As President emeritus Tom Sito points ou elsewhere in the intertubes, today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Great Mouse Detective's release ...
The film, costing $12 million to make, the flick grossed $38.6 million domestically, and marked several firsts for Disney.
It was the first animated film greenlit by Jeffrey Katzenberg. (Already in production, the crew wondered if Eisner and Katzenberg would shut the feature ... and the entire department ... down. Happily, they did not.)
Mouse marked the first extensive use of computer animation in a Disney animated film (note the clip above.)
TGMD marked the directorial debuts of Ron Clements and John Musker, who of course went on to helm multiple Disney features afterwards, from Little Mermaid to Aladdin to The Princess and the Frog.
It was Disney veteran Burnett "Burny" Mattinson's first producing gig on an animated feature film. (He had previously produced and directed Mickey's Christmas Carol, a holiday featurette.)
So. Happy Birthday Great Mouse Detective/ Basil of Baker Street!
Add On: (Now that I have more time.) The feature was nominated for an Edgar Award, but failed to win.
Disney veteran Dave Michener was the third director on Mouse, his second directorial assignment. (The Fox and the Hound was the first.)
Lastly. Story artist Ed Gombert wrote a puckish memo under division chief Peter Schneider's name when studio management decided to change the picture's title from Basil of Baker Street to The Great Mouse Detective. The memo found its way to the L.A. Times, and ultimately onto the game show "Jeopardy," as a question.
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Never worked on the film but I saw it for the first time at the wrap party and enjoyed dinner with producer, Burny Mattinson and his wife.
I told Burny that Disney animation was back in business. It was, and the best was yet to come.
**It was the first animated film greenlit by Jeffrey Katzenberg. (Already in production, the crew wondered if Eisner and Katzenberg would shut the feature ... and the entire department ... down. Happily, they did not.)**
No, but they sure cut the HELL out of the budget.
The budget was a smidge bigger than "Fox and the Hound," and way lower than "The Black Cauldron."
A Disney mucky-muck told me at the end of production that "The Great Mouse Detective" came in at $12 million .... then management shifted half a million in development costs from "Oliver" to "Mouse," making it $12.5 million.
The internet says the picture cost $14 million.
Superb animation, great character development ... suspense, mystery, extremely warm, with a lot of heart, and of course the touch JM & RC.
"Fraidy Cat" would be phenomenal in the same vein.
Actually Jeffrey helped put the film together. J&R had sequences all out of order and Jeffrey strongly suggested they move sequences around till they made some story sense. This was the start of Jeffery's big leap into animation.
Jeffrey changed the song in the barroom sequence, tightened things up, rearranged a few things. The structure of the film was already there.
Glen Keane and Matt O'Callaghan boarded some great comedy between Ratigan and the Queen. Story artist Bruce Morris boarded the sequence where Ratigan has Basil tied to a Rube Goldberg style execution device, plussing it tremendously.
Barry Ingham, a British actor from the Royal Shakespeare company, came in one day and auditioned during a callte call and nailed the role of Basil. He got the part with one forty-minute audition.
Vincent Price as Ratigan was Burny Mattinson's suggestion.
Ratigan's character was heavily influenced by Price's villainous role in the 1950 film, "Champagne for Caesar."
Makes one wonder. While Jeffrey was at Disney John and Ron had 3 hits to their name. Jeffrey leaves and they have 3 bombs to their name...
Maybe John, Ron and Jeffrey were a better team then John and Ron alone.
"Maybe John, Ron and Jeffrey were a better team then John and Ron alone."
Truer words were never spoken.
The same well goes to little jeffy katzemburg
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