Tim: Now this is something that I normally don't do but I wanted to comment on this trailer. It should be no surprise that this film is a bit darker than some of the others in the Disney Canon. While this trialer shows some of the more frightening moments, they also play up the action and adventure. Which I think is great. This is just an all around great trailer. Though I will say that the music in the background is a bit distracting and kind of annoying but I can see why they chose use it. Is this trailer misleading about the film? Perhaps. But, you don't want to show all the good scenes in a trailer and by the time this trailer had come out as this was a home video trailer, I would think people who the VHS with this trailer may have already seen the film and this serves more as reminder of the film.
The Plot
Patrick: Sherlock Holmes tales were written originally by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but his death hasn’t stopped the timeless sleuth from investigating! There have been plenty of Sherlock Holmes pastiches written: John Dickson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle collaborated on The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, an entertaining, though flawed, collection of such pastiches. Ironically, Adrian Conan Doyle, Arthur’s son, was a famous pain in the derrière about Sherlock Holmes pastiches, threatening to sue Frederick Dannay (half of the Ellery Queen writing tea) when he prepared to publish The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes. As a result, the book was pulled from the shelves, making it a sought-after collector’s item. After all, there’s that lure of the forbidden around it (and it contains a story by none other than Anthony Boucher: (The Adventure of the Illustrious Impostor). This formed the inspiration for Anthony Boucher’s Rocket to the Morgue, where an Adrian-Conan-Doyle-esque character is being threatened with death.
But back to Sherlock Holmes himself. Pastiches have taken all sorts of directions, but one of the most wildly popular has involved Holmes’ arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Arch nemesis indeed! He’s mentioned in just a handful of stories. But Holmes was the superhero of his days, and every superhero needs a supervillain to duke it out with. So Professor Moriarty is given a large emphasis.
At times, Professor Moriarty stories involve him plotting to take over the world. (Of course!) Holmes, of course, saves the day. More often, Moriarty has more realistic targets taking over England, for instance, or killing Holmes… or in one memorably silly radio play, _The Haunted Bagpipes_ (written by the Boucher-Green writing team) he plan to unleash the Bubonic Plague on the city of Edinburgh!
So it’s no surprise that The Great Mouse Detective uses Professor Moriarty as its inspiration for the plot. Everything is transcribed to the Mouse World, though, so there are some minor name changes Sherlock Holmes becomes Basil of Baker Street, Dr. Watson becomes Dr. Dawson, and Prof. Moriarty becomes Prof. Rattigan. To talk in more detail about the plot would be unforgiveable—let me just say that it’s a delightful romp through London. Is it a fair-play mystery? Well, only if you can think like a psychotic professor bent on taking over the world. But the Holmes stories were not paradigms of fair play themselves—the notion of fair play had not come into popularity yet. In fact, it would only be G. K. Chesterton and his Father Brown tales that would perfect the mystery Sherlock Holmes just made it popular. To complain that this movie doesn’t play fair with its clues would be futile, because it’s beside the point. What we do get are some brilliantly fun moments of deduction, such as when Basil figures out where a note came from or where the detective has to think his way out of an unnecessarily complex death trap that would make Goldfinger jealous! The plot is decent but it’s such a fun romp that it’s more than worth it! (Also, don’t miss a brilliant cameo by the real Sherlock Holmes, with voice clips of Basil Rathbone himself being used for the moment!)
Characters
Patrick: I am going to examine just three characters, because they are the ones on which the movie’s success or failure depends entirely
Basil of Baker Street voiced by Barrie Ingham
Patrick: First off is Basil of Baker Street. He is clearly the Sherlock Holmes figure of the movie. He’s a mad fellow the first glimpse we get of him is in disguise as he eagerly tries to tie the loose ends to his latest case. When he fails, he breaks down, declaring “I was so close!” He has no patience with Olivia Flaversham, a young girl who comes to ask him for his help—he is busy on the trail of his archenemy, and to him, the girl seems to be just a hysterical youngster. But when he does get involved with her case, he goes all out. He puts everything on the line to rescue Olivia and her father, and you can see him reluctantly growing to appreciate her. He’s a very fun and human character… which is odd, considering he’s a mouse. Oh, you know what I mean! Sherlock Holmes is a superman who seems to know all, see all, and hear all. Basil of Baker Street is a genius as well, but one who shows far more human moments than Holmes in the original canon.
Dr. David Q. Dawson voiced by Val Bettin
Patrick: Dr. David Q. Dawson has just returned from Afghanistan, and he’s the fellow who brings Olivia Flaversham to Basil in the first place. He is a great interpretation of Nigel Bruce’s Dr. Watson. He’s a charming man he’s not nearly as clever as Basil of Baker Street and he doesn’t approve of all of Basil’s habits, but he realizes genius when he sees it and he marvels at his friend’s skills. He’s also very gallant he brings Olivia to Basil, he stands up for her when Basil’s dismissive behaviour towards her becomes intolerable, and although he’s a bit of a bumbler (as, for instance, when he gets drunk!) he’s a wonderful, one-of-a-kind sort! The final moments of the film, a wonderful reference to The Sign of the Four, also do a great job of capturing the essence of Bruce’s Dr. Watson.
