Professor Ratigan

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Professor Padraic Ratigan is a fictional character created by Eve Titus for her series of books featuring Basil the Great Mouse Detective. The character, with some changes, was also the villain in Walt Disney's twenty-sixth animated feature film, The Great Mouse Detective, which was based on the books.

Vincent Price voiced the character in the film.

Ratigan is a criminal mastermind based on Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes stories. He is the nemesis of Basil of Baker Street, who foiled his schemes to replace the queen of all mousedom with a robot he controlled. Ratigan apparently fell to his death after a fight with Basil on the clock face of Big Ben, sometime in the Victorian age.

Appearance

Ratigan is an anthropomorphic rat. He wears a formal Victorian evening suit complete with pocket watch and opera cape. He also carries a cane with a gemstone knob. Ratigan himself has dark hair and grey fur. He is large and muscular with extremely wide shoulders.

Personality

Professor Ratigan is intelligent, ruthless and sadistic with a violent temper. He delights in crime and cruel behaviour and is proud of his reputation as a criminal mastermind. Although a rat he insists he is a mouse, a large mouse, and killed a henchman for referring to him as "the world's greatest rat". He is fond of preparing elaborate schemes, traps and executions.

Role

In the film, The Great Mouse Detective, Ratigan ordered the kidnap of the toy maker Flaversham and forced him to build a robot copy of the Queen mouse, with which he intended to become ruler of all mice. Ratigan later also had Flaversham's daughter, Olivia, kidnapped in order to pressure Flaversham into completing the device.

When Fidget the bat reported that Basil was investigating, Ratigan arranged a successful ambush. He captured Basil and staged an elaborate execution accompanied by music but Basil escaped and later foiled his plan.

Appears In

Gadget in Chains by Loneheart

Knights of Rescue by Charlie Price

External Links

Official Wikipedia page on Eve Titus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_Titus

Official Wikipedia page on the Basil book series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Baker_Street

Official Wikipedia page on the Disney Movie The Great Mouse Detective http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Mouse_Detective