The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Director:

Don Bluth

Writers:

Robert C. O'Brien (novel)
Don Bluth (story) ...

Release Date:

2 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Right before your eyes and beyond your wildest dreams.

Plot:

To save her ill son, a field mouse must seek the aid of a colony of super-intelligent rats, with whom she has a deeper link than she ever suspected.

Plot Keywords:

Rat | Rose Bush | Owl | Farmer | Farm

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 22	12:00 PM	TOON
Mon. Nov. 23	11:00 AM	TOON

Cast

Derek Jacobi	...	Nicodemus (voice)
Elizabeth Hartman	...	Mrs. Brisby (voice)
Arthur Malet	...	Mr. Ages (voice)
Dom DeLuise	...	Jeremy (voice)
Hermione Baddeley	...	Auntie Shrew (voice)
Shannen Doherty	...	Teresa (voice)
Wil Wheaton	...	Martin (voice)
Jodi Hicks	...	Cynthia (voice)
Ian Fried	...	Timothy (voice)
John Carradine	...	Great Owl (voice)
Peter Strauss	...	Justin (voice)
Paul Shenar	...	Jenner (voice)
Tom Hatten	...	Farmer Fitzgibbons (voice)
Lucille Bliss	...	Mrs. Fitzgibbons (voice)
Aldo Ray	...	Sullivan (voice)

Also Known As:

Mrs. Brisby and the Rats of NIMH (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Brazil:Livre | Finland:K-10 (1982) | Finland:K-8/5 (1988) | USA:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-8 (1994) | South Africa:A | South Korea:All | Australia:G | Portugal:M/6 | France:U | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:6

Company:

Aurora

Trivia:

Don Bluth, John Pomeroy and Gary Goldman all left Disney to pursue this project, which had originally been rejected by their former employer as "too dark" to be a commercial success. They were followed soon after by 20 other Disney animators, dubbed "The Disney Defectors" by the trade press.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Teresa is done bandaging Mrs. Brisby's hands, she places the ball of gauze to her side. On the next shot the ball is gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nicodemus: Johnathan Brisby was killed today while helping with the plan.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable (#3.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Flying Dreams

Magical, Fantastic, a real delight

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!