a toy shop.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/mister-ed-alan-young-duck-tales-1201760560/|title=Alan Young Dies: 'Mister Ed' Star & Scrooge McDuck Voice Actor Was 96|last=Lincoln|first=Ross A.|date=May 20, 2016|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=August 18, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714015044/https://deadline.com/2016/05/mister-ed-alan-young-duck-tales-1201760560/|archive-date=July 14, 2024}}</ref>

[[Basil Rathbone]] voices [[Sherlock Holmes]], the famous human detective who lives above Basil. The voice of Rathbone (who had died in 1967) is taken from the 1966 Caedmon Records recording of the Sherlock Holmes story "[[The Red-Headed League]]".<ref name="usatoday" /> Voice samples of [[Nigel Bruce]] were not used for the voice of [[Doctor Watson|Watson]], Holmes' medical associate, because a similar recording of him was not available.<ref name="usatoday" /> [[Laurie Main]] portrays Watson. 

[[Wayne Allwine]], [[Tony Anselmo]], and [[Walker Edmiston]] voice Ratigan's thug guards. [[Melissa Manchester]] also appears as Miss Mouse, who sings "Let Me Be Good To You".

==Production==
The idea of doing an animated film about Sherlock Holmes with animals was first discussed during the production of ''[[The Rescuers]]''. Veteran layout artist Joe Hale is credited with suggesting to adapt the children's book series ''[[Basil of Baker Street]]'' by [[Eve Titus]], but the project fell into development limbo because of the similarities to ''The Rescuers''.<ref name="usatoday" /> In 1982, Ron Clements proposed adapting the children's book series into an animated feature and, along with story artist Pete Young, it was pitched to Disney president [[Ron W. Miller|Ron Miller]], who approved the project.{{sfn|Hulett|2014|p=51}} Earlier in his career, Clements created a 15-minute Sherlock Holmes animated short recorded on [[Super 8 film]].{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=176}} Because the animators were displeased with the direction ''[[The Black Cauldron (film)|The Black Cauldron]]'' was heading, ''Basil of Baker Street'' was approved as an alternative project.<ref name="usatoday">{{cite news|last=Korkis|first=Jim|title=How Basil Saved Disney Feature Animation: Part One|url=http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance/destinations/mouseplanet/post/2011/02/How-Basil-Saved-Disney-Feature-Animation-Part-One/144296/1|work=[[USA Today]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712004433/http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance/destinations/mouseplanet/post/2011/02/How-Basil-Saved-Disney-Feature-Animation-Part-One/144296/1|date=February 23, 2011|archive-date=July 12, 2014|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Hulett|2014|p=65}}

[[Burny Mattinson]] and John Musker were assigned as the original directors while Dave Michener was also added as co-director. Miller became the producer for the film. The first idea for the victim was for Olivia—then an older and potential love interest whom Dawson falls for, but Miller suggested the character be "a little girl, someone they [the audience] can feel sorry for." One of the dropped characters was a stool pigeon who always hung around Buckingham Palace and tipped Basil off about the skullduggery. The writers dropped the characters deciding for Basil to figure it out for himself.{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=176}}

With the departure of Miller in 1984, the board of directors appointed [[Michael Eisner]], who had resigned from [[Paramount Pictures]], to become the new CEO. Eisner recruited former production head [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] to become studio chairman over Disney's film division. Following a story reel screening of ''Basil'', Eisner and Katzenberg complained about the slow pacing of the story and ordered for rewrites before animation would commence. Although the intended release was set for Christmas 1987,<ref>{{cite news|last=Culhane|first=John|author-link=John Culhane|title='The Great Mouse Detective' Gives Clues to the Future of Disney Animation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/27/movies/the-great-mouse-detective-gives-clues-to-the-future-of-disney-animation.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=H12|date=July 27, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> Eisner slashed the projected production budget at $24 million in half where it was green-lit at $10 million and moved the release date up to July 1986 giving the production team one year to complete the film.{{sfn|Stewart|2005|pp=70–1, 84}} To replace Miller who had been producer, Feature Animation chairman [[Roy E. Disney]] assigned Mattinson to serve as director/producer, but finding both tasks much too laborious, Mattinson decided to remain as producer. Musker and Michener remained as directors, but with the shortened production schedule, Clements became an additional director.<ref name="usatoday" />

