Day 21: The Great Mouse Detective

And you thought you liked Sherlock Holmes: We watch The Great Mouse Detective

1. What movie did you watch?
The Great Mouse Detective. The movie is based off of the book Basil of Baker Street, which itself is inspired by the classic Sherlock Holmes stories. The movie is filled with lines and references to Holmes and his adventures, including his methods of deduction and love of violin. After a string of successful live action movies and the disastrous release of the animated Black Cauldron, the successful release of this film convinced Disney management that the animation department was still viable and eventually led it into the Disney Renaissance of the 90s. Fun fact: there is a brief scene towards the beginning of the movie where we see the silhouettes of the actual Holmes and Watson and hear them having a conversation. The voice used for Sherlock is an earlier recording of Basil Rathbone, famous for portraying Holmes in film, sampled from a reading of The Adventure of the Red-Headed League. 

2. Have you seen it before/ how long has it been since you last saw it?
Maddie: I have seen it before, it was one of my favorites as a child- and I think I last saw it about two years ago.
Alexis: I remember watching it a lot as a kid because we owned it on VHS, but I haven't seen it since childhood.

3. What memories did it recall?
Maddie: Honestly, it made me think a lot about Sherlock Holmes and how similar they truly are.

Alexis: It recalled memories of watching this movie on car trips. For some reason, my sister and I would usually choose to watch this one while we were on a road trip. Now, this was back in the days before iPads or even before cars had DVD players in them. My parents would strap a small, thick portable television between their front seats, and we would be able to watch VHS's during the long drives. Looking back this seems extremely unsafe, but it kept us completely entertained.

4. What did you think of it?
Maddie: This used to be one of my favorites, and I still love it but definitely not as much as I used to. I think once you're an adult and are watching it, the movie becomes more of a game to find Easter eggs than to solve the (fairly simple) mystery. Although, the movie does leave a lot of logistical questions regarding Ratigan. Mainly, I need to know why Ratigan wants to be a mouse- are rats second class citizens or something????

 Plus, there are plenty of mildly inappropriate moments in such a short (only an hour 15 minutes) movie.

Alexis: I sincerely enjoyed it. Now, let it be known that I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. I've read most of the novels and short stories, I love the Guy Ritchie films, and BBC Sherlock is one of my favorite television shows. Having not seen this movie since I was young, it was very fun to watch it as the Sherlock fan I am now. I loved catching the lines and references to Holmes canon, it was like a game! The movie is very cute overall, and although it is not seen as one of Disney's best, I think it provides 70 minutes of good fun.

5. Favorite moment:
Maddie: I just love Toby and Olivia! They are so cute and great!

Alexis: I don't think I have a specific favorite part of this one. My favorite character is Basil, and I just love most things he does. I think he's a great and adorable tribute to Sherlock Holmes.

6. Any other comments:
Maddie: Clearly Buzzfeed disagrees with me, http://www.buzzfeed.com/arianelange/27-reasons-why-the-great-mouse-detective-is-the-greatest-dis#.wt4eX23JnM   

Alexis: We must leave you for now... the game is afoot!