The Secret Of NIMH
WHILE hardly a winner at the box office upon its original release in 1982, there are many who claim that The Secret Of NIMH is a hugely influential slice of children’s story-telling and a fully-fledged masterpiece of animation to boot.
Watching it again today, thanks to Eureka Entertainment’s brand new Blu-ray release, it’s easy to see why.
Based on Robert C O’Brien’s much-loved children’s novel Mrs Frisby and The Rats of NIMH, it’s a big-hearted fable of love, courage and loyalty that clearly lays the groundwork for much of what would come for the genre in the decades that followed.
No NIMH, no Ratatouille, basically.
It’s also the finest example of the craft of ex-Disney animator Don Bluth, a film-maker who would go on to make ground-breaking movies like An American Tail and The Land Before Time, and a production that would take considerable risks on its road to completion - but more on that shortly.
It’s a big-hearted fable of love, courage and loyalty that clearly lays the groundwork for much of what would come. No NIMH, no Ratatouille, basically.
This is the story of Mrs Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed field mouse who resides with her offspring in an old cinder block on the Fitzgibbon farm in the wilds of the country. As harvest approaches, she soon realises she must move her family before their home is destroyed by the farmer’s ruthless plough.
Read more
Unfortunately, her son Timothy (Ina Fried) is ill, and she is unable to move. Panicking, she then pays a visit to the Great Owl (John Carridine), who swiftly introduces her to Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi), the wise leader of a rat colony living successfully under a rose bush on the farm.
The rats had a good relationship with Mrs Brisby’s late husband and so agree to help her, but not all the rodents are as friendly, as becomes apparent when the power-crazed Jenner (Paul Shenar) appears on the scene.
A heart-wrenching and impressively sweeping drama, it’s a genuinely touching story and one that looks fabulous thanks to the old school cel animation techniques employed by Bluth and his team.
The project was a real labour of love for the animator, and one he was nailing a lot of hope on as his first full feature away from Disney, where he had made his name in the 1970s.
Having risen through the animation ranks of the House of Mouse during that decade, clocking up an impressive array of credits including Robin Hood and Pete And The Dragon along the way, he made the break from the company in 1979, taking with him a selection of talented individuals who would form Bluth’s own production team.
It took them a full three years to see their debut project make it to the screen, but that effort is reflected in every lovingly-crafted frame.
As a first-time film, NIMH was undoubtedly a risk, but a calculated one, as Bluth felt the magic of old school Disney was getting lost in the modern world.
While only a minor box office success, his move ultimately proved to be the right one. The Secret Of NIMH is a sweet natured and stylish concoction that fully deserves its status as one of the great animations of its age.