Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Staci Frederick Blistering performances.
invisibleunicornninja We had to watch this movie in like middle school or something and its pretty good. Its a bit dark and a bit forgettable, but otherwise it doesn't do anything wrong and is very entertaining. I'd recommend watching.
Bill Reid A beautifully drawn and magically realised tale of personified critters, with strong performances from its cast and enough maturity to see that The Secret of NIMH stands out from its counterparts.The Secret of NIMH follows the adventures of a recently widowed field mouse, Mrs. Brisby (played by the talented yet tragic Elizabeth Hartman) who must consult the various beasts of the field to find a cure for a her sick son and preserve their family home in the face of the coming Spring.This is the first I've seen of a Don Bluth as an adult, (and the first Don Bluth Production following his and his colleagues split from Disney) I must say that I was absolutely swept up within the first few minutes. The elegance of the animation had a weight to it that seems eerily real to one used to the CGI schlock of the 2000s, which coupled well with very strong performances, Dom DeLouis's bumbling blackbird Jeremy being a standout. Although very visually reminiscent of 70's to 80's Disney animated productions, and clear in its demographic, The Secret of NIMH never once patronised its audience that meant it carried a consistent classiness throughout that one might not find in similar Disney productions, sometimes feeling closer to that of Martin Rosen's Watership Down (1978) in its seemingly allegorical nature, although nowhere near as violent.All in all, I was very content with the film which had enough magic, twists, peril, punch and good pacing to keep me very much glued to the screen for the entirety of its run-time. BR
TheBlueHairedLawyer Back in grade 7 I read the novel 'Ms. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH' but since the Frisbee toy company had the novel's film title changed over I hadn't heard of the film 'till recently. I thought it was going to be just some Disney-looking kid's movie, but no, it was beyond amazing.The story follows Ms. Frisbee, a little field mouse with several children, one of them with pneumonia. To find a cure, she sets off on an epic journey, meeting several friends and enemies, as well as a group of rats with strange powers. They gained these powers while escaping the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where they were kept as lab rats for vivisection experiments. Frisbee falls into an adventure where humans and animals collide and a whole new world is portrayed, along with a strong message that raises awareness of inhumane animal testing. It doesn't get all dorky the way those stupid P.E.T.A. protests are, instead it shows the point of view from both humans and animals, leaving t up to the viewer to decide which side of the issue is the right one, if any, while also offering an exciting adventure. It was marketed for children but certainly too disturbing for most kids, it falls right into the group of movies that features Watership Down, Felidae and the Plague Dogs. Nevertheless, don't it up, it has great soundtrack and voice acting, an original plot, and a definite message.
MissSimonetta The Secret of NIMH (1982) is an 80s animated film with the sensibility of an early Disney feature. Produced during the darkest age of animation to date where selling toys was a greater priority than artistry or storytelling, NIMH was a rebel with its beauty and darkness.Never once does it pander to children by painting the world as a rosy place. Like Disney's first features, it evokes terror just as often as it does wonder. Mrs. Brisby might just be the greatest female character in all of American animation. She is no crooning ingénue nor a hard-nosed warrior, but a mother who's willing to face the worst dangers imaginable to save the life of her child. Her struggle is truly powerful.The animation and music also deserve praise. It's hard to tell that this was a low budget project, so fluid is the animation. Jerry Goldsmith's score is a perfect match for the dark yet hopeful tone of the film.I'm not the biggest fan of much of Don Bluth's later work, but this movie never fails to astound me. It's his magnum opus most certainly. In many ways, this is a precursor to the animation renaissance that would flourish from the late 80s and into the 90s. It deserves more attention than it has been given, that's for sure.
