The Secret of NIMH (1982) User Reviews

Don Bluth's Best work!

[ZeroByte · 9/10 · 30 December 1998]

Anybody who doesn't like this movie just doesn't love animation. How can a proclaimed fan of feature animation not be dazzled by the extravagance of Don Bluth's work seen in NIMH? Here is a perfect example of what happens when artists are given free reign to just create whatever their vivid imaginations may produce. To me, the greatest triumph of this movie is the art itself. Its greatest flaw is that it was cheapened by a sequel! Why in the name of HUMANITY was a sequel made? A masterpiece of this magnitude should not be so insulted as to be milked for every dollar that the bean counters say it can!

But I digress...

Bluth's use of highly stylized art to influence your emotions is rarely seen in others' work. The whole point of animation is that you are not limited by the bounds of reality, so thorns and cobwebs can be just that much more twisty and foreboding. Owls' eyes can glow- not because they do, but because it just plain looks cooler. The bright and sunny entrance to the rats' lair can suddenly fade to a background of blood red as Mrs. Brisby runs in terror from Brutus' electrified blade. What plot holes does using a lit electric lamp as a diving bell produce? Who cares? The concept just looks awesome on screen! The effects animation is spectacular in this movie as well. The glow of Nicodemus' eyes, the sparkling of the fairy dust ink and the flaming letters of the movie title screen are great, and the radiance emitting from Mrs. Brisby as the sheer strength of her character lifts her home from the mud is fantastic.

If the story were no more than a shabby framework to lace all of this cool art together, it would be good enough, but there's a lot going for it as well. It's not a complicated story, but its message of love, devotion, and courage shown in the meekest of people (mice?) is enough to inspire anyone! Mrs. Brisby's simple wish for the safety of her family drives her to the greatest of courage, despite her apparant simplicity and weakness. She stands as a model for all of us to aspire to.

Animation should never be considered something just for kids. It should not require the characters to burst into song at regular intervals, or the story to be sappy and condescending. NIMH does none of this. It is truly a movie for movie-lovers of all ages. Disney, take a hint!!! Don Bluth, keep making movies like this, and your field will reach an entirely new level of acceptance among older viewers in America.

Go rent NIMH. You won't be disappointed.

[thousandisland · 9/10 · 4 June 2000]

The Secret of NIMH is powerful, dramatic and has great originality. The animation is excellent and stylish, and complements the mystical storyline.

The plot is complex and beyond your average toddler. This is a film for older kids and adults, anyone who enjoys a unique film experience and is looking for deviation from the expected norms of an animated film.

Truly ahead of its time, NIMH is a must - It's become a classic and is not at all childish, as one might predict for animation. There are no musical numbers, just an exciting, vibrant score that follows the action perfectly. Clear your brain of prejudgments and animation stereotypes, and then go rent The Secret of NIMH. It is an ultimately rewarding film.

Complicated story for kids, but extremely well-done animated tale...

[dwpollar · 8/10 · 13 May 2001]

1st watched 5/13/2001 - 8 out of 10 (Dir-Don Bluth): Complicated story for kids, but extremely well-done animated tale of a group of rats who are experimented on by NIMH(National Instiute for Mental Health) and become smart. They escape and live in an underground existence stealing electricity from a farmer. The plan is to generate their own electricity and be able to move to a safer locale, but we don't exactly know how this is going to happen. Dom Deluise has a humorous role as a clumsy love-lorned crow to keep the seriousness of the story at bay. This movie is excellent from beginning to end and deserved more recognition than it got(probably because it's not Disney), but launched a series of Bluth animated movies to give animated movie fans an alternative to Disney.

Perhaps the greatest postwar animated film

[Lupercali · 10/10 · 13 August 2004]

The short version: 'The Secret of NIMH' isn't just a masterpiece: it's the best classically animated film since the early 40's. It's up there with 'Bambi', which is to say, this is about as good as it gets.

I remember walking down the street when I was about 19, and seeing the poster for 'The Secret of NIMH' up in a theatre, and immediately thinking "This film is going to blow my mind." A week later, I was sitting in an empty theatre, watching the last credits rolling down the screen after everybody else had left, and the house lights were up, thinking "yep."

A bit of history is probably in order for a film of this importance. Flashback to about 1980. Disney animator Don Bluth walks out, halfway through production on 'The Fox and the Hound', taking several other key animators with him, and declaring that he was going to recapture the spirit of classical animation, which Disney had forgotten about.