Following the box office under-performance of the 1985 Paramount/Amblin film ''[[Young Sherlock Holmes]]'', Eisner decided to rename ''Basil of Baker Street'' into ''The Great Mouse Detective'', feeling the name "Basil" was "too English".{{sfn|Stewart|2005|pp=70–1, 84}} The re-titling of the film proved to be unpopular with the filmmakers so much that animator Ed Gombert wrote a satirical interoffice memo, allegedly by studio executive [[Peter Schneider (film executive)|Peter Schneider]], which gave preceding Disney films generic titles such as ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Seven Little Men Help a Girl]]'', ''[[Dumbo|The Wonderful Elephant Who Could Really Fly]]'', ''[[Bambi|The Little Deer Who Grew Up]]'', ''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|The Girl with the See-through Shoes]]'', ''[[Lady and the Tramp|Two Dogs Fall in Love]]'', ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians|Puppies Taken Away]]'', and ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|A Boy, a Bear and a Big Black Cat]]''.<ref name="gombert1986">{{cite web|url=http://www.drawn2gether.com/blog/2008/03/24/crew-picture-the-great-mouse-detective/|title=Crew Picture The Great Mouse Detective|work=Drawn2gether|date=March 24, 2008|access-date=February 23, 2012|archive-date=May 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506164216/http://www.drawn2gether.com/blog/2008/03/24/crew-picture-the-great-mouse-detective/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="lat19860629">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-29-ca-22-story.html|title=Mousechievious Memo Upsets Big Cheese|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 29, 1986|access-date=February 23, 2012}}</ref> These generic titles would later become a category on ''[[Jeopardy!]]''.<ref name="wakingsleepingbeauty" />

===Casting===
Following a succession of American and British actors who read for the part of Basil, [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre|Royal Shakespeare]] actor [[Barrie Ingham]] won the role within six minutes of his audition. [[Val Bettin]] was co-director Ron Clements's first choice for Dawson.{{sfn|Hulett|2014|pp=66–7}} For Olivia, Susanne Pollatschek was selected over hundreds of other applicants while [[Alan Young]], who had voiced [[Scrooge McDuck]] for ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'', was selected to voice her father Hiriam because of his authentic Scottish [[brogue (accent)|brogue]].<ref name="usatoday" />

When the filmmakers watched the 1950 comedy film ''[[Champagne for Caesar]]'' to study [[Ronald Colman]]'s performance as a possible model for Basil, they immediately decided to cast [[Vincent Price]], who also starred in the film, as Ratigan.<ref>[https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-their-own-words-glen-keane-and-vincent-price-on-ratigan/ In Their Own Words: Glen Keane and Vincent Price on Ratigan | Cartoon Research]</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Eisner|first=Joel|title=The Price of Fear: The Film Career of Vincent Price, In His Own Words|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=49KcCwAAQBAJ&q=vincent+price+ratigan&pg=PA208|chapter=Vincent Sings Again, or Vincent the Juvenile|page=208|publisher=Black Bed Sheet Books|isbn=978-0988659025|date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> A veteran actor for fifty-two years, Price was willing to do an audition commenting "If anybody but Disney had asked me, I would have been offended."<ref>{{cite news|title=Vincent Price hopes growing older holds no horror|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19860527&id=JSZfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2551,4266648&hl=en|newspaper=[[Bangor Daily News]]|date=May 27, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> Following a voice test, veteran voice artist [[Candy Candido]] recorded his dialogue for Fidget in one hour. To heighten the pitch, the tape recording of his voice was sped up.<ref>{{cite news|last=Millstein|first=Paul|title=A Very Animated Fellow Candy Candido Lends Vocal Support To Some Memorable Disney Characters|url=https://www.mcall.com/1986/07/27/a-very-animated-fellow-candy-candido-lends-vocal-support-to-some-memorable-disney-characters/|work=[[The Morning Call]]|date=July 27, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221002605/http://articles.mcall.com/1986-07-27/features/2541062_1_animation-thing-voice|url-status=live}}</ref> Candido's natural voice was kept for one character shouting "Get off, you eight-legged bum."<ref name="usatoday" />

