The Secret of NIMH

𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒔.𝑾𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉.During 1958 - 1962 a series of experiments was performed by John C. Calhoun at the National Institute of Mental Health; during these studies a collection of “Rat utopias” - enclosed spaces with an unlimited access to food and water at the cost of having a limited area to populate - were created and observed over time and would set the groundwork for modeling and making inferences about the possible effects that urbanization and overpopulation might have on humans and their respective social structure.After seeing an increase in behaviors that could be labeled antisocial or those that would likely put colonies at a risk of becoming extinct - like refusing to breed - Calhoun made a starting conclusion:That evolution has equipped animals - perhaps even humans - with an innate and irreversible “self-destruct” button as a means of avoiding overcrowding regardless of accessibility to resources needed for survival or durability.‘The Secret of NIMH’ is a 1982 American animated fantasy adventure film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut and based on the 1971 children's novel ‘Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH’ by Robert C. O'Brien.Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, must move her children out of their home in a field before the local farmer starts plowing. Unable to leave because her son is ill, Mrs. Brisby seeks the help of nearby rats, who have heightened intelligence after being the subjects of scientific experiments. She receives an unexpected gift from the elder rat, Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi). Soon Mrs. Brisby is caught in a conflict among the rats, jeopardizing her mission to save her family.Originally pitched to 'Disney' by Bluth, ‘The Secret of NIMH’ was promptly rejected citing the “darkness” of its subject matter and reluctance to make another animated film featuring a mouse. Following this decision Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, and Gary Goldman - all previously employed by Disney - left this studio and decided to handle production efforts as it relates to this feature on their own. This leap of faith ultimately proved successful when it is taken into consideration that the budget for ‘TSON’ ended up totaling barely half of what a Disney film was costing to create around this time (Half being approximately $7 Million).Integrating we use of over 600 colors in its palette (with some characters using more than 20 on their own) each scene is a treat to the eyes and festering with the glow of imagination and creativity. The animation - a dramatic swirl of sparks, fire, and elements indicative of supernatural influence - results and a brilliant sound quality that puts ‘TSON’ on par with films like ‘Fantasia’ and other timeless classics.‘TSON’ and Robert C. O'Brien’s novel both tackle a substantially difficult task In regards to its subject matter: making it both appropriate and comprehensible for a predictably juvenile audience without undermining its underbelly of maturity.For the sake of being concise the technicalities of the aforementioned experiments are omitted and instead Illustrated as being carried out by means of injection (and the like) as opposed to a facilitated matter contrived and procedural observation; an incredulous affair, sure, but the summation of advancement in terms of intelligence and change is easy to follow and is certainly warranted. Perhaps more could be done to differentiate the rats from other creatures in regards to their social structure - because they all seem fairly capable of talking and reading well enough - but the implication that they have developed some amount of self-awareness in terms of morality and sufficiency speaks well enough on its own.(Side note: the sword fighting scene may be completely unnecessary but the choreography is 👌👌👌)Regardless of its intentions and conveniently straight-forward ending (which, mirrors the novel, by the way) ‘TSON’ is thematically provocative and rises above the nuances related to the material it is influenced by. Through its characters we see a display of courage regardless of their fragility. In Mrs. Brisby there lies a maternally profound compassion shown through her tendency to offer assistance to others with little consideration for what she might get in return. For how much ‘TSON’ is woefully dated - mostly in execution or technique - It's value is far from reaching any date of expiration.Forged following a most ambitious effort in storytelling, ‘The Secret of NIMH’ Is a Sentimental and sound reminder that large things and heroic efforts are capable of arriving in small packages.I would recommend :)

Good movie, my kids enjoyed it!

