The Great Disney Reel Rumble Retrospective reaches the conclusion of the Bronze Era. In its last two films before the Renaissance, Disney attempted two adaptations of classic British literature. Are they better than their Bronze Age peers? Let’s take a look!
If you have read any of these articles, you’ve read about the genesis of Disney’s films coming sometimes more than a decade before their release. This finally stops being a trend here, at least mostly. The idea of adapting a Sherlock Holmes story with animals popped up during production of The Rescuers back in 1977, so not quite a decade this time.
Joe Hale was the one who suggested using Basil of Baker Street as the basis for a film. Though it is an American book series, it is about a mouse living underneath Sherlock Holmes. But Disney deemed it too similar to The Rescuers and the project went into limbo for a little while. It came back in the early 80s when Ron Clements proposed adapting it and it was approved as an alternate to The Black Cauldron due to that project’s development issues (detailed in our previous article).
Early story debates centered on what form the villain’s victim should take, with the decision moving towards a young girl in order to draw audience sympathies. Production hit a small bump in the road after Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenburg took over as CEO and chairman of Disney’s film division, respectively. They complained the story seemed too slow, cut the budget in half, moved the release up a year, and ordered rewrites.
If that all sounded like a recipe for disaster, it only continued from there. There was a great shuffleboard of who served as director and producer before animation could even begin. Despite all of these difficulties, production marched onward. After the low box office take of Young Sherlock Holmes, Eisner also forced a name change due to his belief that the name Basil sounded too English. This apparently spawned a legendary, satirical inter-office memo listing generic versions of Disney movie titles.
As for the lead character of Basil (the Holmes stand-in), he was originally modeled after Bing Crosby before switching to Leslie Howard as his inspiration. A great Shakespearean Royal Theater Company actor, Barrie Ingham, won the role within minutes of his audition, and was apparently so good that parts of his audition performance were used in the final cut of the film. Notably, Vincent Price was brought in as the villainous Professor Ratigan, the film’s equivalent of Moriarity. He was asked to audition for the part, and Price later commented he would have been offended if anyone but Disney had asked an audition of him at that point in his career.
The film released on July 2, 1986. With a budget of $14 million, it grossed around $5o million during its initial run. Due to this success after the disaster of The Black Cauldron, it reportedly restored confidence in Disney’s animation department. Perhaps The Great Mouse Detective was the second film to save Disney Animation. Critics were kind as well, with Ebert and Siskel delivering two thumbs up and most others commenting that it was a big improvement after the clunker that was The Black Cauldron.
Though well received, the film has faded in collective memory over time. It is not considered one of the great Disney classics and barely receives any comment or attention. The movie isn’t included in any of the crossover materials, has no real reference in the parks, and really hasn’t found lasting weight. Perhaps the play-it-safe attitude saved the studio but made for an otherwise un-impactful film.
The development time of Oscar & Company was even shorter, with production beginning after Michael Eisner took over as Disney’s CEO. Eisner and Katzenburg called a production meeting that was later called the “Gong Show,” forcing the animation studio to pitch ideas. Ron Clements notably pitched The Little Mermaid and “Treasure Island in Space”, but it was story artist Pete Young who suggested Oliver Twist with dogs. Katzenburg approved that pitch.
The story started out fairly dark, which had become a trend in the 80s Disney works, with Dobermans murdering Oliver’s parents and setting him on a path of revenge. But after co-director Richard Rich was fired, surviving director George Scribner decided that maybe children didn’t want a dark revenge movie. He turned Oliver into a naive kitten, Dodger and the other parts of the gang into the dogs, and Fagin into a human. A New York setting was also suggested to bring some modernity into the film. Scribner also borrowed a technique from earlier in Disney’s history by blocking out scenes on actual streets, snapping photos, and using those photos as a basis for the animators. This film was also notable for about eleven minutes of “computer-assisted imagery.”