===Animation===
[[File:1400flowerstreet.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Before the box office failure of ''The Black Cauldron'', the animation unit on ''The Great Mouse Detective'' was moved to animate the film at 1400 Flower Street in Glendale, California (pictured here).<ref name="wakingsleepingbeauty">{{cite video|people=[[Don Hahn|Hahn, Don]]|title=[[Waking Sleeping Beauty]]|medium=Documentary film|publisher=Stone Circle Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|location=Burbank, California|date=2009}}</ref>]] 
Basil was first modeled on [[Bing Crosby]], but the animators eventually took inspiration from [[Leslie Howard]].{{sfn|Koenig|1997|p=176}} Initially, Ratigan had been designed as thin, weasely, and ratlike. Following the screening of ''Champagne for Caesar'', Glen Keane noted that following the casting of Price, "his expressive voice and attitude inspired us to further redesign the character."<ref name="usatoday" /> Additionally, during one story meeting, Glen Keane decided to base the stature of Ratigan on then-Disney CEO Ron Miller,<ref>{{cite news|last=Solomon|first=Charles|title=Artists Re-animate Disney's Future|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-23-ca-16015-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 23, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> who was a 6'6" former football player for the [[Los Angeles Rams]].<ref name="usatoday" /> Furthermore, Keane lifted his personality as he was thumbing through these "photographs of people of [[19th-century London|London in the 1800s]], of railroad men, and there was this one guy smoking a cigar—he had a top hat and there was just something about this guy—this Ratigan ... this rat sucking the cigar, completely dressed to the hilt, he was sharp and perfect—he's a sewer rat dressed like a king and he lives as a king!"<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnston|first1=Ollie|last2=Thomas|first2=Frank|title=The Disney Villain|pages=174–77|isbn=978-1562827922|publisher=Disney Editions|date=October 7, 1993}}</ref> The following supervising animators included [[Mark Henn]] for Basil, Hendel Butoy for Dawson, [[Rob Minkoff]] for Olivia, [[Andreas Deja]] for Queen Moustoria, [[Ruben A. Aquino|Ruben Aquino]] for Mrs. Judson, and [[Mike Gabriel]] for Toby and Felicia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.ws/basilians/library/faq/film.htm|last=Tran|first=Diane|title=The Great Mouse Detective Film FAQ|publisher=[[GeoCities]]|date=December 12, 2008|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref>

The original finale was to take place on the hands of [[Big Ben]] with Ratigan eventually falling to his demise. However, layout artist [[Michael Peraza|Mike Peraza]] approached Musker with the idea of restaging the final confrontation so the characters would break through the face of Big Ben with the grinding clockwork gears providing added menace, in which Musker agreed. Peraza's inspiration for the scene was a Japanese [[anime]] film, ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' (1979), the feature film debut of animator [[Hayao Miyazaki]] which is part of the ''[[Lupin III]]'' franchise; ''The Castle of Cagliostro'', which Peraza was a fan of, featured a climactic scene involving characters amidst giant turning gears in a [[clock tower]].<ref name="mouseplanet2">{{cite web|last=Korkis|first=Jim|title=How Basil Saved Disney Feature Animation: Part Two|url=https://www.mouseplanet.com/9549/How_Basil_Saved_Disney_Feature_Animation_Part_Two|publisher=Mouse Planet|date=March 2, 2011|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> Pereza and his team was sent to [[London]] for video reference and were granted unprecedented access to the clockworks inside Big Ben. Because the bells would chime at every quarter-hour, the team completed their research in one hour.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sito|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Sito|title=Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation|page=226|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|isbn=978-0262019095|date=April 19, 2013}}</ref>

