The Secret of NIMH

 

Let me be the first to say that this movie made history!!! Before in the movie business, if you wanted to see an animated film, it had to be Disney. UNTIL NOW! Finally you had a different choice. The Secret of NIMH was Don Bluth's first hit, but not his first film.

Drawing done and donated by JR

This is the film that most Bluth fan sites are based on. Sadly there are more NIMH fans than there are Fievel fans. The story is based on the Newberry Award winning novel, "Mrs.Frisby and the Rats of NIMH". The story takes place in the not too distant past like around the 70's or 80's on a farmland somewhere in California I'd imagine. A field mouse named Mrs.Brisby needs help because her son Timothy has pneumonia. And at a bad time, the farmers plow is coming to reshape the land. And Timothy can't leave the house, the air outside will kill him.

 

Mrs. Brisby is the single mother of 3 children mice, because the local cat, Dragon, killed her husband Jonathan. Running out of time, trying to find a cure or a way to keep her son alive she turns towards the rats. When she entered into the rats lair, at first all of rats tried to kill her just because she had seen the place! But when they found out that her name was Brisby, the rats almost worshiped her! Why?

 

A few years back in the story the rats used to live in the city streets, until a government science lab took the rats out of the streets and into cages for testing. The scientists tried many different drugs and new chemicals on the rats, until one worked! The rats suddenly felt a little strange, then they saw the writings on their cages that said, "Lift to Open" the rats saw the words, and understood them. The chemical drugs the scientists gave them MADE THE RATS INTELLEGANT!

The wanted to escape the laboratory next, but the rats didn't know where to go, but one mouse did! His name was Jonathan Brisby, Mrs.Brisby's husband! He led the rats out and into freedom! He was the rats and mice's George Washington! But when NIMH found out that they had escaped NIMH went on full alert to find them. The thing is humans love to be the #1 intelligent species, so having walking, talking, Albert Einstein mouse and rat colony on the loose is not good! Humans don't like to have competition against another species. So now they have got to find and get them back, or kill them.

 

Mrs.Brisby was granted her request for helping her son, but the plan to save her son would be very tricky. However there was now a new major problem in the area. There was a conspiracy going on within the rats and mice of NIMH. The conspirators wanted to kill their leader so that they could rule the colony. This is very similar to the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. How will this all end up? I URGE YOU TO SEE THIS GRAND FILM!!!

Movie Checklist

 

Rated: G It should be PG, why? Look below.

 

For Who: EVERYBODY! NOT JUST KIDS! Adults, see this film! This is not your average animated film! This film is very DRAMATIC! Like as if James Cameron wrote it. Kids may have to see it 3 or 4 times before they get the whole picture.

 

Year: 1982

 

Time: About 1:20

 

Action: WHOA! Cat attacks, TONS of suspense, rat attacks, owl attack, sabotage, sword duels, mudslides, running through humans house, 2 cage escapes, string up, Stone Blast! And more.

 

Violence: Here's where the meter goes over normal. Knife stabbing, sword stabbing, sword duel to the death, blood, Mrs.Brisby cuts her arm, Owl Layer of Death, spider guts, moth death, and one crushed body.

 

Language: What was Don Bluth thinking!? He's very religious, I don't know why he put in (#@$%) and (@Q#^&)!?

 

Awards: The Academy wouldn't know a really good movie if it came up and beat em' up in the face! NIMH won the 1993 Sci-Fi USA Saturn Awards.

 

Music: This was a low budget film so they didn't really go haywire for music here. The only in movie musical number there is, is where Mrs.Brisby is singing her sick child to sleep, that's about it for musical numbers.

 

Pros: This is the kind of "G" rated film that adults would like. It can get too suspenseful for kids. However Jeremy will take care of the children in the audience, he's the comic relief. But unlike Jar-Jar-Biggs, he gets out of the way when we don't need him. If you like X-Files I think you'll like this, it's very X-File-ish but with no aliens or MIB. It has very gothic color, which I like because it makes it more dramatic. Rent it! TV sadly doesn't show it often.

 

Cons: It leaves like 5,000 many unanswered questions! It also leaves an open door for a sequel. In 1998 someone, took that door,......but he bent the knob! NIMH2 ruined the NIMH1 storyline which is why I want you to see this one!

 

A very special thanks to JR for the NIMH background and the two pictures he sent me. And for helping me with everything.

 

 

 

Head for the GokuFievel Store to buy this great film!

 

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