Very well executed

From my favorite movies..

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of Don Bluthe's best. I loved it from beginning to end. Sadly some of the voice actors are no longer with us, doesn't mean that their legacy, part of it, went to voice amazing characters like Mrs. Brisby or Jermey or even Mr. Ages. Mrs. Brisby's husband is already dead, her son Timmy is very sick and she goes on a quest to find the great owl. I loved this movie. 100% amazing!

Once upon a time there was a man named Don Bluth, who worked for Disney animating movies like The fox and the hound (1981) and Sleeping Beauty (1959) however due to disagreements with how the studio was being run he would leave the studio in 1979 along with 9 ex Disney animators to create Don Bluth Productions. In 1982 The Secret of NIMH released to critical acclaim but mediocre book office returns (something of a running theme when it comes to Don Bluth's work) The Secret of NIMH marked the start of a dual of wits between the Disney and Don Bluth productions that would end in 2007 with Disney winning and Don Bluth leaving tradition animation and studio life for good. He would start up an indiegogo in 2015 to restart his career creating a dragon's lair movie which I presume is still being worked on today. So let's look at the movie that started it all.The Secret of NIMH (based off the Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH) starts with the recently widowed Mrs Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman) trying to get medicine for her sick son Timmy (Ian Fried) however when moving day (the day when the animals move out of the fields before the farmer begins harvesting the crops) comes earlier than expected Mrs Brisby has to seek out the help of the rats of NIMH to help her move house before moving day. The story at first glance appears to be a very simple "save my sick child" sort of thing but becomes something more with the idea of evolution and changing societal constructs inter cut with the mystical element of magic, there is a great atmosphere of wonder and discovery about the film that makes it a joy to watch for children and adults. The film is surprisingly violent (a stable of Don Bluth's early work however) with blood and death being shown for all to see, while nothing that would have incurred anything more than a PG rating it does stand out from Disney's less gory alternative.The animation too is fantastic the backgrounds are district and beautiful to behold, there is also some slightly disturbing elements to this movie (again nothing worse than a PG rating) regarding the animation (the spider and the majority of the third act comes to mind) but again it looks great. The use of lighting regarding the mystical figure of the film like Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi) helps create that sense of wonder and intrigue. The characters themselves are voice acted extremely well and animated very well; Derek Jacobi's voice acting lends further credence to the magical air around him. You feel in constant awe of him and he always grabs your attention. The character I would like to focus on regarding animation is Auntie Shrew (Hermione Baddeley), the way she moves makes her appear like she is always in a huff and it just makes me laugh whenever she is on screen. The way she moves is just hilarious to me.The Secret of NIMH is a wonderfully creative film, a true family movie that puts other children's films to shame.

Out of all the animated movies said to challenge children, "The Secret of NIMH" is normally the first mentioned. And while I will say the movie can be pretty dark, I think it's reliance on magic hurts it's challenge ability. The idea of human testing turning street rats into intelligent beings is a great concept, but the actual conflict of the movie is focused more on Ms. Brisby. If the story was more about the rats of NIMH traveling to Thorn Valley, and the dangers they faced along the way, it would've left a bigger impact on me. The animation is great, the characters are cool, the concept is cool, but the plot's ultimately about moving a house. I'm sure there are plenty of people that absolutely adore this movie, and I can see why. But, I just found it very good, with a couple of disconnects.

Back in grade 7 I read the novel 'Ms. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH' but since the Frisbee toy company had the novel's film title changed over I hadn't heard of the film 'till recently. I thought it was going to be just some Disney-looking kid's movie, but no, it was beyond amazing.The story follows Ms. Frisbee, a little field mouse with several children, one of them with pneumonia. To find a cure, she sets off on an epic journey, meeting several friends and enemies, as well as a group of rats with strange powers. They gained these powers while escaping the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where they were kept as lab rats for vivisection experiments. Frisbee falls into an adventure where humans and animals collide and a whole new world is portrayed, along with a strong message that raises awareness of inhumane animal testing. It doesn't get all dorky the way those stupid P.E.T.A. protests are, instead it shows the point of view from both humans and animals, leaving t up to the viewer to decide which side of the issue is the right one, if any, while also offering an exciting adventure. It was marketed for children but certainly too disturbing for most kids, it falls right into the group of movies that features Watership Down, Felidae and the Plague Dogs. Nevertheless, don't pass it up, it has great soundtrack and voice acting, an original plot, and a definite message.