Due to the New York setting, the cast leaned towards using New Yorkers including Bette Midler, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. This was also the first of a few Disney films to feature Cheech Marin, here as the Chihuahua Tito. Billy Joel was also cast to try to make it appeal to modern audiences. Joel later said he took the part mostly to impress his daughter.
Joel would also end up providing a song for the film. As part of their effort to aim for wider audiences, Katzenburg pushed to have all of the songs done by popular artists. Bette Midler, Huey Lewis, and Ruth Pointer all did songs. However, perhaps the biggest impact for the modern era of Disney music was Katzenburg listening to his friend’s suggestion to bring in lyricist Howard Ashman. Ashman, with collaborator Alan Menken, would end up doing the songs for the next three Disney films that led to the great Disney musical revival.
Oliver & Company released on November 18, 1988, the 60th anniversary of Steamboat Willie. This was also the first film released as part of Katzenburg’s new release schedule for the animation wing, trying to do one film a year, as was Walt’s intention back in the 40s. Though this was the first Disney film to feature extensive product placement, Katzenburg insisted that it was not paid adverting but part of bringing authenticity to the New York setting.
Oliver debuted at #1 at the box office, taking in $7.5 million and going on to gross $53 million, making it the highest grossing animated film of all time to that point. Critics were not so kind, with Siskel finding it vapid and messy. Ebert was kinder, though still lukewarm in his assessment. Other critics gave a more positive review, finding it fun and light-hearted.
Though it was a huge box office success, it likewise hasn’t lasted in the Disney canon. Though Oliver has occasionally popped up in some crossover Disney media, and the songs had a small period of pop culture relevance, this one still isn’t a mainstay. It has no theme park rides, shows, or anything else in the larger Disney mosaic.
The Great Mouse Detective‘s story is basically a condensing of the mythos of Sherlock Holmes. There are mysteries, Holmes’s deductive genius on display, and a showdown with his arch-enemy Moriarity (er, Ratigan). Missed opportunity to call him Mouseriarty aside, Price makes him an entertaining villain and counterpart to Basil. While this film doesn’t match some of Sherlock’s best big-screen adventures, it is a capable story that moves along amicably. The actual sense of mystery is somewhat limited though, as the film focuses more on hijinks than true mystery detective work. That said, there are fun set-pieces, including a climax on Big Ben.
There are also surprisingly adult remarks and choices made in depicting women and the cruelty of Professor Ratigan. The 80s was an odd time where Disney wasn’t averse to using slightly more adult content in its animation wing. This isn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, just something worthy of note. Ultimately, the story is fairly utilitarian, and it does feel reminiscent of The Rescuers.
Not that the story of Oliver & Company is all that impressive. A rough approximation of Oliver Twist, the animal version feels like it tries too hard to be hip and relevant. The Jonathan Taylor Thomas sound-alike that voices Oliver brings an enjoyable naivete to the character that makes him endearing. Billy Joel’s Dodger is fun in its mega-celebrity sort of way, even if Joel isn’t the strongest voice actor. And Robert Loggia brings a cool menace as Sykes. Admittedly, I watched this one a ton as a kid and do have a nostalgic fondness for it.
Neither of these feel like they have the best writing, and they are fairly rote adaptations of classic British literature. The character of Oliver ironically winds up sidelined for half of his film, becoming more of a plot point than a protagonist with an arc. The Great Mouse Detective at least keeps a focus on its titular character, though he doesn’t have much of an arc either. Ultimately, Vincent Price’s villainy puts his movie over the top.
Winner: The Great Mouse Detective
When it comes to music, The Great Mouse Detective doesn’t really have any. Sure, it does have a score, and it’s a decent one. But as far as classic Disney music goes, there’s a grand total of three songs and only one that is memorable. Price gets to sing “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind,” his one big villain song. Were it not Price, I don’t think it would be memorable either. But Price does bring some B-movie zeal to the piece. This is no “Be Prepared,” but it almost is good enough to be a sing-along.
