Review of The Secret of NIMH (1982) by Harry W — 28 Dec 2013

The Secret of NIMH, serving as Don Bluth's animated feature, is an imperfect yet entertaining and nostalgic animated piece.

The Secret of NIMH is most certainly an entertaining film, with its issues being that it feels a little rushed in the first half of the film and that it's sound effects aren't that convincing during certain moments, sometimes leaving the atmosphere bereft of the intended dramatic heft that it may be reaching for. I just felt that for much of the first part of the film the thrills weren't all there and the story was attempting to rush into its dramatic dynamics instead of giving audiences a time to comprehend and consider them, so it just didn't feel right.

But the story significantly picks up in the latter half of the film because as the characters become involved with serious dangers and mysteries of the world as well as discovering The Secret of NIMH, it all becomes really fascinating and an attachment to the characters grows, particularly to the protagonist Mrs. Brisby because she develops well over the story and gains so much courage that it almost feels real.

The Secret of NIMH has plenty of spirit in it, and it explores a lot of complicated dark territory without ever degrading it into childish optimism, because director Don Bluth respects his young audiences enough to teach them about what is rough in the world, and surely adult viewers can find praise for that too.

But The Secret of NIMH's greatest achievement is that on a meagre $7 Million budget it has some of the most vibrant experimental animation for its time. Don Bluth in his colourful wisdom not only gives a great aesthetic look to his cute characters and a strong background to the story, but he experiments with various angles of perspective in his imagination to ensure that the atmosphere is convincingly felt. It's as if this animation had cinematography to it, and it's as if it was professionally shot. It truly makes The Secret of NIMH out to be a strong visual experience.

The Secret of NIMH is a valuable film because it's a smart one, and it has a real magical spirit to it, and once it gets past the issues pertaining to the beginning of the story, it develops into a great one and a powerful visual experience which gives a good name to Don Bluth's talent for animation and grittiness, even on such a low budget.