Animators [[Phil Nibbelink]] and Tad Gielow spent months designing the interior of Big Ben at the Feature Animation building, with each gear produced as [[Wire-frame model|wire-frame graphics]] on a computer that was printed out and traced onto animation cels onto which the colors and characters were added.<ref name="mouseplanet2" /> The two-minute climax scene thus used [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI), making it the first Disney film to extensively use [[computer animation]], a fact that Disney used to promote the film during marketing.<ref name="mouseplanet2"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Motamayor |first1=Rafael |title=Revisiting 'The Great Mouse Detective', the Unsung Kickstarter of the Disney Renaissance (And One of Disney's Creepiest Movies) |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/the-great-mouse-detective-revisited-2/ |access-date=April 5, 2020 |work=[[/Film]] |date=April 2, 2020}}</ref>

The film was the last work to feature [[Eric Larson]] as an animation consultant before his retirement. Larson was the last of [[Disney's Nine Old Men]], the group that had defined much of Disney's theatrical direction since the 1930s. The character of Dr. Dawson was modeled on Larson as a tribute.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://d23.com/did-you-know-unravel-9-sneaky-facts-from-the-great-mouse-detective/|title = Did You Know? Unravel 8 Sneaky Facts from the Great Mouse Detective|date = 30 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/book-preview-walt-disneys-nine-old-men-masters-of-animation-gallery-161765.html|title = Book Preview: 'Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: Masters of Animation' (Gallery)|date = 10 July 2018}}</ref>

==Music==
{{Infobox album
| name         = The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = [[Various artists]]
| cover        = 
| alt          = 
| released     = 1992
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = 
| length       = 
| label        = [[Varèse Sarabande]]
| producer     = [[Henry Mancini]]
| chronology   = [[Walt Disney Records discography|Walt Disney Animation Studios]] soundtrack
| prev_title   = [[The Black Cauldron (soundtrack)|The Black Cauldron]]
| prev_year    = 1985
| next_title   = [[Oliver & Company (soundtrack)|Oliver & Company]]
| next_year    = 1988
}}

Unusually for a Disney animated feature, there was no soundtrack album released alongside the film; it was released in 1992 alongside the film's reissue under its new title by [[Varèse Sarabande]], one of the few Disney cartoons to have an original soundtrack on the label to date (and the only one not to be issued under a Walt Disney imprint). The album marked the debut of [[Henry Mancini]] for score composition of an animated feature aside from the animated opening for ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media|year=1986|title=The Making of The Great Mouse Detective|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH9Rtt9Xde4| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712065223/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH9Rtt9Xde4| archive-date=2014-07-12 | url-status=dead|access-date=June 22, 2016|format=DVD|publisher=Walt Disney Home Entertainment|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

Initially, Mancini composed a song titled "Are You the One Who Loves Me?" to serve as a parody of a Victorian British music hall. Already in rough animation, the song was recorded by [[Shani Wallis]]. However, Katzenberg and the new management desired a more contemporary song as they would help make the film more marketable.<ref name="usatoday" /> [[Michael Jackson]] was considered by Eisner to voice a character who would enter the saloon, confront Basil,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Halstead|first1=Craig|last2=Chadman|first2=Chris|title=Michael Jackson: the Solo Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yb_ghov9uEMC&q=michael+jackson+great+mouse+detective&pg=PA69|page=69|publisher=New Generation Publishing|isbn=978-0755200917|date=July 22, 2003}}</ref> and sing a song at the tavern, but the suggestion was met with uncomfortable silence for which Eisner withdrew the idea; Eisner later proposed for [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] to perform the song. Eventually, [[Melissa Manchester]] was brought in; she wrote and performed "Let Me Be Good to You", by which the rough animation had to be re-timed and often re-animated to properly sync with the song.<ref name="usatoday" /> Mancini also co-wrote two of the film's three original songs, "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" and "Goodbye So Soon" (both performed by Vincent Price).

===Songs===
Original songs performed in the film include:

{{track listing
| all_writing = 
| all_lyrics = 
| all_music = 
| extra_column = Performer(s)
| title1 = The World's Greatest Criminal Mind
| writer1 = [[Henry Mancini]], [[Larry Grossman (composer)|Larry Grossman]] & [[Ellen Fitzhugh]]
| extra1 = [[Vincent Price]]
| title2 = Let Me Be Good to You
| writer2 = [[Melissa Manchester]]
| extra2 = [[Melissa Manchester]]
| title3 = Goodbye So Soon
| writer3 = Henry Mancini, Larry Grossman & Ellen Fitzhugh
| extra3 = Vincent Price
}}

