Review of The Secret of NIMH (1982) by Jacob M — 26 Dec 2013

In the early 1980's, Disney animator Don Bluth was frustrated by Disney's recent animated films, claiming that they were losing the Disney magic. He and several other animators left the Disney studio to form their own and compete with Disney's film, while keeping the old animation of Disney's animated classics. Their first production was The Secret of NIMH, an extremely underrated 80's animation film that I truly believe is the greatest non-Disney animation film of all-time.

The Secret of NIMH tells the story of Mrs. Brisby, a mouse who has some dilemmas. Her husband, Jonathan, has passed away, and her son Timmy has pneumonia and may be dying, just days before her family has to move locations due to the farmer plowing in that area. She goes to the Great Owl, who tells her to team up with the rats who live underground.

In doing so, she discovers that the rats were from a mental facility called NIMH, where they escaped after being drugged by serum which made them smart. Teaming with rat leader Nicodemus and a friendly crow, Mrs. Brisby must work fast in order to save her son and her house.

That sounds like a mouthful for an animated film, but The Secret of NIHM is extremely well-made. Bluth is no stranger to how the old Disney films work, so he uses the old animation techniques used in Disney classics like Pinocchio really well. In doing so, Bluth creates a truly magical and wonderful animation film that Disney films were lacking at that time. Disney was going extremely broke, going as far as using the cheapest techniques possible to get a film done, such as recycled shots, but Bluth knew how to create wonderful 2D animation. I wish he made more films today.

The characters are pretty memorable, from Mrs. Brisby, who is possibly one of the strongest female characters ever in an animated film, to The Great Shrew, a really scene-stealing fortune-telling rat, to Nicodemus, the elderly rat leader, to Justin the rat guard, to the creepy-looking and wise Great Owl, voiced brilliantly by the legendary John Carradine, to our main villain Jennar, a sinister rat intending to hurt Brisby's chance of success, to Jeremy the goofy and clumsy crow, wonderfully voiced by Dom DeLuise, who became a Don Bluth regular.

The story is possibly one of the darkest stories told in an animated film, which pushes the boundaries for a G rated film. When we get to the moment where it's revealed that the mouse son Timothy is sock, you know this is going to be a very dark and sometimes depressing story. Had this film been made today, it would definitely get a PG today, due to the dark, emotional intensity in some places. Several rats are killed off in darker settings, the rat injection scene feels as creepy as a Hitchcock movie, characters are threatened by the farm plow and a creepy cat named Dragon, the kids are always in grave danger, and the Great Owl has extremely creepy, glowing eyes. But in today's time especially, kids need a good scare once in a while, making The Secret of NIMH the perfect film to watch to give kids that suspenseful energy without completely overdoing it, like what Disney did with that completely horrific cartoon Mars Needs Moms, which is something that would truly scar kids of all ages for life.

Jerry Goldsmith is one of my all-time favorite composers, and his score here for The Secret of NIMH is no exception. Goldsmith creates a score that's truly powerful that really carries the darker moments across. To me, it's one of his greatest scores ever, right up there with Patton and Planet of the Apes.

For an animated film, The Secret of NIMH is really strong for the senses, featuring one of the most powerful and darker stories I've ever witnessed in a cartoon, really strong and memorable characters, fantastic animation for the 1980's that outdid anything made by Disney, and because of that, I give it my highest score. Don Bluth made something that very few people in today's animation have done; create an animation film that rivals some of the best Disney offerings.