The
Complete Films of Vincent Price
Original Book by Lucy Chase Williams
© Carol Publishing Group, 1995
93. THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, pages 256-259
Walt Disney Pictures
Released July 2, 1986
CREDITS
Producer, Burny Mattinson; Directors,
John Musker, Ron Clements, Dave Mitchner, Burny Mattinson; Story
Adaptation, Pete Young, Vance Gerry, Steve Hulett, Ron Clements,
John Musker, Bruce N. Morris, Matthew O'Callaghan, Burny Mattinson,
Dave Mitchner, Melvin Shaw; Based on the book series "Basil
of Baker Street" by Eve Titus; Supervising Animators,
Mark Henn, Glen Keane, Robert Minkoff, Hendel Butoy; Animation
Consultant, Eric Larson; Character Animators, Matthew
O'Callaghan, Mike Gabriel, Ruben A. Aquino, Jay Jackson, Kathy Zielinski,
Doug Krohn, Phil Nibbelink, Andreas Deja, Phil Young, Shawn Keller,
Ron Husband, Joseph Lanzisero, Rick Farmiloe; David Pruiksma, Sandra
Borgmeyer, Cyndee Whitney, Barry Temple, David Block, Ed Gombery,
Steven E. Gordon; Art Direction, Guy Vasilovich; Editors,
Moy M. Brewer Jr. and James Melton; Music Supervisor, Jay Lawton;
Ink & Paint Manger, Becky Fallberg; Songs,
"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" "Goodbye So
Soon," Music by Henry Mancini, Lyrics by
Larry Grossman, Ellen Fitzhugh; "Let Me Be Good To You,"
written and performed by Melissa Manchester; Running
time, 74 minutes; colour.
CAST
The voice talents of: Vincent Price (Professor
Ratigan); Barrie Ingham (Basil); Val Bettin (Dr.
Dawson); Susanne Pollatschek (Olivia Flaversham);
Candy Candido (Fidget); Alan Young (Flaversham);
Diana Chesney (Mrs. Judson); Eve Brenner (the Queen);
Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes); Laurie Main (Dr.
Watson); Shani Wallis (Lady Mouse); Ellen Fitzhugh
(Barmaid); Walker Edmiston (Citizen); Barrie Ingham
(Bartholomew); Wayne Allwine, Val Bettin, Tony Anselmo,
Walker Edmiston (Thug Guards); Melissa Manchester (Bar
Singer).
THE FILM
Disney's twenty-sixth full-length, animated motion
picture, The Great Mouse Detective, is a delightful, exciting
pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Its hero is a brilliant
rodent sleuth who also lives at 221B Baker Street and who must match
wits with his own "Napoleon of Crime," the evil genius
Professor Ratigan. Several times in his career Vincent Price
had the opportunity to voice animated characters, but Ratigan remains
a performance as delightful and memorable as the best of his live-action
roles.
Price received two short initial scripts of Basil
of Baker Street in December of 1983. Production began
in 1984, following a four-year period of story development under
the four directors and storymen. The mystery begins with the
kidnapping of a (mouse) toymaker, whose daughter, Olivia, implores
Basil and the detective's faithful friend, Dr. Dawson, to help her
locate her father. Together they uncover the diabolical scheme
of the evil Professor Ratigan, who intends to replace the Queen
with a toy facsimile in order to become her consort and "the
supreme ruler of all Mousedom!" The trade papers claimed
that Price's contract called him "to do his four days' work
over a period of two years." And his own notes on the
back of correspondence from the producers indicated that he recorded
at least from of his dialogue on June 11 and 12, 1984. However,
following changes in both Disney management and production, he was
back in the studio in March 1985.
Thirty-two-year-old Glen Keane was the supervising
animator and designer responsible for developing the main characters,
with the exception of Basil. He and Matthew O'Callaghan drew
nearly all of Ratigan's scenes. Initially, the wicked "Prof.
Moriarty-Rat" was being depicted as thin and wiry, but it was
decided that his form should instead be large and powerful in order
to present greater contrast to the slight build of Basil.
