Parents' Guide to

The Great Mouse Detective

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Clever Sherlock Holmes tribute mixes wit, peril.

Movie G 1986 74 minutes
The Great Mouse Detective Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 25 parent reviews

age 7+

Awesome!!

1 person found this helpful.
age 8+

Fun old school movie- with dated culture.

The story and animation holds up and even my 8 yr. old enjoyed it. Parents should know that this was made in 1986 so There are numerous inappropriate activities by the animated character: smoking, drinking and strippers! There is a seen where 3 ladies strip on stage with the boy mice oogle them. The main stripper sings “hey boys, there's nothing I won't do for you. Let me be good to you." And the mice were putting money in her garter belt. There is also quite a bit if the old school violence. None of this bothers me or my child- but would have if he were younger. The music is dated- but there is not much of it. The older adults will recognize the villain as Vincent Price

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (25):
Kids say (19):

Director Ron Clements (who went on to direct several Disney favorites) imbues his delightful mouse tale with a nod to all familiar with Holmes stories. Based on Eve Titus' popular children's book series about a Victorian mouse detective who models himself after Holmes, The Great Mouse Detective contains all of the elements of a good mystery: an initial crime, an innocent party in search of help, a series of clues that help Basil and his newfound assistant Dr. Dawson all across London (often on the back of the real Holmes' pet hound Toby) to find where the not-quite-clever-enough villain is hiding. Children, even kindergarteners, will be able to follow the action and learn about the basics of sleuthing and suspense.

The city of London plays as a big a role in the plot as any of the characters, and Clements and company lovingly detail major landmarks such as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace -- the big chase scene inside Big Ben is a notable early example of CGI. The animated set design aside, the scenery chewing star of this production is obviously Price, who somehow had never been asked to voice a Disney villain until this 1986 production, just seven years before he died. Price's every word as the dastardly Professor Ratigan is deliciously evil sounding. The unflappable Basil (voiced elegantly by Ingham, a veteran British theater actor), is naturally up to the challenge of confronting and defeating the greedy Ratigan, but it's the tension between the two characters that makes this a treat to watch even for adults.

Movie Details

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