The Great Mouse Detective

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ron Clements directs. Ed Austin behind the camera. Henry Mancini scores. Roy M. Brewer Jr. cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
• 240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 3Directed by Ron Clements, shot by Ed Austin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Henry Mancini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Roy M. Brewer Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Barrie Ingham and Vincent Price and Val Bettin carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "London's crime-fighting ace on his most baffling case!".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0091149 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Classified under 10 themes, including "london, england", "detective", "queen", "mouse".
• 10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Ed Austin

Original score

Henry Mancini

Editing

Roy M. Brewer Jr.

Runtime

74 min · 1h 14m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$14,000,000

Box office

$38,600,000

Return

276% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

G

IMDB

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

79% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

73/100

IMDB rating

7.1/10 · 57,588 votes

MPAA

G

Also by

Ron Clements

• 
  Aladdin

  1992 · ★ 7.7
• 
  Treasure Planet

  2002 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Moana

  2016 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Hercules

  1997 · ★ 7.5
• 
  The Little Mermaid

  1989 · ★ 7.4
• 
  The Princess and the Frog

  2009 · ★ 7.2

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Basil Loses Hope - Official Clip

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  The Great Mouse Detective - 1992 Reissue Trailer (35mm 4K)

  Trailer
• 

  ▶
  The Great Mouse Detective - 1999 VHS Trailer #1

  Trailer
• 

  ▶
  The Great Mouse Detective (1986): Theatrical Trailer [RAW Open Matte 35mm Scan]

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2023-12-27
  ★ 7/10

  The "Moriarty" inspired "Ratigan" is a nasty piece of work! He kidnaps a toy-maker with a view to making toy that will embody this evil genius with the power to dominate the world! Needless to say, this piques the interest of the formidable sleuthing team that is "Basil" and "Dawson" and so in best "Holmes/Watson" tradition they must examine every detail and follow every trail if they are to find and thwart their nemesis. I did quite enjoy this. It develops a sense of menacing mischief quite engagingly over seventy five minutes with some wittily crafted scripting and some clues for all of us to follow as the future of "Mousedom" is at stake. The whole Victorian scenario allows the animators to capitalise on the costumes, the enquiring scientific minds of the day and, of course, the whole sense of Empire, decency and loyalty. The precarious denouement at Big Ben tops off an enjoyable adventure film that focusses much more on character and story than endless special effects and CGI - and it's entertaining!

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• SI

  Silver Screen Partners II

  US

• 

  Walt Disney Pictures

  US

Key crew

• NovelPaul Galdone
• NovelEve Titus
• EditorRoy M. Brewer Jr.
• EditorJames Melton
• ProducerBurny Mattinson
• Supervising AnimatorGlen Keane
• Supervising AnimatorMark Henn
• Music EditorJack Wadsworth
• AnimationAnthony DeRosa
• LayoutJennifer Yuan
• Visual EffectsJay Jackson
• Art DirectionGuy Vasilovich
• LyricistLarry Grossman
• SongsHenry Mancini
• LyricistEllen Fitzhugh
• SongsMelissa Manchester
• LyricistMelissa Manchester
• AnimationDave Bossert
• ProducerRon Miller
• OrchestratorAlexander Courage
• Original StoryArthur Conan Doyle
• Production CoordinatorDennis Edwards
• Supervising AnimatorHendel Butoy
• Supervising AnimatorRob Minkoff

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• london, england
• detective
• queen
• mouse
• villain
• victorian england
• thug
• cartoon mouse
• 19th century
• whimsical

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1986-07-02G
• Theatrical1992-02-14G· re-release
• Physical2012-10-09G· Mystery in the Mist Edition Blu-ray
• Physical2002-07-23G· DVD
• Physical2010-04-13G· Mystery in the Mist Edition DVD
• Physical1992-07-17G· Walt Disney Home Video #1360 [𝐕𝐇𝐒📼] / [βet⍺🖭] / [𝐋aser𝐃isc💿] 74 minutes
• Physical1999-08-31G· VHS re-release
• TV1993-08-01· Disney Channel

Also known as

International titles

• Basil Hiiri - MestarietsiväFI
• Basil the Great Mouse DetectiveAU
• The Adventures of the Great Mouse DetectiveUS
• Basil, der grosse MäusedetektivCH
• Basil Détective PrivéFR
• Basil, El raton superdetectiveES
• הרפתקאותיו של סופר בלשIL
• Basil, The Great Mouse DetectiveGB
• Ο Μεγάλος Ποντικο-ΝτετέκτιβGR
• Ratigan Mendja më e Madhe Kriminale në BotëAL
• Ratigan, a világ legnagyszerűbb bűnöző elméjeHU
• As Peripécias de um Ratinho DetetiveBR