Having revisited this film on the anniversary of its first release I was shocked at how good it is. I was also left to wonder why Disney never did anything with it since its release since its a very good film.

The plot is simple, Basil of Baker Street helps a young girl find her kidnapped father who is the clutches of the evil Ratigan. There's more to it than that but thats a place to start.

Vincent Price, probably having the time of his life, is the foul villain and he seems to be having a complete ball. What ever joy he was feeling must have been infectious since the work the animators did carried over and its fun to watch Price's animated alter ego mug for the camera.

This is the last of the un-politically correct films from The Mouse House. Characters smoke, which as we all know is now a no no since Disney is now going back and digitally erasing all trace of that "bad habit" from all of their earlier films. Characters die. Yes the villain still dies these days, and perhaps a Mom to get the plot going, but here we have several characters die, one simply for insulting the villain.

The final sequence of this film, a battle in and on Big Ben was promoted as Disney's first major use of computer animation. The sequence is spectacular and one of the greatest animated pieces I've ever witnessed even today. The whole thing lasts maybe five minutes but it pushes the art of animation as far as Disney has ever gone and shows us what a loss the politically correct, story formula has been in the realm of artistic animation. Disney learned how to make money but not films that pushed the envelope of what was possible. What might have happened if they had expanded on this one sequence?

See this movie. I give it 8 out of 10. Its not perfect but it is funny and exciting in ways that the films that followed rarely were. The film also contains several moments that prove that Pixar are not the only ones who can make movies that reflect the Warner Brothers style.

"The Great Mouse Detective" was a very important Disney film for two important reasons. First, the studio was in horrible shape in the 1980s and it needed a hit badly...and the film was a considerable improvement in quality of some of the previous films (such as "The Black Cauldron"). Second, it was the first full-length Disney cartoon to have any computer animation and was way ahead of its time.

As for the film itself, this is an enjoyable film and should please everyone. However, it's also a bit slight--easier to forget and not one that is what I would consider a must-see. The animation is about that of the Disney TV shows of the time (such as "Duck Tales" and "Gummi Bears") and the characters decent but derivative. Let's face it-- it's essentially Sherlock Holmes in mouse form. Also, the sexy singing mouse scene was unnecessary and a little bit gross (as is Ratigan's sidekick). On the plus size, Vince Price is terrific and the Olivia character quite cute. Worth seeing, of course, but not quite on par with their great films of the next two decades.

This movie is an absolute delight from start to finish. My only complaint was that sometimes the animation was a little crude, making a few scenes upsetting to watch, like the kidnapping scene and when Felicia the cat eats the mouse. But a vast majority of the animation was wonderful. The three songs were absolutely wonderful, especially Criminal Mind, and I loved it that Vincent Price sang in the film. How unusual! The characters were also a delight, especially Ratigan,(truly Machiavellian) with a perfect performance from the master of horror, Vincent Price, no wonder it is considered as his favourite role because he seemed to be having a wonderful time with it. The highlight of the film was the scene in Big Ben, brilliant animation in that scene. Basil and Dawson had wonderful chemistry, and I did laugh a lot in the scene in the Toyshop. Olivia is so cute, and Fidget is an inspired henchman. What impressed me most was the mix of Sherlock Holmes characters, because Toby is in the best Holmes mystery, the Sign of Four, and Fidget was probably inspired by Jonathan Small (the man with the wooden leg),from the same mystery. I think Ratigan was like Moriaty, which was great to see. In conclusion a delightful film, with minor flaws, but still lots of fun. 9/10. Bethany Cox