Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3809 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-11-18
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Animated, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 71 minutes

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
This exciting, fun-filled Disney classic adventure pits legendary mouse super sleuth, Basil, against Professor Ratigan, the world's greatest criminal mind. With the help of Dawson and a sweet little mouse named Olivia, Basil must outwit the ruthless rodent to save all of Mousedom. Features the voices of Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek, Candy Candido, Eve Brenner, Alan Young and Melissa Manchester.

Customer Reviews

An unappreciated classic!
This film has long been overshadowed by more recent animated features. OK, it doesn't have the catchy tunes or the flashy graphics of the Little Mermaid or the Lion King, but its still an entertaining movie for people of any age.
The film is set in Victorian London, where mice and rats have their own little society. The toymaker, Mr. Flaversham is kidnapped by a one legged bat, and his daughter, Olivia, sets off to seek the help of Basil of Baker Street, and his two wacky sidekicks.
The Great Mouse detective doesn't follow the usual big-spectacle Disney formula, having only 3 musical numbers, none of which are particularly lavish. The most memorable song is performed by the flamboyant villain (perfectly voiced by Vincent Price) and his goofy henchmen.
This film is nowhere near the top of Disney's achievements, but it's still a strong entry in their massive catalog, and it differs so much from the usual Disney style that it has a quaint sort of charm. All in all, I absolutely love this film, it's definately one of my favourites, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

A True Classic!
I remember watching Basil The Great Mouse Detective at the cinema when I was six and absolutely loved it. Now some twenty or so years later I still love it for it's sheer relentless pace of adventure and the true Holmes-like quality it brings to the cartoon world.

Quite simply this is one of the very best Disney films ever and to my mind a very undervalued classic which is extremely enjoyable for children and adults alike. If a sequel is ever made I just hope they can do justice to the original.

My advice is to buy this DVD and see how good it is for yourselves, you won't be disappointed!.

More Holmesian than you might imagine
Among the selections of movies in the excellent Sherlock Holmes reference book `Sherlock Holmes on Screen: The Complete Film and TV History' by Alan Barnes is this 1986 Disney concoction that is equal part musical, comedy, thriller, suspense and children's movie. In fact, as Barnes points out, this feature has many more Holmesian elements than many live action movies that happen to have the character Sherlock Holmes among its cast list.
Indeed this clever animated movie owes a great deal to its literary roots and is based on Eve Titus' book `Basil of Baker Street.'
Living underneath the apartment of the famous Sherlock Holmes at 221 Baker Street is a mouse named Basil. Shaped primarily on the Rathbone interpretation of the character, Basil is the most famous detective in all of mousedom and is determined to track down his evil nemesis Prof. Ratigan (wonderfully played with obvious relish by Vincent Price).
Basil's chance comes when he is approached by the daughter of a kidnapped toymaker named Flaversham. Initially uninspired and uninterested in the girls search for her abducted father Basil becomes decidedly more interested when she reveals that one of those responsible is a bat with a peg leg.
The bat is a known as a henchman for Ratigan and soon Basil races off into another adventure to chase down the evil genius.
The animation in the movie is top notch, the songs lively and the humor - well funny, but where this movie falters a little is in pace. I would say it is just a little too long and slower paced than I expected. It's a very satisfying movie certainly, and a `must-own' for Sherlock Holmes fans (Basil Rathbone's voice is even heard in one scene), but there are moments where it seems to drag and other moments where you wish the characters would stop singing and just get on with developing the plot.
Great fun for the kids and people who are still a kid at heart/