The Secret of NIMH

Recently I have shared one of my favorite animators in my recent posts — Don Bluth. After sharing Don Bluth's work, I decided to watch one of his successful works, The Secret of NIMH which was released in 1982. 

The Secret of NIMH primarily tells the story of a widowed timid mouse named Mrs.Brisby who is willing to do anything to save her ill son, Timothy before the moving day, which is the day when all the animals who reside on the farm move before the plow. Mrs. Brisby embarks on a brave courageous journey to seek help — she approaches Ages who supplies her with some medicine, sees the Great Owl, and many more. That said, the tale also focuses on the rats of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The rats from NIMH were injected with a secret potion making them rapidly intelligent and they were able to escape the institute. Because of this, the rats start their own society on the farm. As the story progresses, the rat creates a plan to move away from the barnyard and migrate to Thorn Valley so they are safe from the NIMH and they will no longer have to steal supplies from humans. 

The Secret of NIMH Concept Art | Image by Traditional Animation

In this fantasy adventure animated film, I thought it was very refreshing from what we usually see in an animated movies, especially for children. The overall film is much darker and consists of a creepier atmosphere than what we normally see in a children's animated film. 

For the most part, the movie was not afraid to take risks in tackling heavier themes for children. In the film, the movie touches on themes such as struggles of single parenting, death, animal cruelty, moral dilemmas/ethics, and many more. 

For example, the main theme the plot emphasizes is the moral dilemmas of the rats in questioning whether they should continue to steal from humans when they have the capabilities to be self-sufficient. Another example is Mrs.Brisby illustrating the struggles of being a single parent, where she wishes her husband was still with her, while she tries her hardest in doing whatever she can to protect her children, especially Timothy who is gravely ill. Lastly, the story touches on the subject of death and how to deal with death when the film starts off the story by introducing the audience that Mrs.Brisy's husband (Johnathan) has passed away as well as Nicodemus who dies later on in the story. Generally, the film consists of very dark themes which are rarely seen in children's animated films. 

Overall, the movie visually was great. The film reinforced the overall darkness of the plot through terrifying-looking characters like the farmer's cat named Dragon, Great Owl, and Nicodemus — this is achieved by using huge glowy eyes, skinny popped-out-looking joints, making the cat blinded in one eye, and dark colors. The overall background scenery was also typically grimmer and duller which reinforces the look the film is trying to achieve.