DAC 26: The Great Mouse Detective

The Great Mouse Detective - 7.7/10

And now I give you...Sherlock Holmes. WITH MICE! Another one I learned of through re-release trailers, I first saw this only a year and a half ago. It was actually quite entertaining, and not the usual Disney fare. One random scene with a burlesque show was all I needed to confirm that.

The characters were charming and likable, though I didn't much care for the little girl's voice actor. And of course the villain, Professor Ratigan, was tons of fun. Voiced excellently by Vincent Price (who was clearly loving every minute of it), Ratigan is the type of high class villain who'll speak to you in polite tones while dangling you over a cliff. And when he loses it, he loses it. One scene in particular has he and his henchmen singing about how nasty he is (seriously), only to be interrupted when one of them inadvertently insults him. He stops the song, has the man murdered in front of everyone, then forces them to continue singing on threat of the same to them. Now that's mean.

The animation was crisp and clear, and the use of CGI in the clocktower was very impressive, even by today's standards.

I wouldn't go as far as to say this is one of their classics, but it was definitely a good one.