Tonight with the Family: Released 38 years ago, this Disney classic was probably a staple of your childhood if you grew up in the 80s

From the age of 8

In 1897, deep in the city of London, Papa Mouse celebrates the birthday of his beloved daughter. A genius inventor and toy designer, Mr. Flowersham has created a mechanical doll for his little Olivia, who watches the doll dance in amazement. But the party comes to an abrupt end when a wooden-legged bat breaks into the workshop to kidnap the little girl’s father.

Alone in the world, lost in the fog of the British capital, the latter has no choice but to rely on the services of what the Mousetrap community presents as the greatest detective: Basil of Baker Street. Realizing that with Olivia’s help, he will surely be able to track down the enemy he has always been on the lookout for – the nasty and cruel Rattigan – Basil takes on this new investigation.

• Tonight with the family: This Disney isn’t for every kid

In the late 80s

Even if they haven’t yet entered their new golden age, which will arrive three years from now, the artists of the Disney studio still sign some very good films in the late 80s.

If it is perhaps more secretive than many of its predecessors or successors, and if a new generation may not have discovered it yet, Basil the Private Detective in any case hides many qualities, starting with its protagonist.

Basil VS Rattigan

Clearly inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Detective (of which he is also a hidden tenant), this rodent detective, voiced by the excellent Roger Carell, is truly endowed with a personality unique in Disney history: theatrical, grandiose, eccentric, sometimes pompous and even a little crazy, he immediately makes you want to go on an adventure with him .

He shares this charisma with the film’s other huge strength: his sworn nemesis, the hideous and terrifying Rattigan. Played by the impeccable Gerard Rinaldi, this crime lord who hides a despicable scoundrel beneath his gentlemanly exterior is undoubtedly part of Disney’s greatest villain club.

Let’s also celebrate the awesome showdown between the two enemies in the metal bowels of Big Ben. One of the first Disney scenes created using computer-generated imagery.

What will you like…

• The spirit of adventure that comes out of a feature film, in general.

• A trap scene where Basil and Dawson manage to free themselves at the last minute. A particularly enjoyable sequence.

What might bother them…

• Almost everything that surrounds Rattigan’s character: his violent suffering, the fate he leaves to his incompetent landlords, but also his hideous final “transformation.”

• Fidget the Bat, and especially his surprise foray into Flowersham’s workshop early in the film.

(Re)discover all the hidden details of ‘Basil, Private Detective’…