More than just another animated "Mouse" adventure, this animated feature hints at the coming revolution in animation.
Based on Basil of Baker Street, a series of children's books by Eve Titus, the project was first proposed at Disney many years ago — as far back as during the production of The Rescuers (1977), and kept alive over the years with the assistance of the younger generation of animators, some of whom were fans of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
Holmes, the real Sherlock Holmes, is never seen; as far as the Disney animators are concerned, Basil is Holmes and the human world is barely noticed. But Basil is not a watered-down Holmes, the characters have their own reality. This is not "Sherlock Holmes with Animals," but the complete creation of a miniature world, very much in the tradition of "The Magnificent Mr. Toad" from The Wind in the Willows.
Produced by Burny Mattinson and directed by John Musker, Dave Michener and Ron Clements, Mouse represents a return to the rich character style of Song of the South or Wind in the Willows. The emphasis for the animators is not what it was in The Black Cauldron with its massive crowd scenes and vast sweeping action, but more focused on the individual characters. […]
