by Nathaniel Price
This was written as an assignment for my 12th grade high school English class (or in other words, more than 4 years ago). Keep in mind that a lot has changed since then, so were I to redo this now it would likely turn out somewhat differently.
The Secret of NIMH, produced and directed by Don Bluth, takes a very unconventional approach to animation. Unlike many of the Disney offerings, it takes a darker, yet magical view of the world, one where stories don't always end "happily ever after."
Based on the Newberry award-winning book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, the story focuses on the plights of timid Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed field-mouse. She must save her son Timothy, bedridden due to an illness, from the farmer's plow, which threatened to turn up their home in the garden. Her adventures lead her through a narrow escape from a monster of a cat, and a visit to the wise and ancient Great Owl (John Carradine), to the super-intelligent Rats of NIMH. Along the way she meets Jeremy (Dom DeLuise), a clumsy and comical crow who's down on his luck in romance, Auntie Shrew (Hermione Baddeley) a nosy and ill-mannered shrew, Mr. Ages (Arthur Malet), a cantankerous old mouse-physician, Justin (Peter Strauss), the brave Captain of the Guard for the Rats of NIMH, Jenner (Paul Shenar), a rat with dark ambitions, and Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi), the wise leader of the Rats of NIMH.
Improperly hailed as a "return to classic animation," The Secret of NIMH is revolutionary as an animated feature. It is lushly drawn, has a compelling soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith of Oscar-fame, and has a steady, yet powerful, plot that is not so action-packed that it moves too fast, but is not at all slow or boring. The plot, which deals seriously in issues such as life and death, is geared more toward a teen-age or adult audience, though even younger children may appreciate it. The characters, which are incredibly realistic for an animated feature, are well-rounded compared to the paper-thin (both literally and figuratively) characters in other animated movies. All in all, The Secret of NIMH is an entertaining and refreshing change for those used to the formula plots and flat characters of most animation today.
Rating: 5 stars
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