The Great Mouse Detective

The story begins with a toy maker and his little girl. They were celebrating Olivia’s birthday and got an unexpected visitor. Fidget, the peg-legged bat had kidnapped her father. Olivia took to the streets to find a Great mouse detective who could find her father. Dr. David Dawson finds Olivia crying in a dark alley and decides he must help her. They go to meet up with Basil.When they meet Basil.  They explain Olivia’s story. Basil agrees to help them find her father.  The kidnapper happened to be linked to his arch enemy Ratigan. Ratigan had Olivia’s father working on an evil project. He had a plan but needed her father to make it happen. He sent Fidget to get supplies and kidnap Mr. Flaversham’s daughter. Basil, David, and Olivia tracked Fidget to a toy store. Some toys were missing parts which eventually lead them to Fidget who abducted Olivia. Basil and David decided to disguise themselves in order to find Ratigan. Basil, David, Olivia, and her father need to figure out how they will save the queen from Ratigan’s evil plan.

Hidden Messages

Trust: Olivia trusted Basil and Dr. Dawson to find her father and save her after she was kidnapped. Dawson believed Basil could save him, Olivia, Mr. Flaversham, and the Queen from Ratigan.

Help Someone in Need: Olivia was alone and crying in a boat when Dawson found her he could have decided to ignore her and go his way but he didn’t. He knew she needed help. Basil almost refused to help them because he didn’t think the father was missing and it wasn’t worth his time. He agreed to reconsider after he heard Olivia describe the kidnapper. In the end Basil was concerned about the girl and knew it was his duty to find and protect her.

Bravery:  Olivia was brave because she decided to leave her home to find Basil and decided to investigate with Basil and Dawson after he repeatedly said no. Basil was brave when fighting Ratigan in the end not knowing if he would make it out alive.

Mystery: Basil’s first mission was to find a bullet that matched another bullet but failed. Then Basil agreed to find Mr. Flaversham and Ratigan. After the toy store incident he  added Olivia to the case of missing persons. He had a hard time finding clues that would lead him to the captives and kidnappers. Basil even had to find the Queen and save her before Ratigan got rid of her.

This movie encourages adventure and keeps the person guessing and hoping that Basil will solve the mystery. It inspires bravery and confidence in each character. This movie was inspired by Sherlock Holmes. If you and your family enjoy this movie I recommended watching The Rescuers Series which is very similar but has a lot of mysteries that involve more realistic situations.