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."