==Release==
During the film's initial theatrical release, the film was accompanied with the short, ''[[Clock Cleaners]]''.<ref name="Ebert" />

The film was re-released on February 14, 1992, retitled as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Dave |last2=Vagnini |first2=Steven |title=Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia |date=2023 |publisher=Disney Editions |location=New York |isbn=9781368061919 |page=12 |edition=6th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IvhZEQAAQBAJ&dq=%22the+adventures+of+the+great+mouse+detective%22+retitled&pg=PA12 |access-date=2025-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hischak |first1=Thomas H. |title=100 Greatest American and British Animated Films |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Md. |isbn=9781538105689 |page=126 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USGAEQAAQBAJ&dq=%22the+adventures+of+the+great+mouse+detective%22+retitled&pg=PA126 |access-date=2025-09-28}}</ref>

===Home media===
Following the theatrical re-release, the film was released on VHS and [[Laserdisc]] in July 1992 as part of the [[Walt Disney Classics]] series. It was placed into [[Moratorium (entertainment)|moratorium]] on April 30, 1993.<ref>{{cite news|title=Now You See 'Em, Soon You Won't|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/02/16/now-you-see-em-soon-you-wont/|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=February 16, 1995|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> It was released again on VHS on August 3, 1999<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Buena Vista to Roll Out Promotions for End-Of-'99 Releases|first=Moira|last=McCormick|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=111|issue=24|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uw0EAAAAMBAJ&q=madeline+lost+in+paris&pg=PA67|date=June 12, 1999|access-date=July 9, 2019|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> (with a game sheet inside it as part of a contest) and on DVD in 2002 with a short making-of featurette. In the United Kingdom, it was first released on VHS in 1992 followed by re-releases in 1993 and 1995.

A "Mystery in the Mist Edition" of ''The Great Mouse Detective'' was released on DVD on April 13, 2010, and on [[Blu-ray Disc]] on October 9, 2012. Unlike previous home media releases, which all used the 1992 reissue title print (''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective''), this DVD restored the original 1986 title card, which had previously not been seen since the original 1986 release. The DVD also has the film in its 1.78:1 widescreen [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]], which brings it closer to its original theatrical aspect ratio. The [[Blu-ray]] edition is region-free and thus can be played in any region of the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Great-Mouse-Detective-Blu-ray/44740/|work=Blu-ray.com|title=The Great Mouse Detective Blu-ray: Mystery in the Mist Edition}}</ref> The Blu-ray was finally released in the UK on November 9, 2015, and released in France on Blu-ray on October 20, 2015.

==Reception==
===Critical reaction===
On their syndicated television show, ''[[At the Movies (1982 TV program)|At the Movies]]'', the film received a "two thumbs up" rating from critics [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]]. In his print review for ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'', Siskel enthusiastically praised the film as the most "truly memorable animated feature in 25 years" that "travels a wide emotional range, taking us from cuddly to scary, from recognition to wonder."<ref>{{cite web|last=Siskel|first=Gene|title=Flick Of Week: 'Vagabond' One Of Finest Films In Years|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/08/08/flick-of-week-vagabond-one-of-finest-films-in-years/|date=August 8, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> Likewise, in his print review for the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', Ebert gave the film three stars out of four in which he praised the film's animation and compared the film to that of Disney's [[Golden age of American animation|golden age]]. He summarized that "the result is a movie like ''The Great Mouse Detective,'' which looks more fully animated than anything in some 30 years."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=The Great Mouse Detective Movie Review (1986)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-great-mouse-detective-1986|work=Chicago Sun-Times|via=[[RogerEbert.com]]|date=July 2, 1986|access-date=October 16, 2018}}</ref>

