Do movies from our childhood captivate us now as they once did? If so, is it for the same reason? We explore this is The Secret of NIMH
THE INITIAL RELEASE (1982)
The year was 1979; frustrated with Walt Disney Studios, Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy were determined to make strongly executed full-length animated films.
And so these three inspired men vowed to make a non- Disney movie in an old Disney style and with that they decided to venture out and recreate the “old-fashioned” rich and meticulously achieved work including lots of body language and detailed backgrounds – their first venture The Secret of NIMH.
The Secret of NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) is the first film Bluth produced after leaving the studio. Adapted from Robert C. O’Brien’s acclaimed children’s book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H. That story is about a group of rats and mice that were injected with the secret potion in the laboratories of the National Institute of Mental Health, and that they quickly became so smart that they were able to escape from “Nimh” and set up a society in a barnyard. Meanwhile, Mrs. Brisby, a widowed mouse attempts to save one of her children, who is gravely ill when she comes across the animals of N.I.M.H.
The Secret of NIMH succeeded in reproducing the marvellous detail and depth of the Disney classics. It is a beautiful, interesting movie that creates a little rodent world right under the noses of the indifferent local humans.
MY EXPERIENCE (1989 – 2014
There’s so much to say about this movie. It’s one that has stuck with me since I was a kid and continues to captivate me for a variety of different reasons!
Firstly, as a kid, this movie is scary as all heck! See below video for more proof.
On top of this, we kids are presented with scenes that include animal children in peril and a sword fight between rats ends in one death with a little blood. We even get to see the animated animals being injected with the needle holding the secret potion. A lot of what pulled me to this movie was the amazing scenery and animation. It blew me away as a child and continues to do so. The meticulous effort that went into this movie is breath-taking – 
right down to the way the characters speak! Looking back on the movie with a 20-something-year-old’s eyes I see a whole new set of themes, ideals and ethical dilemmas that I don’t remember seeing before.
One of the main themes centers on the rats and their ethical dilemma: Should they continue to freeload off of the local humans, stealing grains, supplies, and even electricity or should they set off into the wilderness to establish a new society of their own? This larger story is counterpointed with the saga of a mousy little widow named Mrs. Brisby, whose sick child is threatened by the approach of the tilling machine. This ties in with another main theme: that of politics, Jenner – the main antagonist – is a staunch conservative and is dead set against change and refuses to move despite his home being threatened. However, he soon meets his comeuppance.
Another theme that crops up and is that of science; to be honest this is where things get a bit complicated – even for a kid’s movie. NIMH shows us that science can be both good and bad through anthropomorphic rats and mice. To put this simply; Science in experimentation = bad, Science to help elongate live = good. Regardless of the themes and complicated storylines, the characters are well drawn but not especially memorable – though 
there is the one exception, the character of Jeremy the crow. The talented Dom DeLuise provides his defining personality to the crow, adding that extra hint of memorability.
In light of this, The Secret of NIMH is an artistic success and a spectacular return to the shimmering, mesmerizing deep-focus animation associated with Disney’s classic period: a marvelous use of lighting to create atmosphere and the villains are as terrifying as cartoon villains should be. It looks good, moves well, and delights our eyes. It is not quite such a success on the emotional level, however, because with its many characters and so many different problems and intertwining stories, that there’s nobody for the kids in the audience to strongly identify with. I guess you could say that the Disney tradition lives, but that the Disney magic still remains elusive.
