Eyyyy first pic on Clip Studio Paint Pro and I’m LOVING IT. I know it’s really not that accurate on shade and lighting, but it was just a lil quickie if anything.
Sherlock Holmes is a classic. He’s not just a man anymore—he’s gained so much fame that he’s a phenomenon, a sort of modern Greek hero. Few people nowadays have read his stories, yet he remains a prominent figure in pop culture, even to the point of having his own catchphrase, and an expression inspired by him (“Elementary, my dear Watson” and “No s***, Sherlock” respectively). The Sherlock phenomenon has several reboots coming out this year alone in movie, book, and TV show form.
But this isn’t a blog about modern stuff. It’s about childhood memories of stuff. So instead of the new show Sherlock on the BBC that has renewed my love for the world’s greatest consulting detective, the focus of this post is going to be on how Mr. Holmes has been present in my life from childhood on.
I loved this movie as a kid, and it’s one childhood favorite that has withstood the test of time. Basil the mouse is funny, witty, has mood swings when cases don’t go well, can’t remember unimportant things, plays with his chemistry set to gain evidence, wears elaborate disguises, plays violin, and acts particularly insane when in the grips of a spectacular deduction. He’s got an arch-nemesis named Professor Ratigan (the mouse version of Professor Moriarty in the original works, though portrayed much more flamboyantly in the movie, as is the wont of Disney villains) and a companion who’s an ex-army doctor, Dr. Dawson (a mousier Dr. Watson, Doyle’s original ex-army doctor), just returned from Afghanistan. The movie revolves around Basil, Dawson, and a little girl (mouse) named Olivia, whose father has been kidnapped by Ratigan to do mechanical work for his biggest plot ever. Olivia goes to Basil for help, but gets lost along the way and is found by Dawson, who escorts her to Baker Street, and thus winds up meeting Basil. They spend the rest of the movie hunting down Ratigan, saving Olivia’s father, and stopping Ratigan’s eeeevil plot.
(this makes much more sense in context, I swear)
This movie really is amazing. There’s some great use of 3D animation towards the end, and the pacing is quality. The characters are adapted well from the original Sherlock books to become more relatable to children, but without losing their distinguishing features and personality quirks. Basil, for instance, is utterly uninterested in helping Olivia find her father until he finds out it was one of Ratigan’s henchmen who did the kidnapping, and thus the case might lead him to Ratigan. There’s music throughout, both in the background and sung by the characters themselves (or played on violin, in Basil’s case) but only when appropriate and never in a breakout musical style, just at times when their characters would have had cause to be singing as part of the story. I won’t give it away, but you’ll know what I mean when you see it. Because you are going to see it, right? Right.
Anyway, the music: fabulous. The main theme, as played over the title reveal, still makes me want to get up and leap around like Basil, making deductions and adventuring through the streets of London.
Oh, I should probably mention that even though the main characters are mice, there are still humans in the story—which is, to be honest, perfect. Seeing the world from a mouse’s perspective really is interesting, and there’s a great scene in a human-sized toy shop that I don’t want to spoil, but is surprisingly engaging for taking place in nothing more than a too-big toy shop. There’s also a dog sidekick, Toby, who is normal-sized for a dog and thus provides excellent transportation and muscle when the tiny mice need it.
Long story short, “The Great Mouse Detective” is a great movie. It’s funny, thematic, intelligent, has some pleasant old-school animation, great music, and engaging characters. The hero is heroic, the villain is villainous, and the companion is companionable. It’ll entertain kids and act as a primer for Sherlock Holmes, and get them interested in maybe doing some sleuthing of their own.
Or maybe they’ll just want to own a pet mouse. Who knows.