Nearly three years later, NIMH debuts. Critically it is well received, but lack of distribution and advertising means it's swamped by such an historical non-entity as Disney's 'Tron'. Accepting an animation award for best film, Bluth remarked "Thanks. We didn't think anyone had noticed."

NIMH is a glorious achievement. It puts to shame anything which Disney had done for a quarter century, and singlehandedly did exactly what Bluth set out to do. It revived the spirit of classical animation, and at the same time it proved that there was room on the block for another player than Disney - not an unimportant fact when you consider that at the time there was no Dreamworks or Pixar, and no feature animation section in Universal or MGM.

As to the film itself: from the first moment you are treated to a gloriously rich, sumptuous, seamless animation and background art, the likes of which hadn't been seen since Disney's war years. Particularly stunning is the movie's use of colour to enhance moods. The dark blues and blacks of the stunning 'lantern elevator' descent into the rats' city, and the tractor scene - the background starts out in subdued tones and ends up flaming red as the action peaks. One reviewer at the time wrote "I felt as if I was watching the invention of color, as if I was being drawn into the depths of the screen."

The characters are beautifully conceived and drawn, and the voice characterisations are spot-on (including the animation debut of Dom de Luise as Jeremy). And, significantly, there is only one song, and it's not sung by a character (significantly, 'Balto', one of the few animated films since which can hold a candle to NIMH, followed the same principal). Jerry Goldsmith's score supplies the emotional power for the rest of the soundtrack.

Even more importantly though, the film is incredibly emotionally potent, and not in a sentimental, kiddy way. It has genuine choke-you-up power which will appeal to adults.

Bluth ditched the double storyline of the book, relegating Jonathan Brisby's more substantial role in the novel to a short piece of background information revealed in an explanatory flashback. Personally I think this was the right decision. To do otherwise would have been to take the spotlight off Mrs Brisby, and probably diminish the film's coherence and power.

So, Don Bluth achieved his goal: his debut feature film was the greatest animated achievement in 40 years. Sadly, it was also his only masterpiece. He peaked on his first outing, and afterwards declined into mediocrity, while Disney picked itself up and overtook him. In fact, ironically, there were signs of this in 'The Fox and the Hound', which despite being plagued by Bluth's departure amongst other catastrophes, turned out to be Disney's best movie since the 60's, even if it would still be the better part of another decade before they started hitting their marks consistently.

Today NIMH enjoys the sort of cult following it deserves. It's just a damn shame that its greatness isn't more widely acknowledged, and an almost equally great shame that a generation later it was cursed with one of the most insulting, wretched sequels in cinematic history.

It's an important film, and it's a great film. In the two decades since it was released, only a small handful of animated films have approached its stature.

Magical, Fantastic, a real delight

[Endlessinstant · 10/10 · 10 March 2005]

The Secret of NIMH after twenty three years is still an absolutely fantastic film. I hold it in such high regard as the even more obscure Gay Pur-ee (with the voice talent of Judy Garland, also wonderful) and Disney's Robin Hood.

Criticisms can be made of the film. For one, "faithful" isn't exactly an adjective that can be used when describing it's relation to the source material: "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert O'Brien. However, the novel was a Newberry Award winner and it deserved an excellent film which is what it received.

The book itself had two separate story lines, one focusing on Mrs. Frisby and her plight, and the other a lengthy backstory involving the rats of NIMH. For the animated feature, Don Bluth and his team chose to focus on Mrs. Frisby's plight and for this I am grateful.

In Mrs. Brisby we have a totally unique and a truly delightful heroine. She isn't some young boy getting ready to go on a fantastic adventure or some sort of great, brave hero. She's just a mother, a mother whose first concern is her family. And she makes a fantastic hero, showing that courage isn't just involved in facing down fierce monsters (though when she has to do that she finds the courage). She never stops pushing herself and though she might be a very small mouse, she has a very big heart.

As a kid I walked away thinking how cool Justin was, but now that I'm older I have complete respect for Mrs. Brisby. It's an excellent film both for children and adults alike.

And how about Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus? Dom deLuise as Jeremy? Not to mention Elizabeth Hartman, whose short career was never-the-less magnificent. Thank god for film that we might have her talents available to us for all time!

One of the best

[Mr Parker · 9 July 1999]

See this movie. It has some of the most intense sequences in an animated film that I've ever seen. I remember this one from way back and I remember watching it every chance I had. And who can forget that one line, "Take what you can.... when you can!"

