This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I can't believe how little I see this among Disney-fans and in Disney-related shops. It is sad, because the two main characters Basil and Ratigan are among their most enjoyable. As much as I love The Great Mouse Detective I must confess that aside from the amazing Big Ben climax the animation is not among the studio's greatest accomplishments, but that is a minor detail. Speaking of the climax, it really is among Disney's greatest. The way the music builds up, the perfectly rendered CG in the bell tower and Ratigan's degeneration into his true self is just suspenseful. Ratigan is also among the most underrated and enjoyable Disney villains, period! Vincent price just engulfs himself in this evil- doer who loves every single second of it. His little running gag about not wanting to be called a rat is hilarious. He is great! Basil's giant ego is also enjoyable. He and Ratigan play off one another with perfection. They are the focus of the story and that is also what it should be. There is not too many side characters who steal screen time. The Great Mouse Detective certainly does deserve more attention. Watch it and enjoy some great voice acting and a great climax.

A Disney cartoon which retells the exploits of Sherlock Holmes...as a mouse? It's fair to say that it's the type of premise that doesn't really get me very excited - I despise Disney movies on the whole - but nonetheless the starring voice performance of one Vincent Price, who described this as one of his favourite roles, got me watching it anyway.And if I'm honest, I only watched this for Price. He gets plenty of screen time and even sings a little along the way. Plus, he puts on an different voice too, so only occasionally do you hear flashes of the famous voice we all know and love. Price is melodramatic, flamboyant, and a lot of fun. I don't think this production as a whole would have been the same without him.Elsewhere, we get the usual Disney type production: lots of action, derring-do, and professional animation. Barrie Ingham's lead manages to successfully capture some of the qualities of the literary Holmes, so you could do worse.

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 contacts 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.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) is one of the greatest Disney movies of all time and definitely their most underrated film in my opinion. The movie features the wonderful voice talents of Vincent Price as a great Disney villain, Professor Rattigan, basically the Moriarty character opposing the movie's "Sherlock" hero character, the titular The Great Mouse Detective, Basil of Baker Street (living under the floor of Sherlock Holmes).I don't want to give away the plot but the reason I love this movie so much is that there is a lot of great comedy in it, the hero and villain are both fantastic (and both have very entertaining cohorts), and the story is great.I love that this film is a little bit "darker" than most Disney films. Again, I don't want to give anything away, but the stakes in this movie are much higher and more "real" than most Disney films.The songs are even great and I still find myself humming a couple of them. The Rattigan song is amazing, and Vincent Price himself sings a wonderful "goodbye" song that plays on a record while he has Basil trapped.A truly great Disney movie that deserves much more praise!