Mrs. Brisby und das Geheimnis von NIMH

The Secret of NIMH after twenty three years is still an absolutely fantastic film. I hold it in such high regard as the even more obscure Gay Pur-ee (with the voice talent of Judy Garland, also wonderful) and Disney's Robin Hood.

Criticisms can be made of the film. For one, "faithful" isn't exactly an adjective that can be used when describing it's relation to the source material: "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert O'Brien. However, the novel was a Newberry Award winner and it deserved an excellent film which is what it received.

The book itself had two separate story lines, one focusing on Mrs. Frisby and her plight, and the other a lengthy backstory involving the rats of NIMH. For the animated feature, Don Bluth and his team chose to focus on Mrs. Frisby's plight and for this I am grateful.

In Mrs. Brisby we have a totally unique and a truly delightful heroine. She isn't some young boy getting ready to go on a fantastic adventure or some sort of great, brave hero. She's just a mother, a mother whose first concern is her family. And she makes a fantastic hero, showing that courage isn't just involved in facing down fierce monsters (though when she has to do that she finds the courage). She never stops pushing herself and though she might be a very small mouse, she has a very big heart.

As a kid I walked away thinking how cool Justin was, but now that I'm older I have complete respect for Mrs. Brisby. It's an excellent film both for children and adults alike.

And how about Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus? Dom deLuise as Jeremy? Not to mention Elizabeth Hartman, whose short career was never-the-less magnificent. Thank god for film that we might have her talents available to us for all time!

This is one of those films I "lost" in my memory banks until I accidentally ran across it again. As soon as I saw the name of the film (The Secret of NIMH) something clicked within and I said "oh yes I remember this film and how much I loved it"! This movie is a great story - a hidden gem of animated film classics! I was 10 years old when this film came out, I do remember seeing this one in the theaters. I've recently acquired the DVD - a cherished childhood film.

Timothy Mouse is sick with Pneumonia. His mother, Mrs. Brisby, will go on a dangerous journey to some medicine for her son. It's early spring and the (human) farmers are tilling up the fields and wanting to get rid of their rat & mouse problem. The mice will do what they can to save their homes. Mrs. Brisby's problems are increasing - she must see the Great Owl but owls eat mice but she must go - so her dark and scary journey begins!

A very dark, scary film at times - the colors are vivid and beautiful. The story is heartwarming and adventurous. The animation is superb!

This is a film well worth watching - I'm so happy to have it on DVD.

One major flaw keeps this from being a 10/10: Only two intelligent MALE mice survived NIMH: Mr. Johnathan Brisby and Mr. Ages. --- How did Mrs. Brisby become intelligent? Is Mr. Ages her father or grandfather?

9/10

I voted a 10 on this movie mostly for its hauntingly breath-taking original musical by Jerry Goldsmith. Surely this film's score has to be some of his very best work.

The awe-inspiring wisdoms of Nicodemus and The Great Owl, the comic reliefs of Mr. Ages, Jeremy and Auntie Shrew, the fascinating struggle between good and evil (Justin and Jenner), and of course the unmatchable greatness of the Brisby family name make this film one of the best animated movies ever.

The movie's ending climax is powerful and gorgeous. You are left utterly stunned. Mrs. Brisby proves once again that she is just as brave and capable as her husband, if not more so, by never giving up hope and eventually succeeding in keeping her family safe.

Gorgeously animated, smartly written and surprisingly mature for a film that's clearly geared to young audiences, this one is a real gem. Don Bluth and company really peered over new horizons with their painstaking efforts on this picture, and ultimately gave their old bosses and coworkers at Disney the kind of direct competition they needed to wake up from their late '70s slump. Bluth's unmistakable style positively seeps out of every panel of NIMH, with an expressive, gestural quality that manages to be both creatively streamlined and rich with detail. The story, so dark that Disney actually opted out of making the film themselves, remains a breath of fresh air even today, thirty years after its premiere. Its broad landscapes and diverse characters tackle some very challenging themes with succinct honesty, respecting their viewers without scaring them off. Too many kids' movies resign themselves to the opinion that children need their hands held on a stroll through happy town from start to finish, with a reassuring character always nearby whenever something remotely spooky happens. NIMH rejects that theory, cautiously, and ends up a better picture for all audiences as a result. It's a revelation.

See this movie. It has some of the most intense sequences in an animated film that I've ever seen. I remember this one from way back and I remember watching it every chance I had. And who can forget that one line, "Take what you can.... when you can!"