A valiant attempt

[revere-7 · 6/10 · 14 July 2009]

Many people remember hearing about this film when they were kids. An animated movie - a feature length cartoon - and not made by Disney!

Well, I have to say, groundbreaking though it may have been at the time - launching the Don Bluth animation studios. It has some problems that keep it from holding up.

First the good - unlike Disney films, which are still stuck in the animated musical rut to this day, The Secret of NIMH does not lapse into cheesy and contrived song and dance numbers every 7 minutes or so. Second, as the name implies (for those who are familiar with the acronym N.I.M.H.) there is a science fiction element at work here - one that provides a credible backstory for a community of talking animals who use tools and even complex machinery - something that other animated tales seldom address.

On the downside, the annoying comic relief character (which always seems to be a bird in these films) is present, though thankfully, Dom DeLouise's portrayal isn't as over-the-top annoying as Disney films that cast more frenetic comics like Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy.

That however is minor in comparison to the films big flaw, the use of magic, which practically invalidates the science elements entirely. Not that a children's fantasy film can't have magic (most of the best ones do), or even a mixture of magic and technology, it's just that the two don't mix very well in this film.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the animals ultimately solve their problems not through their own ingenuity, but (in one of the worst deus ex machina moments in any film of this kind) by using hitherto unexplained magical powers, wrapping things up with a true groaner of an ending.

So, what we have is a modestly entertaining animated feature that was groundbreaking for it's time (especially in the use of special effects animation), and whose good points still outweigh it's bad ones, but which is ultimately outshined by many more recent efforts.

Don Bluth's Masterpiece!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 22 May 2009]

I will confess I saw this for the first time today on YouTube, and I loved it. I always said that Anastasia and American Tail were the best of Bluth's movies, but I now think that this beats them both.The story is very dark and mysterious but magical all the same. The animation is just stunning, with beautiful backgrounds and excellent character animation. Brutus is a little frightening though, or his animation is, so is the scene with the great owl, which is inredibly haunting. The music by the wonderful late Jerry Goldsmith is phenomenal, very reminiscent of his score for the Eurpean version for Legend (the Ridley Scott film). The song I think it's called Flying Dreams is heart-rending, and just shows the talent the man had, and I am grateful that there weren't too many songs to interrupt the flow. The characters are very well done, the brave yet timid Mrs Brisby, the dashing Justin, the villainous Jenner, the wise Nicodemus and the wise-cracking Jeremy. Nicodemus and Jeremy are very impressive, voiced wonderfully by Derek Jacobi and Dom Deluise, and Jenner while not as sinister and frightening a villain as Hexxus, Chernabog or the Horned King, he is still very convincing. Oh, and the scenes with Mrs Brisby's children and Auntie Shrew brought some fun into a dark story, and didn't interfere too much, and Elizabeth Hartmann gives a sorrowful and poignant portrayal as Mrs Brisby. I haven't read the book in its entirety, but I do remember my year 6 primary school teacher reading the chapter when Mrs Brisby(or Frisby in the book) meets Brutus for the first time. All in all, a beautiful film, and I am sorry it has taken me so long to see it. I advice you to avoid the sequel though, it's awful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I really wanted to like it

[daverowe22 · 6/10 · 18 November 2021]

I don't understand how people can think this movie is amazing. The animation is beautiful, and the story started out being so mysterious and intriguing, I kept wondering where it was going to go, and then it felt like the writers didn't know what they should actually do with it or were cut for time and just rushed to give it some sort of ending. It reminded me of Black Cauldron where there were too many characters with back stories that we didn't have time for and what was told was unnecessary and just left me wondering why they were included or not developed further.

Dark, mystical story is for adults, but endured by children.

