The Secret of NIMH (1982)

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

starring Elizabeth Hartman, Derek Jacobi, Dom DeLuise

directed by Don Bluth

82 minutes

Mrs. Brisby goes to see Mr. Ages. From him she obtains some medicine. Timmy, her son, is sick. She needs to keep Timmy in bed for three weeks so that he can heal but the plow has come early and she needs to move her family or else they will all be killed.

Mrs. Brisby goes to see the Great Owl. He tells her to go see Nicodemus the rat. He tells her that Nicodemus and the rats will her to move her home.

Mrs. Brisby follows the owl's advice. She finds the entrance to the rat's lair under the rose bush. Down there she finds Mr. Ages and lots of rats. Mr. Ages introduces her to Justin, one of the rats. Justin takes her to Nicodemus, who gives her an amulet and tells her her about her husband, and why the rats of NIMH are indebted to him.

Jonathan Brisby was one of two mice to escape from NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) with the rats. He was killed by Dragon, a cat. The rats and mice who escaped from NIMH were injected with experimental drugs that made them highly intelligent. They learned to read and escaped. The time has come for the rats to move from the farm where they currently live.

The rats agree to move Mrs. Brisby and her family, as a repayment of sorts, to Jonathan. They themselves are getting ready to move to Thorne Valley. Mrs. Brisby doesn't know it but Jenner, one of the rats, has been trying to persuade the others that they should stay put. Jenner has grown tired of Nicodemus and sees an opportunity to eliminate him.

Everything works out in the end but there are casualties which almost includes Mrs. Brisby's four children. She uses the power of the amulet that Nicodemus gave her to save them and move her home out of harm's way.

Thoughts

The story was based on a novel called Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. 

There was a sequel to this movie but it gets very poor reviews and was not made by the same director.

I believe I saw this movie on VHS during the 1980s. I'm sure I saw it during that decade. I don't recall what format it was in but I'm pretty sure that I didn't see it in the movie theater. It's possible that I saw it on broadcast TV.

What was the deal with the amulet? Is it magic? If it is then it's the only magical thing in the story which up to that point seemed more like science fiction.

This was a very enjoyable watch. I love the animation. The story is good. It moves at a fast pace. There's plenty of room to fill things in. Not everything is explained fully but it works.