The Secret of NIMH

The Newbery Medal-winning novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" was read to me in elementary school and then our teacher showed us the film. Our family also taped this movie when it was on TV and I still have some parts memorized. The movie establishes animation style that Don Bluth would be known for over the next decade and a half. "The Secret of NIMH" is quite dark and the use of color is for the most part unappealing. There are also design flaws. The filmmakers wanted strong characters & a solid story and while characters are strong, some characters' purposes in the story aren't. I must say though that the best quality of this film is the musical score and voice casting. When you consider the fact that this is Bluth's first feature film as a director, "The Secret of NIMH" is quite impressive.

Story and characters in an animated film are what matter to me the most and this film had problems with both. Even though the voices were well chosen as I said, there are glitches with the roles these characters have in the whole story. Also, the designs of the animal characters contrast that of the human characters and the farm setting. We have a realistic farm and farmers while some of the animals and the world of the rats is very stylized and fanciful. Dragon doesn't look like a cat but instead like a monster. I understand that to mice, cats are indeed monsters but my point is that Dragon does fit into the established world of the Fitzgibbons' farm. In terms of story, the filmmakers made some changes. On a more positive note, the filmmakers' portrayal of Mrs. Brisby was very good (too bad the company that made Frisbees told the filmmakers to change the name from what it was in the book). Mrs. Brisby is shy but very loving as a mother. You accept the animated performance of her character and so that is a selling point for the film. All the characters have noteworthy qualities but I saw problems with the characters of Jeremy and the Shrew. The only important purpose Jeremy has is talking Mrs. Brisby to see the Great Owl as he does in the book and the rest of the time in the movie, he shows up to provide comic relief. In the original story however, he wasn't comical. This character becomes a running gag and his scenes feel forced upon the story. Antie Shrew is not in the book at all and while she saves the family from the plow, that scene is also not in the book.

An important scene cinematically is the "Flying Dream Lullaby". This is a very well written song and the audience must know what Mrs. Brisby is fighting for. Her love for her child is such that she can overcome her fears. This is a powerful plotline that is the foundation for the whole movie. She tries to stop the plow, goes with Jeremy despite her fear of flying and ventures into the tree of the Great Owl. To me, it seems like the rats of NIMH are a microcosm for our own society. Justin represents good authority figures like a cop or soldier. He is kind towards others and in combat, he will not kill if he doesn't have to. Fighting is a last resort. I really like his introduction. With lighting, Bluth tricks us into thinking he is a threat but Justin's little joke shows us that he has a good heart. There are even hints that there is an attraction between Mrs. Brisby and Justin. Another character whose role was expanded for the film was Jenner. In the book, he and his followers leave in opposition to the plan. He doesn't even meet Mrs. Frisby. In the movie, Jenner definitely represents tyrants and secret combinations among the powerful. At first he opposes the plan behind the scenes but when that doesn't work, he openly comes out against Nicodemus. He also has a lot of influence in the council. He makes it appear that he changes his mind concerning Mrs. Brisby because she is in need but in reality, he plans to use the situation to his advantage and many of the rats don't find this suspicious as a result of his influence. Others do suspect something thankfully. Sullivan, the reluctant comrade of Jenner, represents those politicians or citizens who are out of touch with what is right. Just because some people priorities are wrong doesn't mean they are bad. Sullivan wants what Jenner wants but won't resort to conspiracy. He redeems himself however. Finally, Nicodemus represent religion if anything or mentorship. The mystical side of his character however prevents any further comparison with our society. As mentioned earlier, the supernatural aspect of the story bothers me. This of course what not in the book and I find it weird how Nicodemus is magical and the humans are not. I am also indifferent with the fact that some characters have glowing eyes. The filmmakers made a lot of changes to the climax because in the book, the Frizby house is moved without incident and the rats then have an intellectual showdown with the exterminators. The climax of the film does illustrate an important message of the whole movie: there is a difference between wisdom and intelligence. The rats have become intelligent and therefore must be responsible with this power. Nicodemus knows they cannot live like rats because they have evolved. The expression of this theme best comes with the line, "I've learned this much: take what you can when you can." followed by the reply, "Then you've learned nothing." In other words, Jenner is still thinking like a rat. The use of the stone to move the block for me is a deus ex machina plot device. Even though we were told earlier that the stone has power, this was the farthest thing from our minds. I understand that the filmmakers were trying to create suspense but the fact alone that Mrs. Brisby loses the stone in the mud creates the needed anxiety. They could have included therefore more exposition on the stone to create a more plausible conclusion.

Elizabeth Hartman was so amazing as Mrs. Brisby. There is warmth to her voice, similar to that of Ilene Woods as the voice of Cinderella in the Disney film. This was Hartman's last Hollywood role by the way. With the exception of voice actor Will Ryan, Don Bluth has cast Dom DeLuise more times in his various films than another other actor. "The Secret of NIMH" was of course was the first time they collaborated. There are other noteworthy actors in this film such as Derek Jacobi who voiced Nicodemus. He would later appear in "Gladiator", Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" and "The King's Speech". John Carradine was the Great Owl and he was Aaron on "The Ten Commandments". The aforementioned change of the main character's name occurred in the middle of production, which necessitated some re-recording with the actors. Carradine was unable to re-record and so his lines were corrected with sound editing. Arthur Malet from "Mary Poppins" was Mr. Ages and Wil Wheaton, who would later be seen on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", is the voice of Martin. Oscar winner Jerry Goldsmith's musical score for this movie is very good. It seems like most of those in charge of this show used to work at Disney but left. They were unsatisfied with how the studio was being run. Director Don Bluth wanted to resurrect the animation business but his style or the look of his movies I feel was not up to the task. His movies, including this one, utilize browns & other earthy colors and therefore are less appealing. He has a very definite dark side but such scenes must be balanced with scenes that are pleasing to the eye. The final scene in this movie is the only time I feel where the colors are bright enough to positively affect the audience. Bluth set out to bring back classic animation that Walt Disney was known for and indirectly, he did just that because he provide competition for Disney. His next two films, "An American Tail" and "The Land Before Time", were big hits and this motivated the Disney Studio to make the films of the Disney Renaissance. The reason these two movies did so well was because Bluth was collaborating with Steven Spielberg. While a few of Bluth's other films have become cult classics, which means they became popular after home release, most of them though either did moderate or poorly at the box office and I feel it is because of his style. "The Secret of NIMH" is an example of a Bluth cult classic because it made only a modest amount of money and that was one factor why Don Bluth Productions went bankrupt.

On the occasion of writing this, I saw this movie on the big screen as part of a weekly event for families that shows classic movies. I observed one child that was scared as the start of the Great Owl sequence. That bothered me as does the swear word in the film. The design of the movie is not what I would classify as classic animation. The story has a few flaws but the choice of actors and the musical score are quite impressive. Overall, the movie is good but not a must-see.

3.5 Stars