London's ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine wrote, "As usual with [[film noir]] [...] it is the villain who steals the heart and one is rooting for in the breathtaking showdown high up in the cogs and ratchets of Big Ben."<ref>{{cite book|last=Peachment|first=Chris|editor-last=Pym|editor-first=John|title=Time Out Film Guide 2009|edition=17th|chapter=The Great Mouse Detective (aka Basil the Great Mouse Detective)|page=426|isbn=978-1-84670-100-9|year=2008|publisher=Time Out Group Ltd}}</ref> Nina Darnton of ''[[The New York Times]]'' applauded that "[t]he heroes are appealing, the villains have that special Disney flair – humorous blackguards who really enjoy being evil – and the script is witty and not overly sentimental."<ref>{{cite web|last=Darnton|first=Nina|title=Film: 'The Great Mouse Detective'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/02/movies/film-the-great-mouse-detective.html|work=The New York Times|page=C29|date=July 2, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> Johanna Steinmetz, also from ''The Chicago Tribune'', graded the film three-and-a-half stars (out of four) writing "This movie is cute, cute, cute, but it's a higher grade of cute than ''[[The Rescuers]]'' (1977) and ''[[The Fox and the Hound]]'' (1981). The key to good Disney animation is character and facial expression, and ''Detective'' abounds in both."<ref>{{cite web|last=Steinmetz|first=Johanna|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/07/02/great-mouse-detective-vintage-disney-updated/|title='Great Mouse Detective': Vintage Disney, Updated|work=Chicago Tribune|date=July 2, 1986|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> Alex Stewart reviewed ''The Great Mouse Detective'' for ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' #83, and stated that "After their dismal fudge of ''The Black Cauldron'', it's good to see the Disney studios taking a step, however cautious, towards the world of animation as it is today. The style is looser and more vigorous, and, in a climactic fight inside Big Ben, effectively amalgamates computer-drawn clockwork with hand-drawn characters."<ref name="WD83">{{cite journal  | last =Stewart | first =Alex | title = 2020 Vision  | journal = [[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]  | issue = 83  | page = 16  | publisher = [[Games Workshop]]  | date = November 1986  }}</ref>

The [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that the film received {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval rating based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's consensus states that "''The Great Mouse Detective'' may not rank with Disney's classics, but it's an amiable, entertaining picture with some stylishly dark visuals."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-great-mouse-detective|title=The Great Mouse Detective (1986)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gave the film a score of 73 based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-great-mouse-detective|title= The Great Mouse Detective Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>

Animation critic [[Charles Solomon (animation historian)|Charles Solomon]] listed this as one of the best animated films of the 1980s while singling out Keane's key work on Ratigan.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-27-ca-1261-story.html MOVIES OF THE 80s : ANIMATION : MICE DREAMS - Los Angeles Times]</ref>

===Box-office===
The film grossed around $50 million worldwide against a budget of over $14 million during its initial release.<ref name=gross>{{Cite news |last=Tucker |title=Disney still works alchemy|work=Chicago Sun-Times |via=[[HighBeam Research]] |access-date=May 7, 2017 |date=April 10, 1987 |first=Ernest |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3820046.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008025753/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3820046.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |quote=Last year, Disney's 26th full-length animated release, the $12 million ''The Great Mouse Detective'', took in $50 million at American and overseas box offices.}}</ref> Its inexpensive success after its predecessor's under-performance gave the new management of Disney confidence in the viability of their animation department, though it was surpassed at the box office by ''[[An American Tail]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19900625&id=4mJPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6888,2580139&hl=en|title=Mermaid in a Sea of Praise|work=[[New Straits Times]]|page=13|date=June 25, 1990|access-date=June 22, 2016|via=Google News Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Finch|first=Christopher|title=The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms, New Concise Edition|publisher=Abrams Books|page=95}}</ref> Re-titled as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'', the film was re-released theatrically on February 14, 1992, where it grossed $13.3 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective92.htm|title=The Great Mouse Detective (re-issue)|work=Box Office Mojo|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref> ''The Great Mouse Detective'' has had a lifetime North American gross of $38.7 million across its original release and reissue.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0091149/ |title=The Great Mouse Detective Release Summary|work=Box Office Mojo|access-date=July 3, 2025}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Basil and Professor Ratigan were characters to meet-and-greet at the [[Disney Parks]], until both were retired after 2004.

In the television series ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'', a little statue of Basil opened the secret passage to Darkwing's hidden base. Some of the characters from the film have recurring cameo appearances in the television series ''[[House of Mouse]]''.

