4 star beautifully restored children’s classic.
The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated children’s fantasy adventure film, based on the 1971 novel, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, written by Robert C. O’Brien. It is directed by Don Bluth (Anastasia, Titan A.E) and was his feature directorial debut following his departure from Disney.
Just in time for Christmas, it is available to own now in the UK on Limited Edition Blu-ray, as part of the Masters of Cinema Collection #301, from Eureka Video.
“Jonathan was a dear friend. I am lost in knowing how to help his widow. She knows nothing of us, or the plan.”
Mrs Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman – A Patch of Blue, Walking Tall) is a recently widowed field mouse, who lives on the farm of the Fitzgibbons family. She has four children, Martin (Will Wheaton – Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers), Cynthia (Jodi Hicks – Right of Way), Teresa (Shannen Doherty – Heathers, Mallrats) and Timothy (Ina Fried – Rocky III). When Timothy falls ill, she turns to family friend Mr. Ages (Arthur Malet – Mary Poppins, Hook), who gives her medicine and advises that he must not be moved.
On the way home she encounters a clumsy but well meaning crow named Jeremy (Dom DeLuise – Blazing Saddles, The Cannonball Run), who almost gets them both captured by the farmer’s cat Dragon. She returns home to more bad news from her neighbour Auntie Shrew (Hermione Baddeley – A Christmas Carol, The Black Windmill), Moving Day is almost here, the farmer is about to plow the field and Timothy can’t be moved. She persuades Jeremy to take her to see The Great Owl (John Carradine – Stagecoach, The Howling) for advice, a risky undertaking for a mouse.
He advises her to go and see the Rats of NIMH, under the rosebush by the house and to ask their leader Nicodemus (David Jacobi – Gladiator, Gosford Park) for help to move her cinder block house to the lee of the stone. Here she discovers the secret of the rats and her family’s deep connection to them, as well as coming up against the evil Jenner (Paul Shenar – Scarface, The Big Blue). Can the rats save her family?
“There is a way. Go to the rats…in the rosebush…go there, ask for Nicodemus…they must move your house to the lee of the stone.”
The Secret of NIMH is a brilliant film and still stands up just as well today as it did when it was made. The animation looks stunning in Blu-ray and the message about animal testing is unfortunately just as relevant now.
With such an amazing cast, as well as one of the leading animators of the time at the helm, this was always going to be magnificent, and this Limited Edition release really does it justice.
Ideal for introducing a new generation to this heartwarming story, or even just for the purposes of nostalgia, this is a great release and well worth adding to your collection.
“Dear, a man came by today from NIMH, you know, the National Institute of Mental Health. He was asking if we had noticed anything strange with the rats on the farm.”
The Secret of NIMH is available to own now on Limited Edition Blu-ray.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:
Limited edition of 2000 copies | Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring original poster artwork | 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a studio supplied master | A new audio commentary with animation scholar Sam Summers, author of DreamWorks Animation | Intertextuality and Aesthetics in Shrek and Beyond an archival audio commentary with director Don Bluth and producer Gary Goldman | A Way to go Home – A new on-camera interview with director and animator Don Bluth | Beyond Your Wildest Dreams – A new on-camera appreciation of The Secret of NIMH with animation expert and fan Stacey Abbott | Courage of the Heart – A new video essay by children’s media expert Catherine Lester on motherhood in The Secret of NIMH | Secrets Behind the Secret – An archival behind-the-scenes featurette | Theatrical trailer | Stills Gallery |PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Don Bluth and The Secret of NIMH by Peter C. Kunze, author of Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance
| Director | Don Bluth |
| Author | Robert C. O'Brien |
| Genre | Animation, adventure, family, fantasy |
| Starring | Elizabeth Hartman, David Jacobi, John Carradine, Peter Strauss |
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