The Secret of NIMH

A classic, much-loved but oft-overlooked children’s film from the 1980s, The Secret of NIMH was directed and produced by celebrated animator Don Bluth, who had a much-publicized exit from the Walt Disney Company prior to its making. Disney’s rejection of NIMH’s story — too dark, in their view — was the final straw in a series of events that prompted Bluth and a team of animators to leave Disney and form their own company. This first film by “The Disney Defectors,” as they were dubbed, combined a series of technical advances with a return to the traditional, expensive and visually superior animation techniques Disney was in the process of abandoning. The result is a strikingly beautiful film that tells the story of Mrs. Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a widowed mouse, and her courageous mission to save her home and her desperately ill son from destruction — they inhabit a farmer’s field, and harvest time is nigh! Her quest leads her to a group of hyper-intelligent escaped lab rats, lead by the mystical and wise Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi). They agree to help her as part of their own quest for independence. “The Secret of NIMH is an artistic success. It looks good, moves well, and delights our eyes” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Colour, 35mm. 82 mins.