Review of The Secret of NIMH (1982) by William D — 01 Mar 2012

There hasn't been or likely to be another hand-drawn animated film like The Secret of NIMH ever again. Fact. Even the greatest from the House of Mouse as wonderful and lovable little gems as they are pale in comparison. How so? What makes it so different to the average Disney stuff? Well, that's it. It's different. For starters, it shouldn't really work as a children's film. Buy or rent this at your local DVD store for your ankle-biters who are knee-high to a grasshopper and soon enough, you'll be taking them to seek professional help. How can this be? Take the first shot for instance. The first thing you see is a gnarled hand with long nails writing from a magic quill with glowing ink and a sinister voice in the background whispering 'Myyyyy frrrieennnd....Jonnnnnathaannn Brisbeeee....' A gnarled hand with long nails? And this is supposed to start a cute little cartoon about mice? This, myyyyy frrrrriiiennnnds is just the beginning..

Does the name Don Bluth ring any bells with anyone? No? Well, no surprise there since he's been pretty much out of the picture since Woody, Buzz, Shrek and co have been invading the marketplace and his output to come beforehand like the unmemorable Pebble and the Penguin have sunk without trace while some of the rest such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, Thumbelina and Anastasia have probably gone on to receive cult status. Working at Uncle Walt's studio for a number of years, he left it to pretty much rot since the 1970's and 80's weren't the kindest of times for it as their films then seemed to have lost its magic after his departure despite the odd classic here and there and the company were reluctant to do any more, Bluth began a directorial career with only 12 (count them, 12!) animators to make his own full-length piece of animated cinema before he had major successes with An American Tail and The Land Before Time, and he certainly knew what he was doing here even if audiences may regard as a dark and dreary attempt to get back at Disney - okay, it was probably not likely to sell that many Happy Meals. But that's no reason to slam it. Bluth's style may differ in regards to how characters are drawn and animated and seem slightly cruder in contrast but he does seem aware of what made early classics like Dumbo and Bambi special in the first place and that was to teach people about one thing - the importance of family - and like those two before it, NIMH does that, even to a greater extent.

Once the scene with those chilling hands belonging to one wise and mysterious leader of certain rats by the name of Nicodemus (voiced tenderly by Derek Jacobi) is over, the story gets underway with 'Flying Dreams' one of the most gorgeous theme songs committed to celluloid which will make you well up even when the lyrics aren't sung yet. Inspired by Robert C. O' Brien's children's novel which was rejected by You-Know-Who for being too dark and mature for family viewing, the timid but determined Mrs Brisbee, a shrew and widow of the aforementioned Jonathan, hero to the local long-tails tries to find a cure for her sick son Timmy and move her family out of their house and the field which is their home before ploughing time starts. Brisbee is a wonderful heroine and the truest mother figure to be depicted on screen and here's why: she might seem bland and wishy-washy from the outset but it's when you think about it that you realise how brave she is and willing to sacrifice for the sake of her own children that you feel compassionate towards her. This is also helped by actress Elizabeth Hartman (this being her last film role before she met an untimely death which was believed to be suicide) providing her voice with the same amount of affection and devotion as Jacobi does for his character.

Speaking of which, Bluth and his team, clearly devoted to the piece waste no time in brimming each scene with real, fantastic 'how-long-did-it-take-to-do-that?' detail and such fabulous, sometimes jaw-dropping animation from the days before computers did it all, building tension particularly with a scene involving a tractor engine which shows that they did their homework to make the threatening cogs and mechanisms look as if they could chew up little rodents who dare to disable the engine at any moment, and make each good or evil character shine, all of which are as marvellous once they're introduced and you get to know them as the previous one, whether it is how they look (the Great Owl, voiced by John Carradine, makes the Wicked Witch from Snow White look adorable) or what their personality is like. For example, you may think Nicodemus is the villain when first glimpsed which is understandable but really he' deeply moving. The terrific voice cast include Peter Strauss as the dashing Justin, Dom DeLuise playing Jeremy, a clumsy crow with a fascination for knots and a allergy to cats, Arthur Malet making Mr Ages the gruff but kind-hearted mouse that he is, Hermione Baddeley giving Auntie Shrew all she's got as this little mouse with a big (and funny) voice and Paul Shenar being particularly menacing as the power-hungry Jenner.

The Secret of NIMH, beautifully made with a well-told plot as well as saccharinity levels being kept to an absolute minimum, is a film which will make you feel great to be alive. A piece of sweet, sweet heaven you must see before you go there yourself.