[Banshee57 · 10/10 · 18 April 2005]

When I first saw this film, years ago, I was very afraid of many aspects it contained, yet I was also in love with it. As a cartoon, it captures the very familiar values that we have seen in such praised Disney films such as The Sword in the Stone". This one is much darker though, and because so, it also brings forth, a much scarier element that Disney will never have! Being based completely on archetypical formation, the "Secret Of NIMH" is based on the famed children's book "Mrs. Brisby and the rats of NIMH". As the book is very darling, and for children of all ages, the film is put together in a more mature, adult style, with intense moments. Later on in life, I realize that children watching this film is an amazing happening, if I knew then, what I know now about the film, I would have been completely overtaken by the film. Some things are better left unknown in childhood. Most kids today will not appreciate this film, for all the glory in which it was made. There were two direct-to-video sequels. Two. This is unacceptable for a movie of this type. The two latter films were made with light, fluffy, musical touches that did NOT capture anything this film did. The two latter films had NO business being made! The generation I grew up in was able to take this wondrous intensity we were given, today, things are much different, and movies like this one are hardly seen. The "toy story" genre has taken over, and most films that would, otherwise be like this one are laughably awful, without any real heart. Don Bluth was expressing his strong imagination for this one, most "pixar" company films are just money, and offer nothing for anyone except babies in cribs! This movie is a cartoon, a pure adventure, and a treasure full of heart! Don Bluth is a wonderful filmmaker!

great animation and story

[leathaface · 7/10 · 21 July 2007]

I remember this movie from when I was very young and it was one of my favorites then. I was able to find the original VHS release at a video rental for a dollar. The animation is amazing, in my opinion pioneering the emotional, expressive style that Disney used a decade later. Ms. Frisby's character is a mouse, but her facial expressions are startlingly human. This isn't your standard Disney-animated children's movie fare either. Some scenes are surprisingly dramatic and graphic. The scene I remember the most is when Frisby enters the Great Owl's lair, only to be chased by the ugliest, most horrifying animated spider I've ever seen. Then seconds later, the spider is crushed to a pulp beneath the Great Owl's giant, razor sharp talon. The Owl used to give me nightmares. The storyline is somewhat original but the underlying theme seems to center around animal rights. When her mouse-child falls ill with pneumonia and she finds out she must move her house to avoid having it demolished by a plow two days later (man that's heavy stuff), Ms. Frisby seeks the help of a secret society of intelligent lab rats. The leader, a wise old rat named Nicodemus tells her of a group of rats who were captured and subjected to a number of tests, but most importantly injected with a formula to make them more intelligent. Ms. Frisby's husband led a revolt to break out of the lab, and ended up in a rose bush on a farmland plot, exactly where Ms. Frisby had spent her life. There is a subplot involving a power-mad dictator rat named Jenner who tries to assassinate the current leader. This is a truly awesome piece of animation. The character development is also done well, Dom Deluise is my favorite character, a hyperactive but dopey blackbird named Jeremy. If you like cartoons or any kind of artwork (the backgrounds are beautifully rendered) you'll appreciate this movie.

Early great Bluth film

[twinreverb · 10/10 · 24 November 2006]

This film has more soul than most animated films. The film music is excellent, and honestly is the shining jewel of the movie. The art work is excellent for the time period: and no computers used! The backgrounds have excellent detail: they could honestly be used as great works of art on their own merit. The voices are excellent and very fitting for the characters. The story line is very well done: while not lacking in action at any time, it's also not like most modern films that are constantly "in your face" with fast-moving activity. The facial expressions are outstanding! Too bad Don Bluth didn't do more films! The mud in certain scenes was very well done. The story has great struggle and good-versus-evil appeal to it. The music is actually great for an animated film: no catchy or cheeky pop music at all, but the music score seems to always be doing something. Many times it does such a good job at painting the mental picture of certain scenes that if you were to listen to the score by itself after seeing the movie, you could trace the story line by heart. Even the musical prototype for the main theme, "Flying Dreams" (or whatever) was done so well that it makes one wonder who wrote and performed the original demo (first song of the credits). Excellent movie in all aspects, even if it seems "old school" to some :)

Little more then nice...

[regnarghost · 6/10 · 10 January 2009]

OK, positive things first. The film has nice and alluring look. The protagonist being not only female, but also a mother, is feels really fresh. Mrs Brisby is instantly likable, and her quest to help her child becomes engrossing really quickly . The obligatory oddball character the Crow is also very likable, maybe somewhat annoying to, but mostly likable. 20 minutes into this film i was still certain that i was watching a stellar Disney film. Unfurtunately i was disappointed. Things does not exactly turn sour, but there are a number of problems that brings the experience down. Halfway through we are introduced to the rats society and its politics, everything here moves at breakneck speed, and its quite hard to care for the everything that happens. Its revelation on revelation before we even have grown accustomed to the surroundings and have any bigger reason to care for the different characters like ex Nicodemus. Its betrayal, sudden information about her dead husband, the weird part that explains how the rats became intelligent, and then the utterly awkward introduction of magic. I though all this elements were forced into drama in a very hamfisted way. Aspects like this needs to get introduced and foreshadowed a LOT more in order to work. As for the resolution its handled nice enough, and has some controversial (???) parts that are decidedly more dark then anything I've seen in Disney before. In short, this is a nice film, but little more.