For the crucial element of vocal characterisations, the filmmakers
took their inspiration from classic Hollywood films and ironically
stumbled on Vincent Price through one of his own movies. Because
there initially been considering Ronald Gorman's voice as a model
for Ratigan's, the animators screened Champagne for Caesar.
Although he was asked to audition (for the first time "in about
forty-eight years!"), according to Keane, as soon as Vincent
price came on, "we realised we had found the perfect actor
for the role. Price's expressive voice and attitude inspired
us to further redesign the character." Ratigan barks
orders at minions, murmurs baby talk to his beloved pet cat, jubilantly
croons a not-so-fond farewell song to his opponent, and snarls in
bestial rage at the climax in which the elegant professor deteriorates
into a demented animal. Vincent Price's unutterable glee is
infectious, and he leads the audience on an auditory roller-coaster
ride.
Tentatively slated for release in the summer of
1987, the film was ready in July 1986. The actual animation
took just over one year, involving 125 artists. Prior to release,
the powers that be at Disney were concerned about what there perceived
as the "same problem" that sank Steven Spielberg's entertaining
and imaginative live-action Young Sherlock Holmes:
"Too British." The studio marketing department invited
the animation department to suggest new titles for Basil of
Baker Street. Apparently the animators thought that The
Great Mouse Detective was as imaginative as renaming Snow
White, Seven Little Men Help a Girl. In fact,
an in-studio memo was found tacked to the animation department bulletin
board announcing that the studio had re-titled all its classic films.
Management wasn't amused at such suggestions as The Wooden Boy
Who Became Real, The Little Deer Who Grew Up, Puppies
Taken Away, The Amazing Flying Children, and Colour
and Music.
Unbelievably, Disney had problems with the picture
in Norway, where the State Film Censorship Board voted unanimously
to bar children under the age of 12. (Also nixed was a re-issue
of Fantasia.) For the film's U.S. release, Price
took part in a June 30, 1986, media blitz for which he was scheduled
for twenty-one then-minute interviews between 8.00 am and noon.
(He was permitted to "rest" between 9.20 and 9.30, and
against from 10.50 to 11.00!)
The film underwent an additional name change when
it was re-released in February 1992 as The Adventures of the
Great Mouse Detective. For the world television premiere
on the Disney Channel on August 1, 1994, the title was back to The
Great Mouse Detective. Only Basil could unravel that
mystery.
REVIEWS
Los Angeles Times, July 02, 1986
"...the most entertaining animated feature
the Disney studio has produced since The Jungle Book
in 1967. It's the first one completed since Walt Disney's
death in 1966 that the artists could show to him without apologies
or explanations. This unpretentious film with its strong,
well-told story could be the long-awaited hit to park a renaissance
in American animation... As Prof. Ratigan, Vincent Price dominates
the vocal cast in a wonderfully off-the-wall performance, far
removed from his usual suavely evil villains."
Backstage, July 04, 1986
"Prof. Ratigan is truly evil and styled
in a Barrymore-ish persona..."
UCLA Daily Bruin, July 29, 1986, Jennifer
Boynton
"Vincent Price, as the voice of Prof. Ratigan,
is the type of villain I remember from the Batman TV
show; like the Joker or the Penguin, he is thrilled by his own
evilness. It charms him. Basil's not-entirely-nice
personality (his character seems inspired by Robert Stephens'
portrayal of Holmes in Billy Wilder's underappreciated The
Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) only makes him more endearing."
VINCENT PRICE
[At the time he was recording Ratigan's exultant song "Goodbye
So Soon," Price explained:] "Ratigan is the ultimate
villain. He's got a huge sense of humour about himself, but
dead seriousness at the same time about crime. When the actor
gets there and the voice begins to happen (and in playing it you
exaggerate, because it's an exaggerated character), you suddenly
begin to see the character — taking on your humanity,
which of course is what they want. Because the more human
the mouse or the rat is, the better it is for the picture."
|