by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
I’ve always had a soft spot for animation. More years than not, at least a couple of animated features find their way onto my top 10 list. So, I’m setting out to shine a light on some films that may have passed you by. The idea with Animation Celebration is to take a look at some underseen gems — so no Toy Story or Frozen here.
Let’s get started.
Back in 2020, Netflix’s Enola Holmeswas a delightful surprise.
I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes adaptations. I’ve read every Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-penned case and seen more than my fair share of film adaptations. Without a doubt, the film adaptation featuring Sherlock Holmes I’ve seen the most has him as nothing more than a silhouette. So, with Enola Holmes 2 coming in a couple of weeks, I figured it was time for a second trip into the so-called Disney Dark Ages to talk about The Great Mouse Detective.
Much like the film’s followup that I touched on last year, Oliver & Company, this film went back to the tried-and-true formula of anthropomorphizing animals to adapt classic literary characters. If you want to be technical, it follows Basil of Baker Street (named after legendary Sherlock actor Basil Rathbone) and his associate Dr. Dawson (see, it’s different).
However, what I didn’t realize until I started researching for this column, is it wasn’t Disney’s original idea. Rather, it was based on a series of books by Eve Titus. The story inside the film itself seems to be an original one, as Basil (Barrie Ingham) and Dawson (Val Bettin) help a young girl rescue her father, who’s been captured by the dastardly Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price) and made to build a mechanical version of the mouse queen of England in a bid to overthrow the monarchy.
Though not strictly playing the same character, The Great Mouse Detective does a great job of taking a Sherlock story and making it a G-rated animated film without losing what makes a great Sherlock story. The film captures the turn of the century London feel, and the case — though mousified — seems to fit into cannon. Both Basil and Dawson feel like recognizable versions of the character, with the only difference being that perhaps Basil’s heart is a bit more on the surface than in other adaptations. It also captures the thrill of when the game is truly afoot and a thrilling case worthy of the iconic detective.
Like all the best Sherlock stories, the film brings out the best in our Sherlock stand-in by having him match wits with his greatest rival. Sure, I take enjoyment from most Holmes cases because I genuinely enjoy seeing how the character’s mind works and how he’ll end up reaching his conclusion. However, my favorite cases in any adaptation, whether on the page, the small screen, or the silver screen, have him matching wits with his intellectual equal. Our Moriarty simulacrum in Ratigan not only checks that box, but is elevated to the stratosphere by the great Price (which I guess also makes this a fitting selection for spooky season). Ratigan is severely underrated in Disney’s villain canon, and he has a sinister song to rival the best that characters like Scar and Frollo with “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind,” which revels in its evil. The fun is boosted by the peg-legged bat henchman, Fidget.
While it’s the penultimate entry in the animation studio’s “Dark Ages,” like most (if not all) films from the era saddled with this label, the label is a bit unfair. Most films from that era are now largely beloved, but this one seemed to have a lot of things going for it even upon its initial release. On a budget of $14 million, the film earned $25 million on its initial release, and a further $13 million on re-release once the renaissance was in full swing. Hard to call that a flop. To say the film was a flop with critics, too, would appear to be unfair — take Siskel & Ebert as one quick example.
Labeling the film under the inauspicious “Dark Ages” moniker also overshadows the legitimate innovation on display. The climactic clock tower scene inside Big Ben was groundbreaking for its use in computer generated animation, blending traditional, hand-drawn animation with computer graphics more smoothly than I’ve seen some animated films released this year do.
When it comes to this series, even the most underseen Disney film is going to dwarf most of the other films we cover, but I hope you’ll forgive that I couldn’t resist an opportunity to discuss one of my absolute favorites and take a shot or two at the supposed “Dark Ages” moniker.
I’m excited to continue to geek out on some great animated work you may not have had a chance to catch. Next month, I haven’t fully settled on what to explore, but I’m leaning towards an early adaptation of a work of classic literature.
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