An utter disappointment

[ddangtruong23 · 5/10 · 13 January 2015]

The Secret of NIMH is usually praised as a classic, a masterpiece, and the best work of Don Bluth. I enjoy The Land Before Time, another movie by him, so naturally I had quite high expectations for this movie. However, it was a big disappointment.

Right from the beginning, the story has shown how silly it is. Somehow, the movie's heroine is willing to risk the safety of her three children, and waste a lot of time doing all kinds of dangerous errands just because 'the air is bad' for her fourth child. Why not just find a warm blanket, wrap him up and run? With all those people around, they could even carry his bed with him on it. That whole deal is clearly just a poor excuse to get the story going.

And then things got worse. Characters just keep appearing out of nowhere with dim intentions and unexplained relations. What is the relationship between the Great Owl and the rats? What is the rats' plan exactly? What does the villain really want? How does NIHM know about their hideout? And what's so special about NIHM if normal mice like Mrs Brisby can do what those rats and mice from NIHM do anyway? Questions after questions about the plot keep popping up but never get answered.

Finally comes the horrible ending which was just a total deus ex machina. The rats, who before that point were just intelligent animals that relied on technology, somehow managed to create magical artifacts, which the heroine was given for some unknown reasons, and then used to save the day. The end. An utterly terrible and lazy excuse of a plot.

The animation, despite being quite good for its time, especially with the special effects, is still not really satisfying for me due to the simple and unimaginative backgrounds. And the sound editing is just terrible compared to Disney movies of the same period.

To sum up, this movie may be good for the 1980s thanks to having a more complex plot than most other animated movies at the time, but judging from today's point of view, it's a very flawed and forgettable product.

A dark, superbly animated film

[FrankBooth_DeLarge · 9/10 · 11 February 2005]

The Secret of NIMH is a movie that I saw once when I was a younger kid and I loved it. The animation is the older style that you tended to see during the late '70's and early '80's. The characters are really interesting, and some are funny. The story is rather dark and some kids may find it to be a bit scary, but for those of you who have seen some of Don Bluth's other movies, you'll probably get the hint that his movies are darker. There are a few characters that are rather menacing looking and may frighten kids who are younger than 4, and there is a scene that is kind of nasty where you see rats in a lab being injected with chemicals and being tortured.

This movie is one that your kids will probably enjoy. Even though the newer box cover makes this movie look like a movie for very young kids, I'm sure that kids who are 10 will also enjoy this movie. This was released during the era where kids movies were good, unlike some of the movies that are made for kids today.

This is rated G, but I think it used to be rated PG because of the darkness. You should watch this at all costs. Even if you are a teen and the last time you watched this was as a young child, this movie would probably bring back some memories. Just like Bluth's other classic All Dogs Go TO Heaven, this will live on forever in my memory.

Wow

[Bones729 · 8/10 · 22 November 2002]

I voted a 10 on this movie mostly for its hauntingly breath-taking original musical by Jerry Goldsmith. Surely this film's score has to be some of his very best work.

The awe-inspiring wisdoms of Nicodemus and The Great Owl, the comic reliefs of Mr. Ages, Jeremy and Auntie Shrew, the fascinating struggle between good and evil (Justin and Jenner), and of course the unmatchable greatness of the Brisby family name make this film one of the best animated movies ever.

The movie's ending climax is powerful and gorgeous. You are left utterly stunned. Mrs. Brisby proves once again that she is just as brave and capable as her husband, if not more so, by never giving up hope and eventually succeeding in keeping her family safe.

Decent animated film, with a heavy-going plot but good features along the way.

[barnabyrudge · 27 July 2004]

In the early '80s a group of Disney animators, headed by Don Bluth, decided to break away from the Disney studio. The Secret of NIMH was the first film they made. Based on a semi-classic children's book entitled "Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien, the film emerges as a decent little animated feature. The story is a bit on the sombre side - probably a bit too serious and complex for really young viewers - but the animation is of a superb quality and the characters are very nicely voiced.