Professor Ratigan is one of the villains with a main focus in the anthology film ''[[Once Upon a Halloween]]''. He is also one of the villains present in the board game ''Disney Villainous''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wdwnt.com/2019/07/review-evil-comes-prepared-a-villainous-board-game-expansion/|title="Evil Comes Prepared" Expansion Adds Yzma, Scar, and Ratigan to Disney Villainous Board Game|date=July 28, 2019|author=Alicia|website=WDW News Today}}</ref>

Basil of Baker Street appears as a playable character in the video game ''Disney Heroes: Battle Mode''.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 17, 2020 |title=Disney Heroes: Battle Mode Update 2.1.11-A |url=https://discourse.disneyheroesgame.com/t/update-2-1-11-a-patch-notes/1136890 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806093445/https://discourse.disneyheroesgame.com/t/update-2-1-11-a-patch-notes/1136890 |archive-date=August 6, 2020}}</ref>

Like many other [[Walt Disney Animation Studios]] characters, Basil, Ratigan, Dawson, and Olivia have cameo appearances in the short film ''[[Once Upon a Studio]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reif |first1=Alex |title=Disney's "Once Upon a Studio" – List of Characters in Order of Appearance |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/disney-entertainment/disneys-once-upon-a-studio-list-of-characters-in-order-of-appearance/ |website=Laughing Place |date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>

Additionally, in honor of [[Mickey Mouse]]'s 75th anniversary, was planned a film under the title ''[[The Search for Mickey Mouse]]'' in which Mickey gets kidnapped by unknown forces, forcing [[Minnie Mouse]] to enlist Basil of Baker Street to investigate his disappearance. However, the project was cancelled after it suffered script problems.<ref>{{cite web| title=Why For?| last=Hill | first=Jim | website=Jim Hill Media | url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2002/12/20/352.aspx#sthash.S5tE7bBF.dpbs | date=December 19, 2002 | access-date=March 7, 2015}}</ref>

In 2022, ''[[Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure]]'', ''[[Monsters at Work]]'' and ''[[Wish (film)|Wish]]'' alumni Tom Caulfield revealed that he, Bill Motz, and Bob Roth pitched a [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] series featuring ''[[The Rescuers (franchise)|The Rescuers]]'' and ''The Great Mouse Detective'' at [[Disney Television Animation]]. The series would have featured the descendant of Basil working at a modern version of the Rescue Aid Society. According to Caulfield, the project was scrapped due the release of the ''[[Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (film)|Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers]]'' film''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=A while ago, I had a pitch for the Rescue aid Society. Influenced by the Rescuers movies, this was an updated R.A.S more akin to the kingsman or Mission Impossible. It was never meant to be, heres some ruff images from the pitch |url=https://x.com/TomCaulfield01/status/1531040684114726912}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Yes. You have very awesome detective skills 😉 |url=https://x.com/TomCaulfield01/status/1531073762153484290}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=I think a recent cgi/2d release had something to do with it. |url=https://x.com/TomCaulfield01/status/1531051639150284800}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chip and Dale. To be fair I've not seen it so I can't say for certain |url=https://x.com/TomCaulfield01/status/1531059951455506432}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book|last=Hulett|first=Steve|title=Mouse In Transition: An Insider's Look at Disney Feature Animation|publisher=Theme Park Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1941500248}}
*{{cite book|last=Koenig|first=David|title=Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks|location=[[Irvine, California]]|publisher=Bonaventure Press|isbn=978-0964060517|year=1997}}
*{{cite book|last=Stewart|first=James|title=[[DisneyWar]]|edition=1st|year=2005|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=0-684-80993-1|author-link=James B. Stewart}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/the-great-mouse-detective}}
*{{IMDb title|0091149}}
*{{TCMDb title|76908|The Great Mouse Detective}}
*{{mojo title|greatmousedetective}}
*[https://www.animationscoop.com/holmes-sweet-holmes-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-great-mouse-detective/ 35th anniversary retrospective on Animation Scoop]

{{Sherlock Holmes screen adaptations}}
{{Ron Clements and John Musker}}
{{Disney theatrical animated features}}
{{Walt Disney Animation Studios}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Mouse Detective, The}}
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