Disney Legends Unveil Great Mouse Detective Secrets

The creation of Disney's 'The Great Mouse Detective' was a journey fraught with studio uncertainty and management shifts. Initially conceived as 'Basil of Baker Street,' the film served as a refuge for animators working on the troubled 'The Black Cauldron' in the mid-1980s. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker, now animation legends, will recount these stories at the LightBox Expo.

Amidst a corporate restructuring and a greenmail attempt, new leaders Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg took the helm. Clements and Musker had to re-pitch their nearly completed film, facing demands for faster and cheaper production. Burny Mattinson took over as director, and the project's continuation was crucial, with the animation department's fate hanging in the balance.

Glen Keane, a key animator during the Disney Renaissance, worked on the villain Professor Ratigan, whose design was inspired by a former boss. The team toiled in a makeshift warehouse in Glendale, fostering camaraderie despite the studio's precarious situation. Despite a tight one-year deadline and the jettisoning of musical numbers and scenes, the film was completed.

However, shortly before its release, the movie was renamed 'The Great Mouse Detective.' This change, stemming from the poor performance of 'Young Sherlock Holmes,' deliberately downplayed any connection to Sherlock Holmes. This decision, along with a humorous internal memo mocking the title changes, became a memorable footnote in the film's history.