As we've discussed earlier in this article, The Rescuers was a lifesaver for Walt Disney Animation after almost a decade of not-so-great films. The success of The Rescuers, however, brought a lot of attention from rival companies. Said attention led to a series of attempted corporate takeovers. Sid Bass & Roy E. Disney, the chief shareholders at the studio, decided that they needed some fresh power in the front office to hold off these takeover attempts. With this goal in mind, Bass & Disney created a new executive crew to head up Walt Disney Pictures. This crew consisted of Michael Eisner & Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had just come off of a successful streak of films at Paramount Pictures (a streak that included 48 Hrs., Terms Of Endearment, Grease, and Airplane!). Frank Wells was lured from his cushy position at Warner Bros. to join the Disney crew. Eisner, Katzenberg, and Wells had no real interest in the animation program, but something had to be done with it. The three new executives decided that the only way that animated films would remain profitable would be if they turned to edgier material. The first animated film under the new regime was The Black Cauldron, one of the biggest flops in film history. After the failure of The Black Cauldron, Eisner, Katzenberg, and Wells turned to their team of animators to see if they had any ideas for their next film. This film would have a lot riding on it; if the next Disney animated film flopped, the new executives would dissolve Walt Disney Animation. It was during this time that John Musker and Ron Clements stepped up with the idea of adapting Eve Titus' book Basil Of Baker Street. Fortunately for Disney Animation, The Great Mouse Detective is a wonderful film. The film is the second animated film to use computer technology to enhance its animation (particularly during the climactic fight among the gears of Big Ben; the computer-assisted animation lends the sequence a slick feel that works well). The performances are all serviceable, but Vincent Price (as villain Professor Ratigan) rises above all the rest; he chews the scenery so enthusiastically that it's easy to tell that Price had a good time with the part. The screenplay, however, is where The Great Mouse Detective really shines. The film doesn't attempt to "dumb down" the mystery aspects of the plot; rather, it builds suspense by introducing us to each clue ambiguously. As a result, we're on the edge of our seats as Basil reveals the importance of each clue. We're equally enthralled as Basil and his partner Dawson follow each clue's lead, eventually arriving at the final duel with Ratigan. The film was a critical success and made a profit at the box office, saving Walt Disney Animation from oblivion. However, the film has descended into relative obscurity despite its critical and financial success. That's really a shame, because The Great Mouse Detective is a very well-made animated film, the one that paved the way for such hits as The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).
