movies/tv The Secret of NIMH

[MyLittlePonyTales 273]

Considering the popularity of the The Land Before Time thread, I figured there would already be threads for other Don Bluth movies as well. So, The Secret of NIMH is one of my favorite movies.

 

I'm not entirely sure why I like this movie so much. I mean, I liked it as a kid, but as I've gotten older I guess I've just taken a special liking to it. I definitely enjoy the music, and I actually bought a vinyl of it. It's not even like songs with lyrics, most of the songs in this movie is background music. The song 'Flying Dreams' has a nice lullaby feel to it, and is just an awesome ending song to the movie.

 

I guess what I like most is just Mrs. Brisby. I get confused because in the book, she's Mrs. Frisby, but in the movie, she's Mrs. Brisby. But I really admire her courage. She's got four kids, and one day her husband is gone... no explanation. She doesn't know if he was killed or just got tired of her and the children and left. So now she's suddenly a single mom who has to leave her kids home alone to do things like scavenge for food.

 

Plus, in addition to that, she risked her life to stop the tractor so she could save her son Timothy. And she was FREAKING OUT. So much so that Auntie Shrew actually stopped the tractor after Brisby failed. But later on she has to poison a cat, and she visibly starts shaking and is like WHAT AM I ABOUT TO DO?! But then she thought of her kids and was like, BANZAI! Even though she was really, really scared. There were things that were more important to her that made her face her fear. Pretty much any time she does something brave in this movie, she's risking her life—and doing so for the sake of her children. I mean, ya, she's totally scared, but she's like... I know what I have to do, and I'm going to do it despite my fear.

 

Mrs. Brisby is one of my role models. I know she's fictional, but she has the guts to do hard things even when she's terrified, not just because it's necessary for her survival, but for the survival of others. She puts her concern for herself on the back burner in order to take care of those she deems more important. Mrs. Brisby is truly a brave woman mouse.

[dragon4111 914]

It's an awesome movie make no mistake about it. As the Nostalgia Critic said. Mrs. Brisby is not some hopped up super hero she's a scared little mother trying to get her some medicine.

[Argumedies 1,748]

I absolutely loved this movie as well as the book. Don Bluth made excellent movies and this in my opinion was one of the darkest children's animated movies ever made.

 

This was as real a life or death situation on several levels.

 

Only thing I didn't quite get was the involvement of the magic talisman. I liked it don't get me wrong but it was an odd placement for a physical movie. IE characters did everything through physical labor but used magic to tie up the loose ends at the end of the story.

 

In many ways I wish FIM had this depth of drama/action

[Freewave 1,145]

Yeah its a very interesting and well done movie. There's a lot of realism and dark elements in it for a children's cartoon. Between that and The Rescuers I'm planning on having my kids catch both on Netflix online (they haven't seen either). Both are great cartoon movies with lots of elements of danger and real emotion.   

[MyLittlePonyTales 273]

Yeah its a very interesting and well done movie. There's a lot of realism and dark elements in it for a children's cartoon. Between that and The Rescuers I'm planning on having my kids catch both on Netflix online (they haven't seen either). Both are great cartoon movies with lots of elements of danger and real emotion.

Rescuers is going to be a double feature, right? Both The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under are up on Netflix. Both are super good movies. Also, maybe add The Great Mouse Detective to the list? THAT is a dark kids movie as well.

[Freewave 1,145]

Rescuers is going to be a double feature, right? Both The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under are up on Netflix. Both are super good movies. Also, maybe add The Great Mouse Detective to the list? THAT is a dark kids movie as well.

 

I never did see Down Under so wouldnt mind catching that. Is Great Mouse Detective the one with Mr.Toad (and his wild ride?) I wouldnt mind adding that to the queue. I may have all the movies lined up for them for the month.

[MyLittlePonyTales 273]

I never did see Down Under so wouldnt mind catching that. Is Great Mouse Detective the one with Mr.Toad (and his wild ride?) I wouldnt mind adding that to the queue. I may have all the movies lined up for them for the month.

No no, the wild ride one would be Wind in the Willows, I believe. I have heard that The Rescuers Down Under is better than the original, I think I'd be inclined to agree, though I haven't seen either in awhile. But Down Under does not seem like a sequel, unlike most of the junk that Disney pushes out. The Great Mouse Detective was like inspired by Sherlock Holmes. If you haven't seen it, it is so good, and actually kind of dark for a Disney film.

[Dreamsong 253]

Oh my gosh, The Secret of NIMH is one of my favorite movies of all time!

 

I love it for all the reasons other ponies have posted earlier, and also for what a mark of technical mastery it was (and still is) and how it pushed the bounds of what was thought to be possible technically in an animated feature.

 

Bluth believed in this project so much that he left WDFA along with several incredible animators, and took a leap of faith to make the film that it seems he, himself, had always wanted to see.

 

The drawing, animation and acting are at the highest tier of mastery... the background paintings are works of art in and of themselves, (such _amazing_ use of light and color harmonies,)

 

...And to my knowledge, lighting mattes to get the glow/bloom, (where they re-expose the footage in the areas that need to glow/bloom,) had never been done on such a large-scale project before.

 

My BF and I watched it again a couple weeks ago and it is amazing how it's almost even better than I remember it, every time.