Field mouse Mrs Brisby needs to move her family from their home in a farmer's field, as it is almost time for the farmer to gather his crop with the combine harvester. Inevitably the Brisby home would be destroyed and anyone in it killed during the gathering of the crop. Unfortunately, one of her children, Timmy, is suffering from pneumonia and couldn't possible survive the move. Mrs Brisby is advised to contact the rats of NIMH, a group of hyper-intelligent rodents, to ask for their help. Apparently, her late husband Jonathan was a close friend of the rats and they held him in such high regard that they will do anything to help a member of the Brisby clan.

The story is told mainly through talk, with occasional bursts of action. As already pointed out, this means the film doesn't really lend itself to a very young audience. But older kids, especially those who are willing to listen with the appropriate degree of attention, will find the story interesting. There are other plus points - Jerry Goldsmith's rousing score; Dom DeLuise's amusing vocals as an accident-prone bird; and some very well-conceived "baddies" in the shape of rat conspirator Jenner and savage farm-cat Dragon. The Secret of NIMH is a moderately successful film - no masterpiece, true enough, and not really a serious challenger to the Disney dominance over the genre, but definitely a film that every child should see at least once.

Dark, But Standard

[DonaldDooD · 6/10 · 4 October 2014]

This movie has earned a following over the years, more than a few ranking it as one of the best animated movies ever. Its a prestigious title for a film that can be found in the Walmart bargain-bin, packaged with its sequel. Yet once again, I found myself quite disappointed.

The plot and character is surprisingly stock. The Secret of NIMH's writing does feel like a standard kid's film. There's little development, few deviations from what'd you expect. There's the hero, the villain, the comedic relief. Mrs. Brisby is likable, at least. I just felt more could have been done with the world presented. And let's not forget that deus ex machina at the ending.

NIMH's strengths are its animation, and its use of tone. NIMH is aesthetically dark, making the forest and underground look like horrific worlds. The Great Owl and Nicodemus are great highlights of the film. You feel such a powerful, intimidating aura, like these characters possess inhuman knowledge, and they're talking animals! I can see how this movie chills people to their bones.

If this aesthetic interests you, then its worth checking out. It didn't impress me too much, but I decided to be more lenient. Cause heck, I'd watch it again if someone offered. I wouldn't go in expecting a great plot, though. Wind up in the mood, and don't get bogged down by the plot.

A lovely and moving animated gem

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 15 April 2009]

Mild-mannered mouse Mrs. Brisby (wonderfully voiced with great warmth by Elizabeth Hartman) has to move her family from a field that's about to be ploughed, but can't make said move because her youngest son Timmy is sick with pneumonia. Ms. Brisby enlists the aid of a secret society of super-intelligent genetically enhanced escaped lab rats to move her home. Director Don Bluth and writers Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy tell this simple, yet absorbing and inspirational story of courage, friendship and devotion with tremendous clarity and sensitivity. Moreover, the main characters are extremely engaging, with Mrs. Brisby making for an endearing reluctant heroine who most overcome her innate timidity and discover remarkable reserves of inner strength. The uniformly excellent cast voice their colorful roles with admirable aplomb: Hermoine Baddeley as the feisty Auntie Shrew, Dom De Luise as the amiably bumbling Jeremy the Crow, Derek Jacobi as the sage rat leader Nicodemus, Peter Strauss as the dashing, gallant Justin, Paul Shenar as the evil, power mad Jenner, Arthur Malet as cranky old Mr. Ages, Will Wheaton as the blustery Justin, and, in an especially bravura turn, a perfectly sinister John Carradine as the wise, but fearsome the Great Owl. The exquisitely fluid and vivid animation has a striking painterly quality to it. Jerry Goldsmith's supremely graceful, robust and harmonic score further adds to the considerable drama and intrigue. The magical and uplifting conclusion is simply astounding. But ultimately it's the feeling of real heart that's evident throughout which makes this animated feature so special and touching.

Dark, but not without hope

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 29 April 2019]

A childhood staple that holds up under adult scrutiny exceptionally well, "The Secret of NIMH" is a tale of unlikely heroism in the face of harrowing odds; a widowed mouse who endures far worse than she ever has in her life. I love Mrs. Brisby; she's scarred, fretful but possessing of untapped inner resolve and a fine protagonist for this tale. My daughter's not ready for this film's startling intensity, but I see her in Mrs. Brisby, which heartens me deeply.

