DVDizzy Forum

This is a continuation of the villain discussion series (started by Jay) with Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective.



My personal thoughts: Ratigan is my favorite villain to come from one of the "forgotten" Disney films (the one's most of the public has no idea of; they're loss). Vincent Price does fantastic job with the character and I think the film does itself well in making Ratigan, and Basil, "geniuses." The climax, with Ratigan bursting from his suit, is really well-done and, for lack of a better word, climactic. And "Goodbye, So Soon," is unfortunately overlooked.

Any other thoughts? I know there are several TGMD ultra-fans here.

Disney's Divinity wrote:This is a continuation of the villain discussion series (started by Jay) with Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective.



My personal thoughts: Ratigan is my favorite villain to come from one of the "forgotten" Disney films (the one's most of the public has no idea of; they're loss). Vincent Price does fantastic job with the character and I think the film does itself well in making Ratigan, and Basil, "geniuses." The climax, with Ratigan bursting from his suit, is really well-done and, for lack of a better word, climactic. And "Goodbye, So Soon," is unfortunately overlooked.

Any other thoughts? I know there are several TGMD ultra-fans here.

Haven't seen that movie in 4eva! But, I saw it recently enough to remember vaguely the moments you're talking about. From my knowledge, VP was originally to be santa in TNBC.

Ratagin is my second favorite Disney villain and an excellent tribute to the man who gave him his voice. What I find so appealing about Price in general is the infectious sense of fun he brings to his roles in films like The Invisible Man Returns, or House on Haunted Hill. He's capable of doing terrible things, but it's so immensely enjoyable to watch because he himself seems to be having a ball doing whatever. His voice is so distinctive and unique it's impossible not to recognize it and be reminded of his previous screen persona in which Ratagin is almost a parody (in a tasteful sense) of. Ratagin is supposedly his favorite film role and the first offered to him by Disney (he later became the Ghost Host for DLRP's Phantom Manor but his narration was dropped sadly after a few months) and it's easy to think why. His personality is very broad, melodramatic and nasty, with his endless cackling at his own sadistic deeds, in such a likable way it's no wonder some actors have such fun playing the villain.

I can't even remember the last time I saw this movie, but the only scenes I can remember featuring Ratigan is the song sequence where he's drinking out of the whine-fountain and the climatic clocktower sequence (I can't even remember how he died I think he fell...)

I really really want Disney to release this again... I mean they're re-releasing The Black Cauldron, so I guess anything's possible. But I really hate the cover on the existing dvd so I refuse to buy it until it gets a new one.

Ratigan terrified me as a little kid when he became a savage out of rage on the clocktower. Anyway, Ratigan is fascinating to watch in the scenes he's in. He has such a great range of facial expressions. And whenever I hear Vincent Price's voice, I'll think of Ratigan first. ^_^

Bebopgroove wrote:But I really hate the cover on the existing dvd so I refuse to buy it until it gets a new one.

I'd love for the re-release to have this for the cover:

The one scene that's always stuck out for me is the clock tower scene. I've only seen this movie a couple times, once in the last couple years and at least once or twice when I was younger. Aside from the opening scene with Fidget the only other part I really remember was as I said the cock tower. Goes to show how memorable he can be (for me at least) if his scene is the only one I can remember from childhood