Oliver & Company features the aforementioned pop soundtrack. These aren’t Disney classics, but anyone who is a fan of these artists will likely enjoy them well enough. Huey Lewis’s “Once Upon a Time in New York” is a fun intro sequence that establishes the setting well. The highlight is Joel’s catchy “Why Should I Worry?”, which establishes Dodger as the cool, street-smart dog and mentor to Oliver. While it lyrically only sort of does that, Joel made it way catchier than it needed to be, and seeing the little dog run around on construction equipment with hot dogs dangling around him does evoke New York. It’s a really fun sequence and the first indication of where Disney music might be headed in the 90s.
The rest of Oliver & Company‘s soundtrack is a bit more forgettable. All the same, its best two songs easily top all of the music in The Great Mouse Detective, and are arguably the highlight of the entire film.
Winner: Oliver & Company
The animation of The Great Mouse Detective feels fairly utilitarian and in line with the other 80s work. Despite the new techniques developed on The Black Cauldron, they seem to have been deemed too expensive for this one. Instead, this movie has the dark lines of the other Xerox-style work that has dominated the era. There is more expressiveness to it than back in the 70, and the design of Professor Ratigan and Basil are quite fun.
Oliver & Company likewise bears the marks of the heavy line look of the rest of the Xerox films, but the detail in the movements and expressions of the characters feels even more improved here. In places it almost starts to look like the studio’s 90s movies. As mentioned before, this film also uses computer-assisted imagery for certain parts. These aren’t highly noticeable, though, which is perhaps to the film’s credit as it blends the hand-drawn and computer-assisted content. The design of the various dogs and humans is strong; Fagin is grimy and friendly, Sykes’s Dobermans have sharp lines and look tough, and Tito has a friendly yet yappy personality and face. These are all decent choices, even if not in service of the best story.
These movies don’t have animation that broadcasts why Disney is such a beloved studio, but neither is among the worst that Disney has offered. These films are just caught on the cusp of a much better era coming. Perhaps they deserve credit for both saving and propelling the animation department forward. All of that said, Oliver & Company gets a slight edge in the matchup due to its more varied characters.
Winner: Oliver & Company
Though Oliver & Company doesn’t have the best story, it is the winner here. Neither of the films in this match are classics of Disney and have been forgotten over time. Both are plain adaptations of better stories that cut a lot of the depth and nuance out of the source material. But with the fun songs and character designs, Oliver & Company edges out The Great Mouse Detective even though it tells a better story.
The ending of this era represents the worst of the commercialization ideas that Eisner and Katzenburg would bring. Despite early missteps from Disney’s new executives, they would oversee a new generation of Disney animators that brought about a Renaissance and secured the studio’s place as a turn-of-the-century powerhouse.
The king of this era is The Fox and the Hound. In many ways, the Bronze Age earns its reputation. The animation feels lesser than the preceding Silver Era, and many of these movies lacked the iconic songs or fantasy tales that are the foundation of the best Disney works. Still, the experimentation with story is admirable, and some of the movies have earned a following since, including the excellent The Fox and the Hound.
The Great Mouse Detective
- Ranked #2,294 globally
- Wins 42% of matchups
- 5,016 users have ranked it 56, 360 times
- 5 have it as their #1 film
- Ranked 29/65 in the Walt Disney Animation Studios filter
Oliver & Company
- Ranked #4,354 globally
- Wins 34% of matchups
- 5,780 users have ranked it 57,966 times
- 4 have it as their #1 film
- Ranked 46/65 in the Walt Disney Animation Studios filter
- Bambi (1942)
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
- Cinderella (1950)
- Fantasia (1940)
- Peter Pan (1953)
- The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- Robin Hood (1973)
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- Pinocchio (1940)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Oliver & Company (1988)
- The Rescuers (1977)
- The Aristocats (1970)
- The Black Cauldron (1985)
- Dumbo (1941)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
- The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- The Three Caballeros (1944)
- The Sword in the Stone (1963)
- Melody Time (1948)
- Saludos Amigos (1942)
- Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
- Make Mine Music (1946)