Apropos, between the startled gasps of Mrs. Brisby and the urgency of Jerry Goldsmith's score, this movie is far more intense than you may think. The dangers are real, and that comes through organically. That's one of the film's strength, along with its craftsmanship. Technically speaking, it's gorgeous; the backgrounds are intricately detailed and sometimes even sparkle -- and there's a terrific sense of movement to the animation. Don Bluth & Co. clearly didn't set off on their own with a half-ass attempt, and this is a memorable foray into the movie business as a result.

A Forgotten Childhood Favorite

[Rainey-Dawn · 9/10 · 25 October 2014]

This is one of those films I "lost" in my memory banks until I accidentally ran across it again. As soon as I saw the name of the film (The Secret of NIMH) something clicked within and I said "oh yes I remember this film and how much I loved it"! This movie is a great story - a hidden gem of animated film classics! I was 10 years old when this film came out, I do remember seeing this one in the theaters. I've recently acquired the DVD - a cherished childhood film.

Timothy Mouse is sick with Pneumonia. His mother, Mrs. Brisby, will go on a dangerous journey to some medicine for her son. It's early spring and the (human) farmers are tilling up the fields and wanting to get rid of their rat & mouse problem. The mice will do what they can to save their homes. Mrs. Brisby's problems are increasing - she must see the Great Owl but owls eat mice but she must go - so her dark and scary journey begins!

A very dark, scary film at times - the colors are vivid and beautiful. The story is heartwarming and adventurous. The animation is superb!

This is a film well worth watching - I'm so happy to have it on DVD.

One major flaw keeps this from being a 10/10: Only two intelligent MALE mice survived NIMH: Mr. Johnathan Brisby and Mr. Ages. --- How did Mrs. Brisby become intelligent? Is Mr. Ages her father or grandfather?

9/10

It's a movie that gets better the more I see it, and, more importantly, the more I think about it

[TheUnknown837-1 · 7/10 · 31 January 2012]

Sometimes a first stab at something turns out to be the best. Many would argue that that is the case with the career of animation specialist Don Bluth. Mr. Bluth has made a number of deservedly memorable animation classics - including a childhood favorite of mine, "The Land Before Time" - but I think it is fair to say that his first movie, after breaking away from the Disney company in 1979, "The Secret of N.I.M.H." is still his very best effort. It is a stunningly beautiful, exciting, and underrated minor classic in the animation department, also featuring something quite rare in many movies, animated or not, today: memorable characters.

The star of "The Secret of N.I.M.H." is one of the all-time great animated heroines. A somewhat naive, but steadfastly courageous field mouse named Mrs. Brisby. With her husband recently killed by a farmer's voracious cat, she is left to care for four children by herself. One of them is sick in bed with pneumonia, and cannot be moved from their house (a cement block) under any circumstances, even if the owner of the field in which they reside is about to run it over with his plow. Desperate to save her family, Mrs. Brisby seeks the help of a colony of rats, who have human-level intellect. As Mrs. Brisby learns, the rats have garnered their intelligence and technology because they had recently escaped from human laboratories, where they were the subject of many experiments. And they have more in common with Mrs. Brisby than any of them would have imagined....

What, exactly? I'll let you see the movie to find out.

"The Secret of N.I.M.H." boasts some of the most beautifully stunning images in animated movie history. Starting with the backgrounds, which are enormously detailed and oftentimes in motion. Early in the film, we see the inside of an old mouse's home, which is the most detailed and eye-pleasing interior shot since Geppetto's workshop. There is also tremendous use of optical effects, such as back-lighting trick shots used to give the eyes of an old owl, who plays an important part in the rising action of the story, an eerie and spell-binding presence. Furthermore - and something that I wish contemporary animators would take into account - the animal characters, though capable of speech and moral values, still retain many of their nature qualities. For instance, when Mrs. Brisby is on the run from tractor plows, or deranged cats, or what-not, she does not take off on her hind legs, but scurries on all fours, in movements that are devilishly close to life.

Mrs. Brisby, with her simple but identifiable motives, is one of the cinema's best heroines. Her voice is wonderfully provided by the late, gifted Elizabeth Hartman. Also memorable is Dom DeLuise as Jeremy, a clumsy but all-too-lovable crow. Granted, this character really serves no purpose other than to be comic relief and be the butt of several jokes, but Mr. DeLuise provides so much charm that you cannot help but love him. John Carradine, one of the all-time best actors, provides a powerful, booming voice to the owl. There are other characters I would like to mention, but will not in favor of saving pleasure for the audience, but there is one more, voiced by Paul Shenar, who is one of the most cold-blooded and fascinating villains this critic has ever seen. The story is also satiable in its complexity, with themes of loyalty, murder, freedom, and messages against stealing instilled. It's just fine for adults, whom I would recommend watch with their children for some of the more intense scenes.