Although Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson make a cameo in this film, Nigel Bruce’s voice is inexplicably not used for his cameo. I have no idea why. The rights to the Holmes movies would have been owned by a studio that gave Disney permission to use Rathbone’s voice… why not Nigel Bruce’s? Clearly their target is Nigel Bruce’s interpretation of Watson, which is very far from the competent military man of the original tales. Instead, Watson is voiced by Laurie Main. (Interesting trivia: the dialogue is lifted from Doyle’s story (The Red-Headed League.)
Music
Tim: Thanks for that great insight on both the characters and the plot, Patrick. Some nice tidbits of trivia there. Now, I will be taking a look at the songs of this film. One of which, all of you should be familiar with if you watched the Nostalgia Critic's Top 11 Villain Songs.
The World's Greatest Criminal Mind
Tim: This song is sometimes mistakenly called Oh, Ratigan. There is just something so delicious about this song with how Ratigan just relishes in his evil. He wears it with a badge and his proud but as shown here don't call him a rat. Never call him a rat because he'll feed you to his pet cat. Just as he did with that mouse and it is almost scary hearing that mouse singing as he is about to die. I have to agree with Doug Walker, there is just something evil about making your henchman continue to sing after you have killed off someone. This song is so much fun but in almost sick and twisted kind of way.
Let Me Be Good To You
Tim: There is just something about this song that I find, cliche. Yes, cliche. Why do I say that, well don't get me wrong this fits the film and it is fun but seriously how many times have we seen a scene like this. I can think of at least one other film that did this albiet it was a little more creepy and I'm referring to Feivel Goes West. It's an old idea that has been used in many films and while I said that I find this cliche that does not mean I groan at it. That's just the scene and as for the song. Well, there isn't much to say about the song itself as it is just a typical flapper girl song. No real heart or substance because those songs didn't need that, they were just there to get the guys turned on and as we saw the song did that.
Goodbye So Soon
Tim: This is a great song and I would even on say that it is just as good, if not better than The World's Greatest Criminal Mind. This tune is so infectious and catchy. Here again, you can hear that evil undertone and you can almost hear the grin on Ratigan's face as he sings this. Again, this song is so much fun and I would say that this is the better villain song from this film. Also if you take out the tune and just listen to the lyrics, it makes a a great taunt as he is taunting and making of Basil because of the dire situation he is in. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Vincent Price actually sang this. I would go far as to say, this is a song that you guys may want to take a another listen to. Really, it's that good. My feeling about this song can be summed up in this three word phrase, "One More Time!"
The Villain
Professor Ratigan voiced by Vincent Price
Patrick: Yes, the one, the only, the inimitable Vincent Price! The same guy who was in that kick-ass filmed version of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. The only man worthy enough of narrating Poe if Basil Rathbone were unavailable. (Incidentally, if you want to hear such kickassery, such a CD exists!!! Rathbone and Price take turns narrating some of Poe’s best works and it makes for 5 discs of pure awesomeness.) Yes, he is the villain and he has tons of fun with it! This was apparently Price’s favourite role, and it really, really shows. He has such fun concocting his evil scheme, and when Price recorded his role, animators were sure to draw his exaggerated Shakespearean gestures and incorporate them with the character. It’s delightful, and on top of all that, he’s a genuinely good villain! He comes across as very menacing if you make the mistake of insulting him, accidentally or not, or hindering him in any way, you will learn never to do so the hard way. He has no qualms about killing off incompetent henchmen and does so more than once. And he goes full-out psycho in the finale when his plot to kill Basil backfires on him. Professor Rattigan is a really memorable character who lifts this movie to great heights. If you want to see (well, hear in this case) Vincent Price at his finest, look no further. This character stands excellently by himself, but viewed as a mouse-world version of Professor Moriarty, he’s also excellent. The fellows at Disney really got him down pat he’s an excellent supervillain for Basil of Baker Street to fight off. Plus, his plot is deliciously fun. Really, I can’t say any more it would be a crime to spoil this film!
Our Final Thoughts
Since Patrick is my guest, I'll let him give his final thoughts first and then I will give mine.
Patrick: Overall, The Great Mouse Detective is a triumph. It's a delightful tip of the hat towards Sherlock Holmes and does a brilliant job capturing the essence of the original tales, all while laughing at some of the stories' sillier elements in a lighthearted, affectionate way. You don't have to know Sherlock Holmes to watch this movie, but it sure helps! That's one of the things that contribute to the movie's success: if you don't know Holmes, you're not going to be left out of the joke. It's a very enjoyable, fun romp. While it isn't the paradigm of fair-play detective fiction, neither were the original Holmes stories, so all is forgiven. And, of course, Vincent Price steals the show (hence his being cast as the crook), with one of his best performances ever!
Tim: I used to think that this film was rather forgettable and while it's popularity isn't on par with some of the other Disney films, it is still a fun ride. Unlike Patrick, I have very little knowledge of Sherlcok Holmes but as he stated that doesn't hurt the movie viewing experince. I still had fun and this was a great msytery. If anything, I reccomend the soundtrack for this film. Those songs are so much fun and I'm sure you could find them on Itunes. Excuse me, while I go look.
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