Mrs. Brisby, a field mouse with a family in need, faces friend and foe alike in her quest to relocate her loved ones before an inevitable tragedy strikes.
The Secret of NIMH is an animated gem with a deceptive G rating. Despite its subject matter, the film is right at home with other titles like Dragon Slayer or Legend. The story follows a widowed field mouse, Mrs. Brisby, as she seeks out help for her three children. With one of her children fighting pneumonia, and an expected run-in with a tractor come plow-day, Mrs. Brisby can’t possibly relocate them all on her own. Her journey takes her to a wise mouse, a great owl, and a group of rats with misaligned intentions. The world they inhabit is whimsical when seen from the animal’s perspectives, with a heavy fantasy motif beautifully draped over what could have easily been a simple cartoon about mice in danger. The Brisby’s live in a repurposed cinder block, complete with a living space and small bedrooms, but the world just outside is as simple as a modern farmhouse on a fairly modest plot of land. The contrasting settings come to us from the brilliant mind of Don Bluth prior to his Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace days.
One of my favorite aspects of the film is the traditional use of painted backgrounds, which Bluth films and games utilized to their fullest potential. Every scene of The Secret of NIMH presents itself with gorgeous detail that makes the world seem much larger than it is, all while setting an appropriate mood. The Brisby household feels cozy and secure, while other places Mrs. Brisby’s explorations range from a little unsettling to outright terrifying. For a G rated movie, The Secret of NIMH doesn’t lack any potential nightmare fuel for young watchers. After a wise mouse sends Brisby to the den of an even wiser owl, viewers are met with thick cobwebs, a wicked looking spider, and a bird of prey that has an intimidating presence that makes every second feel like it could be our field mouse’s last. The visuals wouldn’t mean much if the voice acting didn’t feel in-line with the overall tone, which brings me to Elizabeth Hartman. Mrs. Brisby was Hartman’s final role before she retired from acting all-together. With a resume full of live action dramas, the animated mouse was unlike anything Elizabeth had done prior, but she brought her all just-the-same. You’ll believe a field mouse is worried about her children, and you’ll root for her every step of the way.
Mrs. Brisby doesn’t face this dangerous world alone and finds herself in the company of a bumbling crow named Jeremy. As the film’s comedic relief, Jeremy is often entangled in strings or rope, falling over himself, or accidentally helping when it looks like he’s being a hindrance. Normally, such a character would come off as obnoxious and would wear out its welcome rather quickly. That isn’t a problem for Jeremy, thanks to being voiced by one of my childhood favorites, Dom DeLuise. His upbeat and comforting tone paved the way for future voice acting roles in Oliver & Company, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and the American Tail franchise. Just hearing him speak brings a rush of nostalgia front and center, as if you’re reliving a childhood moment instead of just experiencing an old movie as an adult. This isn’t to say that the film is childish in any capacity. Revisiting Secret of NIMH as an adult is just as entertaining as it was for children who saw it back in 1982 due to its timeless approach to the story it tells. Every problem is life or death, and even with a comedic crow as part of the journey, the narrative is gripping, often bordering on grim, and thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end thanks to a creative twist that technically makes this a science fiction film.
In a world full of The Land Before Time sequels that spat out countless sequels designed to teach kids about sharing and caring about one another, The Secret of NIMH only ever got one sequel. It couldn’t have possibly captured the magic that the first film did, as I only learned about The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, as I was doing research for this article. This actually helps the 1982 original because it wasn’t turned into a franchise and beaten to death over the course of a few decades. While it might be hard to get someone to watch a film about talking dinosaurs that often leaned into teaching kids how to behave, despite the first film being a certifiable classic… I see no reason why anyone would be hesitant to revisit The Secret of NIMH, as it never felt like an animated feature meant exclusively for children. While, yes, you can host a family movie night with this one, there’s nothing keeping you from appreciating this one as an adult. Especially if you’re a parent who would do anything to protect your children, just like our brave little protagonist… The field mouse known as Mrs. Brisby. A character that I’ve cared more about than any anthropomorphic offering spat out by “The House of Mouse”. There’s a reason that Disney saw Don Bluth as a threat to their animated films, and The Secret of NIMH is a shining example of G rated fantasy done right.
You can currently watch The Secret of NIMH for free via YouTube Movies, The ROKU Channel, or Tubi. Though, I can’t recommend a physical copy of this one more if I tried. Simply put, you should probably own this.