But most wonderful of all is the sense of majesty that swells "The Secret of N.I.M.H." To fully explain it would be to give away the third act, but here is where the unusually dark story, the fascinating characters, and the eye-candy animation and trick shots all come together. It starts early on with hints of something magical, and continues to grow and grow, right up to a climactic scene that, like any viscerally great scene, causes the hairs on my arms to rise. It's not so much an action climax as it is a dramatic and moral one, but it brings all its mystic elements, and the fact that we actually care about the fates of these characters, to the maximum power. Additionally, the music by Jerry Goldsmith, intoxicating throughout, is especially strong in the aforementioned scene.

Now as much as I would like to ignore them, there are some flaws with the picture. An early scene with Mrs. Brisby and Jeremy the crow encountering a voracious cat is well-animated and almost perfect, if only the cat would meow or hiss rather than snarl and roar like something you'd expect to find under a bridge in a princess tale. Additionally, an accomplice to the film's villain has an interesting arc to his subplot, but it's not exploited or developed to the point where it really should.

However, the few flaws are instantly forgivable in this near-masterpiece of a motion picture. "The Secret of N.I.M.H." is one of those movies that I never lose interest in. It's a movie that gets better the more I see it, and, more importantly, the more I think about it. And every time I finish seeing it, I am overwhelmed by its sense of awe, and also, thankfulness to the filmmakers who took the extra initiative to give us visuals we don't see every day, characters we don't get very often, and a level of aesthetic pleasure that is truly a delight to experience.

beautiful animation within a beautiful story

[PeachHamBeach · 10/10 · 30 August 1999]

I turned on Nickelodeon the other day and was disgusted with "Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue". Among the many things was the pee-poor animation. So it's not even worth mentioning.

The original "The Secret of NIMH" remains to this day, my favorite animated feature. Animation-wise, it outshines even Disney's finest features of old: Bambi and Snow White; and of new: Mulan and Beauty and the Beast, all of which are favorites of mine. If the story of Mrs. Brisby, a widowed fieldmouse with four children to rear alone and the heroism she displays throughout the movie isn't enough to touch certain people, they should watch it if only to marvel at the miraculous use of color and dexterity. My favorite scene is when the farm cat is chasing Mrs. Brisby and they end up falling into the water beneath a windmill. But the whole movie has a kind of visual "theme" of glowing, sparkling mysticism, which fits into the storyline of power, beauty, courage, the abuse of power, and good and evil. It was rated G, but I feel that because of the amount of violence and animated bloodshed, and because of a very frightening scene involving a sinkhole, it should have been rated PG. That means it's not a kiddie kind of cartoon!!!

I liked it

[Bored_Dragon · 7/10 · 3 June 2018]

It is not Disney, so it didn't have a promotion as Disney have, and therefore it passed pretty much unnoticed and underestimated, but it's better than many Disney movies. It's too complicated for smaller children and has a couple of unexplained details, but essentially very nice and quite original cartoon.

7/10

Opportunity Wasted

[zbum · 2/10 · 26 November 2007]

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is wonderful story about how a few rats and mice have "evolved", thanks to an experimental injection, to a human level of cognition. The essence of the book then centers on how they have learn to embrace the best parts of humanity - selfless nobility. The driving tension in the book comes from a race to survive, both for the rats and the mice.

In this movie "adaptation", the entire essence of that plot is dropped and replaced with common and much less interesting themes. Most of the rats are hesitant to help Mrs. Brisby, and one rat becomes an outright villain. The efficiency and skill of the rats is replaced with arbitrary magical powers. The race against time is replaced with bickering and swordplay. The subtle character development of all the main characters is completely whitewashed. But the coup de grace is that the ending of the book is both sad and uplifting, whereas the ending of the movie is like a complete afterthought, adding no emotion to the story at all.

Perhaps if you haven't read the book, you might find some of the plot contrivances acceptable. But if you have read the book, then you'll realize the lost opportunity and no doubt pine for a remake that at least captures the book's essence of humanity, if not all of its specific details.