I remember seeing this on VHS when I was little, but I knew it was a theater release film. For years, I wondered if this title was originally in widescreen or 4:3 ratio as that is all I had ever seen it in. But I always suspected, it was a widescreen film. Finally, the blu-ray is released and its the first time ever, that I found it widescreen. For that reason alone, its worth the purchase. As for the transfer, its a very nice transfer. I wouldn't say its perfect, but its nice. I noticed a lot of "dust" for lack of a better word in a lot of the scenes. Honestly, I think it was on the original cells when the they were laid across the backgrounds, although it could just as likely be related to the aging/degrading of the original masters. You have to remember that the studio that made this film had just been formed, and was pretty much being run out of a garage. And while some backgrounds looked grainy, I don't really think it was "grain" from the transfers. I believe it comes from the high def details that come out when you take a painted background and blow it up to 42" on the new TVs. Other background scenes were perfect. And for the most part, the widescreen format doesn't particularly add a great deal of "WOW" factor to the movie. Most scenes seemed framed by the edges, so cutting out the edges just takes away a little of the depth. Although, there were some exceptions like some of the up high views of the farm that really put the whole world of the story into view. You see what seems like a rather small world but becomes immense when considering the nature of the main characters. Also, the scenes where Ms. Brisby first goes to the rats of NIHM, the widescreen really shows off the efforts of the animators. Its animation at its best. All in all, the new transfer makes this film look as good as it ever has, possibly with the exception of its original release. And the transfer allows this great film stand toe to toe with about 90% of the Disney films of the same era. The animation style puts you in mind of The Black Caldron. But the true strength of this movie lies in its story. Its an interesting premise that is usually reserved for sci-fi films. Its a film that seems to have everything a kids film would want even if some of it sometimes contradicts the setting. You have hero's and heroines, villains and treachery,sword fights, sages, wizards and magic. You even have a Dragon. Spoiler alert: its the name of the cat, but equally as evil and menacing when your heroine is a mouse. So if you remember this film fondly from your childhood, buy it. If you've never seen it, but you love animation, buy it. If you have kids, buy it. And if you already own the film on DVD or Laserdisc or both (like me), you obviously like the movie so you might as well buy it before it goes out of print as most great films do and usually far too quickly. Hope that helps anyone who is asking the question, should I buy this.

This is a good little animated cartoon film from the early 80's from ex-Disney animator Don Bluth. I have the DVD too (bought from Woolworth several years ago), but when I tried playing it late last year I found the picture wasn't anamorphic, so my widescreen TV made the 4:3 letterbox version a thin strip in the middle of the screen with short fat characters. So I risked buying the Bluray US Import as it doesn't appear to be available in the UK. Firstly, the US Import works fine, so don't worry about region code nonsense. Secondly, the picture is beautiful! The film has been digitally restored and now looks bright and vibrant. Even faults in the original negative have been cleaned up and replaced. And the film is now in Anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio. The sound is clear (2.0 Surround), with a delightful Jerry Goldsmith score helping an enchanting little story with interesting characters. There is an enlightening Director and Producer commentary for the animation enthusiast, with a Behind the scenes documentary and the original trailer. My kids didn't fancy the film before, but when they found me watching and listening to the commentary they decided they wanted to watch it themselves. The film as a bit slow moving for kids these days, but if you stick with it it's a lovely little film at 83 minutes. A recommended film for a pleasant Sunday afternoon with the kids.

Yes a bit scary for younger children, but the message of why the mice and rats are the way they are is so important especially today.A film made to deliver a great story not merchandise.Do not overlook it.

Excellent artwork and production.Brought back memories of the late 80s when my kids were small - they loved it. And they loved it all over again now!!Only downside is the picture quality on the current HD large screen TVs tends to suffer.

The Secret Of Nimh is a masterpiece. A return to the cell Animation techniques and draftsmanship of classic Disney, it also pioneered some other radical new innovations in the medium. It also has an unusually dark story for a so called kids animation, embellished by Jerry Goldsmiths incredible orchestral score which is as much a part of Nimh as the drawings themselves. This Blu-Ray preserves the integrity of the original film negative perfectly with the grain structure fully intact and exceptional colour. Essential viewing for animation Buffs.

I watched this with my kids when they were younger and it stayed locked in my memory bank, so at 63 I thought i would get it and watch it again, (the joys of being able to do that now without feeling like a prune) and it was even better. The animation is great, the story line strong and the message powerful. Might be a little scary for very small children, but for those of 8 or over, great film to have in the library.