Rating: Summary: A True Classic Review: About a week ago, I was searching through my videos and I stumbled upon this delightful movie. At first, I was critical about watching what I had seen when I was 5, but then when I pushed the video in, my mind changed. Not only is the animation very high quality, but the music that goes along with it is top notch as well. I even memorized the lyrics to the songs! And that, coming from me, a teenager who loves rock, is a great compliment. The music is just right for this one. While we Sherlockians will suddenly see that the movie is based on Holmes's adventure in "The Final Problem", the younger viewers will be able to enjoy the movie without needing any knowledge of this. This combination makes it fun for the kids, and gives the older viewers hints and suggestions as to the film's real story. All in all, it comes down to this: If you love Sherlock Holmes with all your heart and want your kids to be interested, or if you like stories that mirror others, then buy this. If not, then the supreme animation and music should be enough to make this an ideal purchase anyway.
Rating: Summary: I am so happy! Review: All I wanted for my birthday was this DVD and it came out right in time. it is a fun movie with great characters. I like that it is not a fairy tale even though I like those too. Gotta love it!
Rating: Summary: It stinks Review: All of the spooky characters of the original Sherlock Holmes, but none of the charm. Dont get this movie for little ones!!!!
Rating: Summary: Booooooooring... Review: am I the only one that found this movie boring and pointless? the characters weren't even likable. no wonder it's underrated. 3 things that make Disney so great are all missing here. 1) Fun & likable characters. None here. Even the villian (though played brilliantly by Price) is mundane and lacks charisma. 2) music. didn't care too much about the music in the film. no catchy tunes or sing-along songs. and last but not least 3) good story. this was hokey and predictable and was not clever or witty at all. I almost fell asleep I was so bored. I couldn't wait for the end. great mouse detective is not so great.
Rating: Summary: More Holmesian than you might imagine Review: Among the selections of movies in the excellent Sherlock Holmes reference book `Sherlock Holmes on Screen: The Complete Film and TV History' by Alan Barnes is this 1986 Disney concoction that is equal part musical, comedy, thriller, suspense and children's movie. In fact, as Barnes points out, this feature has many more Holmesian elements than many live action movies that happen to have the character Sherlock Holmes among its cast list.
Indeed this clever animated movie owes a great deal to its literary roots and is based on Eve Titus' book `Basil of Baker Street.'
Living underneath the apartment of the famous Sherlock Holmes at 221 Baker Street is a mouse named Basil. Shaped primarily on the Rathbone interpretation of the character, Basil is the most famous detective in all of mousedom and is determined to track down his evil nemesis Prof. Ratigan (wonderfully played with obvious relish by Vincent Price).
Basil's chance comes when he is approached by the daughter of a kidnapped toymaker named Flaversham. Initially uninspired and uninterested in the girls search for her abducted father Basil becomes decidedly more interested when she reveals that one of those responsible is a bat with a peg leg.
The bat is a known as a henchman for Ratigan and soon Basil races off into another adventure to chase down the evil genius.
The animation in the movie is top notch, the songs lively and the humor - well funny, but where this movie falters a little is in pace. I would say it is just a little too long and slower paced than I expected. It's a very satisfying movie certainly, and a `must-own' for Sherlock Holmes fans (Basil Rathbone's voice is even heard in one scene), but there are moments where it seems to drag and other moments where you wish the characters would stop singing and just get on with developing the plot.
Great fun for the kids and people who are still a kid at heart/
Rating: Summary: great premise, some inappropriate material Review: Based on the book "Basil of Baker Street" about a mouse and his sidekick and modeled closely on Sherlock Holmes, I thought this would be a natural for a family that loves the Holmes ouevre AND Disney films. This is old-school animation with some impressive scenes, particularly the chase inside the workings of Big Ben, and the story of the kidnapped mouse toymaker is compelling, but maybe I'm turning into a wet blanket in my middle age, finding parts of the film to be fairly objectionable: namely, disturbing images during a battle in a toy shop, a bad guy who feeds incompetent underlings to a cat, and -- I'm not kidding -- a bar singer whipping off part of her outfit as the patrons ogle and try to grab her! Does that really need to be in a Disney film?
Voice work by Vincent Price (and a voice cameo by Basil Rathbone) are great. DVD extras include two cartoons (1937, 1945) featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, a making-of featurette (8 minutes), and a sing-along song.
The film can be heard in English, French or Spanish, and English subtitles are available.
Rating: Summary: One of the better Disney films of the 1980s. Review: Full of adventure and mystery, in this film, Disney takes a slightly more sophisticated turn and the outcome is really enjoyable. The film has really nice animation especially the scene atop Big Ben. The voice talent is great, especially the dastardly Vincent Price. The villain is good, and very malicious and powerful. The DVD is really good as well. The movie is in a new letterbox treatment- very nice. I highly reccomend this film for anyone who loves the Disney film genre.
Rating: Summary: One of the better Disney films of the 1980s. Review: Full of adventure and mystery, in this film, Disney takes a slightly more sophisticated turn and the outcome is really enjoyable. The film has really nice animation especially the scene atop Big Ben. The voice talent is great, especially the dastardly Vincent Price. The villain is good, and very malicious and powerful. The DVD is really good as well. The movie is in a new letterbox treatment- very nice. I highly reccomend this film for anyone who loves the Disney film genre.
Rating: Summary: Under rated Disney Classic Review: How the Great Mouse Detective has not found a wider audience is beyond me. Perhaps it's because adults see the cover of animated mouses and assume it's just for kids, but looks can be decieving. I have screened this movie for several of my adult friends (without kids) with many of them running out and buying a copy for themselves after realizing what a truely enjoyable classic it is. Although the Little Mermaid has been given the credit for Disney Animation's rise to greatness throughout the 1990's it really began with this teriffic classic. The Great Mouse Detective marks the first effort of Don Musker and Ron Clemants (The directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin). Although it has two catchy showtunes it plays more like a detective adventure story than the later musical classics of Disney animation. What sets this film apart is that it is character driven. Each character in the film has quirks and traits that play into the film's plot. The Great Mouse Detective is wildly imaginative and orginal. This film also has perhaps the most thrilling endings in Disney animation too. So in parting I beg you adults out there without kids to give this little animated tale a chance, I guarentee you will not be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: My favorite Disney movie ever! Review: I absolutely love this film. There is no boring part at all, and the caharacters and songs are all very good, and Basil and Olivia and Dr. Dawson all work very hard to find Olivia's father. How cute!
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